The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) kicked off its annual celebration of cycling, known as “Biketober,” in Blissville on Wednesday morning by celebrating the completion of the first phase of the Blissvile Bike Network, which aims to bring comprehensive safety upgrades to Western Queens.
Biketober, which takes place every October, is the DOT’s annual celebration of cycling and sustainable transportation, taking place at a time when ridership is generally at its highest in New York City due to favorable conditions.
The DOT launched the 2025 celebration at the intersection of Laurel Hill Boulevard and 56th Road on Wednesday morning to mark the completion of the first phase of the Blissville Bike Network, which has added 1.9 miles of protected bike lanes to Review Avenue, Starr Avenue and Van Dam Street.
DOT officials said the network helps connect Queens residents with Brooklyn by directly linking to the Greenpoint Avenue and Kosciuszko Bridges, as well as connecting to the western Queens waterfront and the Hunters Point Ferry.
DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, who attended the launch of Biketober in Blissville on Wednesday, said the presence of more cycling infrastructure encourages more people to cycle in the city.
“When we build safe infrastructure that feels welcoming, we attract more cycling,” Rodriguez said. “We are thrilled to fill this critical gap in the western Queens bike network.”
Rodriguez said the Adams Administration is attempting to install a record amount of protected bike infrastructure and said the DOT will look to continue on the “great work” that it had done in Blissville and other parts of the city.
The DOT plans to continue the Blissville Bike Network to the west in the next 12 months, with plans to install protected bike lanes on Borden Avenue to connect the neighborhood to the Queens Waterfront Greenway, a planned 16-mile continuous path connecting Gantry Plaza State Park to Fort Totten Park.
The DOT said that protected bike lanes have reduced all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 18.1%, while pedestrian deaths and serious injuries have fallen by 29.2% in areas where bike lanes have been installed.
The agency said the streets targeted for the next phase of the Blissville Bike Network experienced 178 injuries, including ten severe injuries and five fatalities, between 2019 and 2023. In 2019, two cyclists were killed in separate crashes on Borden Avenue, the DOT added.
Agency representatives say the network lays the foundations for a future greenway through the neighborhood.
This year, the DOT added a two-way protected bike lane on Revenue Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard between Greenpoint Avenue and 56th Road. The agency also upgraded a standard bike lane on Van Dam Street between Starr Avenue and Greenpoint Avenue to a protected lane.
It also added a standard bike lane on Review Avenue, from Greenpoint Avenue to Borden Avenue.
In 2026, the agency will add cycling infrastructure to Borden Avenue.
Elected officials and community leaders welcomed the addition of new cycling infrastructure in the neighborhood.
U.S. Rep Nydia Velázquez said the bike network will help make streets safer and give families in western Queens better ways to get to work and school.
“I’m glad to see this investment in Blissville and will keep pushing for safe, sustainable transportation in every neighborhood,” Velázquez said.
Council Member Julie Won, meanwhile, said the completed bike lanes in Blissville will help “save lives.”
“Protected bike lanes ensure that children, seniors and others can move through our streets without fear of injury or death,” Won said.
Tom Mituzas, secretary of the Blissville Civic Association, described the bike network as a community-driven initiative and said the protected bike lanes stand as a “beacon” for bicyclists, motorists, walkers and joggers alike.
“In essence, this project has ushered in a new era of safety for all roadway users,” Mituzas said in a statement. “On behalf of the Blissville Civic Association and every individual who calls Blissville home, we extend our deepest gratitude.”
Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, said the bike network was a “step in the right direction” for western Queens.
“We hope to see many more bike lanes installed throughout western Queens, particularly in Woodside and Sunnyside,” Furnas said in a statement.
