Transportation Alternatives volunteers gathered with Senator John Liu, Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, Council Member elects Lynn Schulman, Shekar Krishnan, Julie Won and over 100 supporters Sunday afternoon to celebrate more than a decade of advocacy that led to the transformation of Queens Boulevard, once known as the “Boulevard of Death,” into the “Boulevard of Life.”
Hundreds of advocates and thousands of supporters lobbied the city to prioritize safety and demand a redesign of Queens Boulevard. As a result of this activism, the city began installing life-saving safety infrastructure to the corridor in 2015, including protected bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and improved crosswalks and intersections. As a result, traffic injuries have declined by 19%, while pedestrian fatalities and injuries declined by 24%.
“This celebration belongs to the countless activists who over the course of a decade have participated in rallies, events, collected petitions, and stood up for undoing the destructive legacy of the ‘boulevard of death’. Through your activism, fewer families along the boulevard will know the torment that is losing a loved one to traffic violence. With two recent fatalities on Queens Boulevard east of where safety improvements have been made, we hope Mayor-elect Adams will look at extending this project to its original endpoint, Jamaica Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.” said Juan Restrepo, Senior Organizer for Transportation Alternatives.
Sunday’s celebration began with a bike ride from Sunnyside to Queens Borough Hall, showcasing the improvements along Queens Boulevard. Now, cyclists have a safe bike route from Skillman and 43rd Street to Forest Hills.
TA’s Queens Activist Committee also announced a new advocacy campaign, calling on Mayor-elect Eric Adams to build on this project’s success and extend the safety improvements on Queens Boulevard east to Jamaica Avenue. TA also called on the city to co-name a street on Queens Boulevard for Asif Rahman. Asif, then 22, was struck and killed by the driver of a truck in February 2008 on the boulevard in Elmhurst.
Mayor-elect Adams must scale the success of Queens Boulevard citywide. As a supporter of NYC 25×25, our vision to reclaim 25% of car space for people by 2025, the mayor-elect can make this a reality by making life-saving investments in protected bike lanes, pedestrian paths, and redesigned intersections. He must also implement the Streets Master Plan equitably across all five boroughs to encourage sustainable, safe, and accessible transportation.
“Bicycle riding is a fun, healthy, and environmentally-friendly activity that we all should be doing our utmost to encourage,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. “The best thing we can do to promote bike riding is to create conditions where cyclists can ride safely and confidently throughout our Borough and City. The Queens Boulevard protected bike lane will do a great deal to promote secure and enjoyable bike riding, so I commend all of our partners, both inside and outside of government, who help keep Queens Boulevard safer every day.”
NY State Senator John Liu said, “Many years after Asif Rahman was killed on Queens Blvd, cementing its notoriety as the Boulevard of Death, the grief and pain is still felt by his family and community. We honor his memory with the completion of this bike lane, an important milestone in the continuing transformation of Queens Blvd into a boulevard of life, and look forward to seeing more improvements and reconstruction of other thoroughfares into more human-friendly zones.” – Liu, NY State Senator member of Transportation Committee and former chairperson of City Council Transportation Committee who urged reconstruction of Queens Blvd at time of Asif Rahman’s death. —
“I’m excited to join so many street safety champions to celebrate the very real and essential victories for improved bike infrastructure in Queens with Transportation Alternatives. From Skillman and 43rd Ave. to the very first phase of Queens Boulevard, which established protected bike lanes on what was then-known as the “Boulevard of Death,” helping to transform it to a boulevard of life, we have fought arm-in-arm for the street-changing successes we have achieved. There are few things I am more proud of during my time in the Council than my advocacy to make our streets safer in Western Queens. Congratulations to all!” – New York City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer
“I am grateful to the city for taking the necessary steps to address the traffic safety crisis on Queens Boulevard. The safety redesigns on Queens Boulevard including wider pedestrian crossings and expanded medians will help prevent further tragedy from befalling others in our community,” said Assemblyman Andrew Hevesi, A.D. 28.