Western Queens Transportation Study Draft is Available To You

While perusing Astorians.com, I noticed that user @nsutaria posted a link to the draft of the Western Queens Transportation Study. It’s a long document—a 105 page pdf—and goes over the background, issues, challenges, goals, and recommedations regarding transportation in Western Queens.The major topics the study explores includes:

• Looking at overall improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users
• Connecting parks and cultural institutions with new development
• Better access and mobility for all

Other tidbits include:

• Improving the transit we have and ensuring people have real choices when it comes to their transportation needs in accessing areas both within Western Queens and outside of it, particularly Roosevelt Island (which will be home to the new Cornell Tech Campus).
• Ways to improve mobility—e.g. pedestrian crossings, wayfinding, new ferry access, and more.
• Focus on the “tech corridor” and improving transit access there; this would be along the waterfront areas. Issues like bottlenecking from car traffic and the impact on existing transit networks are touched on.
• Recommendations on how to adjust the bus network (including eliminating some lines), adding multiple East River Ferry docks (Hunters Point, Roosevelt Island, Astoria Cove), better and regular use of the subway’s express tracks.
• Safety along the roads, including traffic calming measures, especially on 21st Street (which reminds me so much of Los Angeles) and Vernon Blvd.
• Bike network and access, especially to Roosevelt Island.
• PARK Smart for cars along some major retail area.
• Continuing to improve Queens Plaza for pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, and transit users..

After reading the study, you can email or call the project team with your comments and/or concerns. Here are the contacts:

• Michael Klatsky, Project Manager, Transportation Division, 212-442-4641, mklatsky@planning.nyc.gov
• Stephanie Shellooe, Highway Transportation Specialist, 212-341-3771, sshellooe@planning.nyc.gov
• Abraham Abreu, Highway Transportation Specialist, 212-442-4655, aabreu@planning.nyc.gov
• Penny Lee, Lead Planner, Queens Office, 212-720-3261, plee@planning.nyc.gov
• Sagi Golan, Urban Designer, Urban Design Division, 212-720-3549, sgolan@planning.nyc.gov

So how about it—what are your initial thoughts on the study? We’d love to know – leave us a comment or a tweet!