Westmoreland Association, Inc.
Organized 1917 & Incorporated 1924
Regarding Bicycle Lane on Northern Boulevard
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September 22, 2017
Hon. Nicole Garcia
Queens Borough Commissioner
NYC Department of Transportation
120-55 Queens Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Kew Gardens NY 11424
Dear Commissioner Garcia:
I write to reiterate the Westmoreland Association’s support of your Department’s plan for a dedicated bicycle lane on Northern Boulevard to run from the Joe Michaels Mile pathway adjacent to the Cross Island Parkway (CIP) east to Douglaston Parkway. We also again request evaluation of a continuation of that bike lane eastward into Little Neck as far as the Queens/Nassau County line.
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We are a homeowners association representing the Westmoreland area of Little Neck. Our community is bounded roughly by Northern Boulevard on the south; Little Neck Parkway on the west; 39th Road on the north; and Nassau Road on the east. Our area includes approximately 330 households, about 80% of which are located in Queens with the remainder in Nassau County.
On December 6, 2013 I wrote to ask your Department to create a bicycle lane to connect our neighborhood to the Joe Michaels mile. That request had been discussed and endorsed by a vote of our members at our November, 2013 meeting.
At the June 5, 2017 meeting of Community Board 11 I spoke in favor of the DOT’s plan for the CIP-to-Douglaston-Parkway bike lane. I also restated our organization’s request that consideration be given to extending the bike lane east to our neighborhood. At that meeting CB-11 voted to support the DOT plan.
At our September 18, 2017 membership meeting the issue was again discussed at length, in light of the further action by CB-11 to endorse an alternative plan. A motion was made and unanimously passed to confirm and reiterate our endorsement of the DOT plan and seek its prompt implemen-tation. We believe that this plan will not only provide a much safer route for bicycle riders, but will also improve safety for motorists (by calming traffic through this stretch of Northern Boulevard, where vehicles often drive well above the speed limit) and for pedestrians (because bike riders now
often use the pedestrian sidewalk, given the danger of riding on the roadway). We also reiterate our request that DOT consider extending the bike lane into Little Neck, to the City line.
We do not necessarily object to future consideration by DOT of the alternative plan recently put forward by CB-11, which envisions an expanded sidewalk to be shared by bicycle riders and pedestrians. We have not had an opportunity to review the details of that plan, but it is our understanding that it is considerably more costly and complex than DOT’s current plan, and that it would most likely require up to five or more years to implement (even assuming funding were approved). We therefore urge that DOT proceed with prompt implementation of the current plan. We note that if and when an alternative plan is duly evaluated, designed, adopted and fully funded, it would be easy to convert from the currently planned configuration.
Sincerely,
/s/
Walter Mugdan
President
cc: Hon. Paul Vallone, New York City Council
Community Board 11
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Regarding Bicycle Lane on Northern Boulevard:
December 6, 2013
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Hon. Maura McCarthy
Queens Borough Commissioner
NYC Department of Transportation
120-55 Queens Boulevard, 2nd Floor
Kew Gardens NY 11424
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Dear Commissioner McCarthy:
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The Westmoreland Association is a homeowners association representing the Westmoreland area of Little Neck in northeastern Queens. We write today to respectfully request consideration by the New York City Transportation Department of creation of a bike lane between our community and the nearest established part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway/Bikeway.
The northern portion of the Bikeway runs south from the vicinity of the Throgs Neck Bridge, along the west side of Little Neck Bay, to Northern Boulevard. The path continues, through a series of picturesque and historic bike lanes, paths and sharrows to connect our corner of the City to Flushing Meadows/Corona Park and, ultimately, to Eastern Parkway, Prospect Park and Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn.
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The Bikeway is accessible from our Westmoreland district via Northern Boulevard/Rt.25A to entrances at the intersection of Northern Boulevard and the Cross Island Parkway (“CIP”). Though Northern Boulevard has capacity for three lanes of traffic in each direction between Douglaston and the CIP, and two lanes plus parking from Douglaston to the city line, plus a painted median strip, there is currently no accommodation for bicyclists on Northern Boulevard. The nearest detour is almost two miles and involves taking an unmarked route over hilly and highly trafficked streets. In other words, there is no safe, direct route by bicycle from our neighborhood to the Bikeway.
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Accordingly, at the November 18 Westmoreland Association meeting, a resolution was passed to endorse the idea of a bike lane from the CIP east towards Little Neck Parkway, if possible, and at least to Douglaston Parkway. We look forward to working with you to develop a bicycle-inclusive plan that will enhance the transportation options for northeastern Queens.
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Sincerely,
/s/
Walter Mugdan
President
cc: Hon. Paul Vallone, New York City Council-Member Elect
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