Eyes on the Street: Vernon Boulevard Bikeway Upgrade

Buffered bike lanes on Vernon Boulevard in western Queens are getting upgraded to a buffered two-way bikeway. Gil Lopez was near Hallet’s Cove this morning when he snapped a photo of DOT crews installing the bike lane, which when complete will include flexible posts to keep out car traffic.

The two-way lane will run from 46th Avenue in Long Island City to 30th Drive in Astoria, though it will give way to shared lane markings on opposite sides of the street near Queensbridge Park and Rainey Park. The disruptions to the bike lane will add back some parking spaces removed when the Vernon Boulevard bike lane was installed in 2008. Cyclists looking for a protected route on those sections are directed to more circuitous waterfront bike paths in the parks.

This isn’t the only bike route upgrade on track for western Queens: On November 7, Community Board 2 is scheduled to take up a proposal to expand bike lanes in Long Island City and Sunnyside. These plans, developed by DOT after a series of workshops with the community board, will improve connections to the Pulaski Bridge, Queens Plaza, Hunters Point, and Sunnyside.