The city will have completed its effort to redesign Queens Boulevard, once known as the Boulevard of Death, for the high number of injuries and fatal crashes, by Oct. 29.
“Once and for all, the ‘Boulevard of Death’ becomes the ‘Boulevard of Life,’” Mayor de Blasio said.
Under the city’s street safety agenda, called Vision Zero, the Department of Transportation added pedestrian space, widened crosswalks, added bike lanes and other street designs, aimed at curbing reckless driving on a seven-and-a-half-mile stretch of Queens Boulevard from Roosevelt Avenue to Union Turnpike.
“Think about the child who will be safe, who will never know the trauma of a crash,” de Blasio said. “Think about the parent who will never lose a child.”
And yet, for Yuka Diaz, “It is still scary, because the cars always rushing, and we are following the lights but the cars coming in, at any chance. I got scared several times.”
“They won‘t stop. Like even when it’s time to do it, they just come from here,” her 9-year-old daughter, Sienna Diaz, said. “But it’s kind of better. Not much people are dying right now.”
They appreciate some of the design changes.
And Queens Boulevard has seen a drop, 24% fewer pedestrians injured or killed under the de Blasio administration.
But pedestrians say, they remain cautious about the car traffic and want more enforcement of traffic laws.
“It’s more the cars, the drivers are dangerous,” Yuka Diaz said.
Brent Meyer, a longtime Queens resident who also drives, agreed.
“This worries me, somewhat. I think it’s great in terms of pedestrians having a walk way to use,” Meyer said. “I worry sometimes about the drivers more so.”
He even recalled a childhood friend who was struck by a driver while crossing Queens Boulevard.
“I’ll believe it when I see it. Look, I grew up in Queens, I used to live in Elmhurst, I used to cross queens boulevard to go to middle school, I went to I.S. 5,” Meyer said. “I had a friend who got hit by a car just on his way across the boulevard coming back home from school, so it’s been like this for a really long time.”
A two-mile bike lane, separated from traffic is a part of the Queens Boulevard project, and the city’s effort to add 30-miles of protected bike lanes around New York this year.
City promises ‘Boulevard of Life’ on busy Queens Boulevard
PUBLISHED 10:36 PM EDT Sep. 22, 2021