A Queens judge put the brakes on Friday The city plans to build a bike lane through Long Island City’s industrial expansion – The decision that the claim that it was being pursued illegally may have some merit.
The Department of Transportation had to grant a temporary restraining order after business owners on Review Avenue accused the city agency of moving forward without conducting a safety study.
“Just for safety reasons, not every road is suitable for bike lanes. I understand that people want to get from point A to point B, and what they think is the most straightforward way, but it may not be the safest way,” Matthew Dienstag, co-owner of local Lenoble Lumber, told The Post. .
“We were always asking the DOT to consider alternatives, and in fact they gave us, as far as I am concerned, lip service. He had made up his mind.”
Dienstag led the legal charge to stop the bike lane this month, when 32 business owners along the strip filed a petition asking the DOT to halt — not stop — the project before construction could begin. Was scheduled for.
The lawsuit alleges that the city never conducted a safety or environmental study for the proposed route, which would connect the Pulaski and Kosciuszko bridges via Borden, Starr and Review avenues – a dangerous area of Blissville known for its large trucks. Notorious for crowds.
Dienstag alleged that after deciding on the route, the DOT met with dozens of local businesses at Industrial Corner and listened to their views – before ultimately ignoring their pleas.
The group expressed concern that the bike path would create a safety issue on the heavily trafficked corridor.
The route suffers from constant truck and forklift traffic, with massive box trucks swerving across both lanes to enter and exit their warehouses – the age-old double-parking problem on congested roads made a difficult task even more difficult. Has given.
The lawsuit alleges that by ignoring their concerns, the DOT “acted capriciously, capriciously, and illegally and abused its discretion.”
“Before you look at a plan that will have a significant impact on businesses, let’s look at the alternatives, in our minds, as well as those of a traffic consultant we have appointed to study this route. It reduces security, it doesn’t increase security,” Dienstag said.
However, DOT had earlier told The Post that it had conducted a detailed study of the project area from both bike and cargo truck perspective.
“This project addresses critical safety needs for everyone by narrowing lanes on an unsafe corridor and protecting cyclists on the highly traveled route between Brooklyn and western Queens. “Our proposals use common design elements found on streets across the city and we will defend our work in court,” DOT spokesman Vincent Barron told The Post.
The path was requested by local community boards, civic associations and Councilwoman Julie Vaughn to create a safe route for cyclists.
The temporary restraining order isn’t the end of the bike path just yet — DOT will have a chance to defend its plan at a hearing next month.
(Tags to translate)Metro(T)US News(T)Bike Lanes(T)Bicyclists(T)Department of Transportation(T)Long Island City(T)New York City Life(T)Queens
