Biketober: NYC DOT Expands Western Queens Bike Network With New Bike Lanes Better Connecting New Yorkers to Brooklyn, Queens Waterfront

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IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2025 Contact: (212) 839-4850, [email protected]

Biketober: NYC DOT Expands Western Queens Bike Network With New Bike Lanes Better Connecting New Yorkers to Brooklyn, Queens Waterfront

NYC DOT Completes New Bike Lanes on Review Avenue, Van Dam Street, and Starr Avenue

Lanes Better Connect Queens Residents to Brooklyn and Their Waterfront While Improving Safety for Everyone Using the Corridors

Map of the in-progress Blissville bike network in western Queens, with Phase I projects substantially completed in 2025. Credit: NYC DOT

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez kicked off October, known as Biketober, on Wednesday announcing the agency completed 1.9 new bike lane miles and comprehensive safety upgrades on Review and Starr avenues in Blissville, Queens. The lanes connect to an expanding Queens greenway network and connect residents to Brooklyn, directly linking to the Greenpoint Avenue and Kosciuszko bridges, as well as the Western Queens waterfront and Hunters Point Ferry. The project represents just the latest effort to expand the bike network in western Queens, with the agency planning to return next year to continue the project west, with a new protected bike lane on Borden Avenue connecting to the Queens Waterfront Greenway.

"We are building an extensive bike network in western Queens, and it's delivered results with more and more New Yorkers opting to commute by bike. When we build safe infrastructure that feels welcoming, we attract more cycling," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "We are thrilled to fill this critical gap in the western Queens bike network-part of this administration's efforts to install a record amount of new protected bike infrastructure-and look forward returning next year to build on this great work."

Protected bike lanes like those installed in Blissville have shown to improve safety for everyone on the road-not just cyclists. Protected bike lanes reduce all traffic deaths and serious injuries by 18.1 percent, and pedestrian deaths and serious injuries by 29.2 percent. The streets targeted for these upgrades have experienced 178 injuries, including 10 severe injuries and five fatalities, between 2019 and 2023. In 2019, two cyclists were killed in separate crashes on Borden Avenue.

Biketober is an annual celebration of cycling and sustainable transportation, hosted during October when there is ideal weather for cycling and when ridership in New York City is generally at its highest levels. NYC DOT will host events across the city through the month, where it will be distributing bike lights or helmets, or hosting safety education classes. For a list of events, visit NYC DOT's bike events webpage.

Blissville Bike Network

To build out a Blissville bike network, NYC DOT has proposed a network of painted and protected lanes along critical cycling corridors in the area: Review Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard, Borden Avenue, Van Dam Street, Greenpoint Avenue, and Starr Avenue.

This year, NYC DOT has substantially completed the addition of a two-way parking protected bike lane on Revenue Avenue and Laurel Hill Boulevard, from Greenpoint Avenue and 56th Road; upgraded the standard bike lane on Van Dam Street, from Starr Avenue to Greenpoint Avenue, to a protected lane; and added a standard bike lane on Review Avenue from Greenpoint Avenue to Borden Avenue.

In 2026, NYC DOT plans to return to add bike infrastructure to Borden Avenue. The network lays the foundation for a future greenway segment through the area.

Expanding Western Queens' Bike Network

Since the start of Vision Zero in 2014, NYC DOT has built 69 miles of bike lanes, including 29 miles of protected bike lanes, in the area of western Queens including Astoria, Long Island City, Sunnyside, and Blissville to better connect residents to their waterfronts, neighboring boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn, and important local destinations. These projects include the 31st Avenue Bike Boulevard, as well as protected bike lanes on 11th Street, 44th Drive, Queens Blvd, and Jackson Avenue.

These projects are part of the Adams administration's record-setting implementation of protected bike lanes, building 87.5 miles of protected bike lanes in the first three years of the administration. In addition to the record growth of the protected lane network; the Adams administration has launched the planning process for a historic, citywide greenway expansion; developed new, wider bike lane designs to better accommodate legal micromobility options; and installed new barriers at more than 20 miles of existing bike lanes across the city.

"These new bike lanes will make our streets safer and give families in western Queens better ways to get to work, school, or wherever they may be going. I'm glad to see this investment in Blissville and will keep pushing for safe, sustainable transportation in every neighborhood," said Congresswoman Nydia M. Velázquez.

"Between 2019 and 2023, we saw 178 traffic related injuries in Blissville. The opening of the completed bike lane in Blissville will connect Review Ave and Starr Ave to the rest of the western Queens bike lane and will also save lives," said Councilmember Julie Won. "Protected bike lanes ensure that children, seniors, and others can move through our streets without fear of injury or death."

"We are grateful to Community Board 2 of Queens for providing us a platform to shape this community-driven initiative and to everyone at NYC DOT for their unwavering dedication to bringing transformative street safety to the Blissville section of Long Island City," said Tom Mituzas, secretary of the Blissville Civic Association. "The Blissville Greenway stands as a beacon of protection for bicyclists, motorists, walkers, and joggers alike, while also safeguarding over 100 newly planted trees, courtesy of NYC Parks. In essence, this project has ushered in a new era of safety for all roadway users. On behalf of the Blissville Civic Association and every individual who calls Blissville home, we extend our deepest gratitude. Thank you."

"The NYC Greenways Coalition is enthusiastic for Biketober and the focus on cycling and greenways citywide," said Hunter Armstrong, co-chair of NYC Greenways Coalition. "What better place to kick off this month than Queens and to celebrate the new 'Greater Greenways' report and greenway planning citywide - including the Queens waterfront and other projects that will connect communities across New York more safely."

"We're excited about the new bike lanes and safety upgrades in Blissville," said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. "These aren't just one-off bike lanes, but part of a wider network ensuring bike riders can travel safely to where they need to go. This is a step in the right direction, and we hope to see many more bike lanes installed throughout Western Queens, particularly in Woodside and Sunnyside."