ASTORIA, Queens (PIX11) — Those against a protected bike lane in Astoria call the plan dangerous.
They argue that, in addition to significant safety risks for road users, it is going to cause irreversible damage to local businesses.
It is not a fight against street safety, they say. It’s a fight to protect their livelihoods, small businesses, and the community that makes up 31st Street in Astoria, Queens.
“It is very troubling that DOT, instead of developing with us they developed the plan and came after the fact to speak with everybody after a done deal,” said Joseph Mirabella, President 31st Street Business Association.
Last week, the 31st Street Business Association, representing 54 small establishments in this area, sent this letter with over 4-thousand signatures to the Department of Transportation calling on the DOT to step back from implementing a mile-long bike lane plan underneath the elevated N/W subway tracks.
“Bike lanes are not going to improve safety,” said Panos Adamopoulos, an Astoria business owner.
In a statement to PIX11 NEWS, the DOT said, “Our proposal will better organize traffic on 31st Street, one of the most dangerous streets in Queens, to improve safety for everyone while keeping vehicles moving. Research shows that designs like these successfully improve safety and support local businesses.”
“We made up this proposal with their own data and gave them real alternatives that they have identified for the bike lanes,” added Mirabella.
“Every single business along this line will tell you the same thing. So the DOT has to come and tell us one person who approves this plan.”
Panos and his wife Sylvia have owned this Pilates equipment manufacturing company on 31st Street since 1984. They say delivery trucks with big and heavy raw material come constantly, and that the bike lane will take away critical space that they need for loading and unloading.
“They are proposing either moving the loading zones to Broadway or utilizing what they are calling floating loading zones, which will basically be parking in the middle of the streets,” said Mirabella.
“This new plan for 31st will eliminate 85 parking spots from Newtown Road all the way to 38th Avenue. What they are doing is just adding more congestion to an already congested area,” said Dennis Xenos, a business owner.
According to DOT data between 2020 and 2024, two people died and 11 others were seriously injured because of traffic-related incidents on 31st Street.
“The reality is not every street is suitable for the installation of protective bike lanes,” said Mirabella.
