As summer winds down, a transportation advocacy volunteer group in eastern Queens invites locals to cool down with a social ice cream ride.
The Eastern Queens Greenway organization, part of Transportation Alternatives, has been advocating for closing gaps in walking trails to increase safety for everyone, especially children, the elderly and those with limited mobility. One of their goals is to create a safe family bike route from Flushing Meadows Corona Park to Alley Pond Park and the Joe Michaels Mile.
Their volunteer-run bike rides are a way for locals to connect with one another while learning about the group’s work and how to get involved.
On Sunday, Aug. 25, the group is hosting a Bayside Ice Cream Ride that will start at the corner of Underhill Avenue and Utopia Parkway in Fresh Meadows, close to the Eastern Queens Greenway, at 1 p.m.
Two miles in, the group will stop for ice cream somewhere along Northern Boulevard in Bayside before biking back to the starting point. In total, the ride will be four miles.
The organizers noted that despite their advocacy for safer bike lanes across eastern Queens, the route will follow bike lanes that are not all fully protected.
“We’ll be using the protected bike lanes where we have them, but unfortunately not the entire route is protected (though we keep asking our local politicians to improve it),” read the event description.
Volunteers are encouraged to wear helmets and ensure their bikes are in proper condition before heading out. They are also told to carry cash to buy ice cream.
The group is also responsible for a Queens Music Ride, a celebration ride when new bike lanes were installed in the community, and regular family social bike rides.
