Locals Asked For Bike Lane On LIC Road Weeks Before Cyclist Died

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Concerned residents had demanded a protected bike path along a stretch of Queens road weeks before a cyclist was hit and killed there Thursday.

On Jan. 10, the Murano Condominium Association wrote to city officials and the local community board requesting a two-way protected bike lane along Borden Ave. in Hunter's Point, according to the letter, which Patch reviewed.

The association wrote to Queens Community Board 2, Department of Transportation Queens Borough Commissioner Nicole Garcia and City Council Member Jimmy Van Bramer, who represents Long Island City.

Van Bramer said Thursday he followed up with transportation officials on March 4, but didn't hear back from the department.

"DOT recently added safety enhancements at nearby 5th Street from Borden Avenue to 46th Ave," a DOT spokesperson told Patch. "With regards to this recent tragedy, DOT will look into potential safety enhancements at Borden Ave and 2nd Street, as we do following any fatality."

A driver on Thursday struck and killed a cyclist on Borden Ave. at Second St., one of the areas where the condo association requested the protected bike lanes.

"The natural makeup of the long straight sections of road encourages reckless driving," the letter says, referring to Borden Ave. "Due to the changing demographic makeup of the area, now more than ever we have residents with children crossing, driving and biking on this street."

At the scene on Borden Ave and 2nd St. In the CitizenApp chat, user stujo says, “A bicyclist was killed” #bikeNYC #VisionZero pic.twitter.com/g6lI7KZcww
— Walking LIC (@LICwalkers) March 14, 2019

Van Bramer said he reiterated the residents' concerns to the transportation department, asking the agency to adopt their suggested safety measures.

"In response to constituent concerns, I wrote a letter to the DOT on March 4th, raising issues about this location and informing the DOT that I believe the residents' requests for traffic calming measures, including a protected bike lane on Borden, are reasonable and should be pursued," he told Patch.

Residents of the Murano, located at 5-19 Borden Ave., had asked for protected bike lanes along Borden Ave. from Vernon Blvd. to the waterfront, the letter shows.

"Where the city has installed protected bike lanes, incidents of speeding, aggressive driving, injuries and fatalities have been substantially reduced," the letter says.

Residents also requested stop signs at the intersection of Borden Ave. and 5th St. and other safety measures like speed bumps or raised pedestrian crossings, according to the letter.