Yesterday, Council Member James F. Gennaro and Transportation Alternatives joined residents from across Queens to call for a protected bike lane and pedestrian safety measures on Queens Boulevard. The rally was held in response to the death of 22-year-old Asif Rahman of Jamaica, a bicyclist who was killed by a truck while riding his bicycle on the boulevard near 55th Avenue last February. Roughly 100 bicyclists and pedestrians are struck on Queens Boulevard each year.

Council Member Gennaro, who represents the Rahman Family and is Chair of the Environmental Protection Committee, announced a letter he wrote to the Bloomberg Administration—co-signed by Council Members John Liu and Eric Gioia—calling for a Queens Boulevard bicycle lane, stating:

"The lack of dedicated bike lanes on Queens Boulevard leaves cyclists without a safe path to travel and leaves motorists and pedestrians without the adequate separation they need to avoid collisions as well. Rather than treat those who walk, those who ride bicycles and those who drive cars as different classes of citizens, we should treat them as they really are—all fellow New Yorkers with the same expectations and rights with regards to personal safety and convenience—and give all of them the same level of attention and protection."

"Asif loved to ride his bike since he was a little boy," says Lizi Rahman, Asif's mother. "I always worried about his safety. We all know that Queens Boulevard is a dangerous road. If it had a bike lane, Asif might still be with us today."

"There has never been a better time for the City, elected officials and the community to come together and fix this dangerous street once and for all," says Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives.

Council Member Gennaro's letter to Mayor Bloomberg is available here:
http://transalt.org/files/campaigns/bike/2008-queens_blvd_bikelane.pdf

Photos of the event are available for download here:
transalt.org/files/campaigns/bike/images/ar_rally_2008_1.jpg transalt.org/files/campaigns/bike/images/ar_rally_2008_2.jpg transalt.org/files/campaigns/bike/images/ar_rally_2008_3.jpg

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