Caban, transit advocates protest against ruling ordering DOT to halt 31st Street protected bike lanes in Astoria - QNS

"Council Member Tiffany Cabán joined a number of transit advocacy groups in Astoria Tuesday night to protest against a Queens Supreme Court ruling ordering the Department of Transportation to halt plans for a protected bike lane along 31st Street. Cabán joined representatives from Transportation Alternatives (TA), Families for Safe Streets and NYC Bike and Brew Dec. 9 for an emergency rally and protest ride, ending with a "die-in" protest on the mile-long stretch of 31st Street that had been earmarked for a protected bike lane."

"According to DOT data, there have been almost 200 injuries along the stretch of 31st Street covered by the street safety project in the last five years. The agency had called for protected bike lanes on both sides of 31st Street from Newtown Avenue to 36th Avenue in a bid to improve street safety along the corridor, pointing to two fatalities and 11 serious injuries that took place between 2020 and 2024."

"However, Queens Supreme Court Justice Chereé Buggs ordered the agency to halt its plans for the protected bike lane in a ruling issue Dec. 5, additionally ordering the DOT to remove a section of the bike lane that it had installed between 31st Avenue and Broadway within 30 days. Buggs sided with the 31st Street Business Association and other local resident who filed a lawsuit against the DOT, arguing that the bike lanes would negatively impact local businesses,"

Council Member Tiffany Cabán joined transit advocacy groups in Astoria for an emergency rally and protest ride opposing a Queens Supreme Court ruling that ordered the Department of Transportation to halt plans for a protected bike lane on 31st Street. Protesters staged a die-in and used red chalk outlines to dramatize cyclist safety concerns. DOT data show almost 200 injuries on the corridor in five years, including two fatalities and 11 serious injuries from 2020 to 2024. DOT had proposed protected lanes from Newtown Avenue to 36th Avenue. Justice Chereé Buggs ordered removal of an installed section and sided with business and resident plaintiffs citing impacts on businesses, emergency response, and child safety near St. Demetrios School.

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