DOT's Vision Zero Redesign for Queens Boulevard: Prioritizing Safety and Multi-Modal Access

Removing travel lanes, adding protected bike lanes, and shortening pedestrian crossings to improve safety

The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) is proposing a major street redesign of Queens Boulevard between Skillman Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue in Sunnyside. This one-mile stretch is a dangerous one. It’s identified as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor, with 4.1 pedestrian severe injuries per mile between 2017-2021, putting it in the top 10% most dangerous streets in Queens. High rates of crashes and injuries are caused by speeding vehicles, drivers failing to yield (especially during left turns), and aggressive driving behaviors like sideswiping.

The primary elements of DOT’s redesign proposal include removing one travel lane in each direction (from the current four lanes) to encourage safer vehicle speeds and reduce rear-end crashes from speeding. A curbside protected bike lane would be added (separated from traffic by a floating parking lane), which aims to provide a safe cycling connection linking to existing bike infrastructure. Pedestrian islands would be installed at 34 of the 35 intersections to dramatically shorten crossing distances from 50 feet down to 31-33 feet, reducing exposure to turning vehicles. Intersections will also be redesigned as “protected intersections” with treatments like quick curbs, rubber speed bumps, and painted islands to slow turning vehicles and improve yielding to pedestrians and cyclists. (The DOT said that concrete pedestrian islands would unfortunately only be installed at select intersections because of resource constraints.)

The key benefits of this proposal include providing a new two-mile protected bike lane connection, shortening pedestrian crossing distances across the seven-lane boulevard, and slowing vehicle turns that must yield to other road users. The proposal builds on DOT’s previous Queens Boulevard redesign projects further east that achieved injury reductions of 34% overall and 42% for pedestrians, while increasing cyclist volumes by 122-250%. Data shows protected bike lanes improve safety for all road users, especially pedestrians (who are particularly vulnerable).

To minimize parking impacts, DOT plans to install new loading zones (informed by a merchant survey), and utilize the currently underused spaces under the elevated train for parking. However, approximately 50 parking spots may still need to be repurposed for pedestrian islands, bus stops, and visibility across the bike lane. Traffic analysis indicates the proposed lane reduction should have minimal impacts on travel times, as Queens Boulevard currently has excess vehicular capacity for much of the day beyond the PM peak.

Overall, the project aims to transform this corridor into a safer, multi-modal urban boulevard that is more conducive to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit riders. The plan aligns with the City’s Vision Zero goals to reduce traffic injuries and fatalities, while complementing other initiatives like the Queensboro Bridge redesign to provide more dedicated bike and pedestrian paths across the East River.

DOT presented this plan at last night’s Queens Community Board 2 meeting. Also speaking in favor of the plan at the meeting was Lizi Rahman, mother of Asif Rahman — a 22-year-old cyclist who was tragically killed by a truck driver while riding his bike on Queens Boulevard in 2008. By calming traffic and providing quality infrastructure for vulnerable road users like Asif had been, Queens Boulevard can hopefully be reborn as a true multi-modal street.