NYC plan for bike lanes along busy Queens corridor is ‘recipe for disaster:’ critics
Queens residents and business owners in Astoria are up in arms over a city proposal to add bike lanes to 31st Street, calling it a disaster in the making that will harm commerce and endanger safety.
The Department of Transportation’s plan includes narrowing parking lanes from 13 to 8 feet, traffic lanes from 14 to 11 feet, and moving parking lanes away from the curb to make room for bike paths between 36th and Newton avenues. While some lawmakers like Councilwoman Tiffany Cabán, Assemblywoman Jessica González-Rojas, and state Sen. Kristen Gonzalez support the initiative, local merchants are vehemently opposed.
One such business owner is Panos Adamopoulos, who co-owns Pilates Designs, a pilates equipment manufacturer on 31st Street since 1984. He fears that the proposed changes would make it impossible for trucks to access their business, ultimately leading to closure and putting 16 employees out of work.
Additionally, King Souvlaki, a food truck that has been operating on 31st Street and 31st Avenue since 1979, would also be forced to leave due to lack of space for parking. Owner Lampros Tsampas highlighted the safety concerns of serving customers from a floating parking area into a bike lane.
The DOT justifies the redesign as a safety measure, citing numerous injuries and fatalities along the stretch between 2020 and 2024. However, Astoria native Joseph Mirabella argues that the changes would pose a significant risk to his elderly grandmother and are not truly an improvement in accessibility.
Furthermore, the proposed bike lanes would disrupt pick-up and drop-off zones for students attending St. Demetrios School near 31st Street and 30th Avenue. The school, along with 49 other businesses and institutions, penned a letter to DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodríguez urging him to reconsider the plan, which could be implemented as early as this summer.
A Change.org petition against the proposal has garnered over 4,200 signatures, expressing concerns about increased traffic congestion, pollution, and delayed emergency responses. Business owners like Nancy Esposito of Brothers Supply Corp. fear the negative impact the changes would have on the industrial conduit that connects major bridges and tunnels in the area.
In response, the DOT spokesperson defended the proposal, stating that similar redesigns have successfully improved safety and supported local businesses while keeping traffic flowing. The department has engaged with numerous business owners on 31st Street to refine the plan based on their feedback.
Ultimately, the battle between city officials, residents, and business owners continues as the fate of 31st Street hangs in the balance.
