Shared bike lane (47th Ave.)
March 5, 2015 By Christian Murray
The Department of Transportation plans to install bicycle lanes on Jackson Avenue.
The lanes would be marked on Jackson Avenue from 11th Street to Queens Plaza South—and they would be “shared lanes” on both sides of the street.
These plans are part of the DOT’s attempt to build a bicycle network throughout Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City. Last year, the department put down bike lanes as part of Phase 1, which included the creation of lanes on 11th Street, 47 Ave., 49th Ave., 50th Ave. and throughout Sunnyside.
The Jackson Avenue lanes are part of Phase 2 that might be installed as early as this summer if Community Board 2 signs off on them.
The Jackson Avenue lanes would be in the middle of the existing bicycle network, since lanes are already down on 11th Street, 44th Drive and Queens Plaza.
“We are connecting [Jackson Avenue] to what we created last year and what might come in the future,” said a DOT spokeswoman at a Community Board 2 meeting. “There are a lot of people employed in this area.
Phase II is also likely to bring changes to the existing 11th Street lanes.
The DOT is looking to remove a travel lane between 47th Road and 44 Drive (on 11th Street) and replace it with a dedicated bicycle lane. The plan is in its preliminary stages and a traffic analysis has still to be conducted.
Phase 2 would also provide bicyclists with additional connections to Sunnyside and Woodside—via a number of industrial streets.
The proposal would see the installation of shared bicycle lanes from Greenpoint Avenue (by Calvary Cemetery) through Roosevelt Avenue (ending at 58th Street).
Two-way bicycle lanes would also be added to the Honeywell Street Bridge that goes over Sunnyside Yards—from Skillman Avenue to Northern Boulevard.
The DOT also plans to lanes connecting Long Island City to Maspeth through a web of industrial streets. The lanes would be installed on 56th Road (Maspeth), Review Avenue, and other segments leading to 49th Avenue.
