Elmhurst. A group of Queens City Council members are calling for a physically protected bike lane on Queens Boulevard, often called the "Boulevard of Death." They joined Lizi Rahman yesterday at the spot where her 22-year-old son, Asif, was killed on his bicycle last February.
The Department of Transportation has made improvements to Queens Boulevard. In 1993, 17 pedestrians were killed there; last year saw one pedestrian
fatality. But there are still 100 pedestrians and bicyclists injured each year along the road, according to advocacy group Transportation Alternatives.
The DOT recently installed a bike lane along Skillman Avenue, which runs parallel to part of Queens Boulevard, but TA's Wiley Norvell said bikers use the major thoroughfare for the same reason cars do -- it's the fastest route. He'd like to see the city reapportion part of the 10- to 16-lane road for bikes.
"New York City is willing to have tons of bike lanes, but only a handful are on major arteries," Norvell said. "It's hard to think of anything in Queens that would boost biking more" than a boulevard lane.
