Open but divided: Tensions grow over 34th Ave. Open Street
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Gloria Contreras leads the 34OS Resisters United through Jackson Heights to protest the 34th Avenue Open Street on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Eagle photo by Jacob Kaye
By Jacob Kaye
For over a year, a 1.3 mile stretch of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights has been closed to cars every day, from early in the morning until late in the evening. In their stead, residents go on walks, children play, gardeners plant and cyclists cruise – all in the middle of the block.
For many, the 34th Avenue Open Street, which stretches down the tree-lined corridor from 69th Street to Junction Boulevard, is the gold standard for reimagining the city’s streets, which have seen a steady rise in deaths in the last year. Born in the pandemic, the Open Street offered refuge to those locked in their apartments and homes, and has since turned into a meeting place for all kinds of community groups and gatherings.
But for others, the Open Street is, at best, a headache and at worst, a life threatening barrier to the elderly and those with disabilities. They say the street is inconvenient, dangerous and was implemented without input from the community.
However bucolic the Open Street may look, it’s existence and future has divided a number of people in the community, so much so that some residents declined to share their names with the Eagle out of fear of reprisal from their neighbors when commenting on the street.
One of those people was Piper Josephine, who, as the leader of the hardline group 34OS Resisters United, uses the pseudonym because of backlash she’s faced for advocating for an end to the Open Street.
Among her complaints, Josephine said the lack of parking and increased traffic on neighborhood streets has made her and her neighbor’s days more difficult during an already difficult year.
“It’s almost like psychological warfare because they’re trying to make us use public transportation,” Josephine told the Eagle. “This is not Europe, this is a commerce city.”
Josephine, Libertarian City Council candidate Suraj Jaswal and Jackson Heights resident Gloria Contreras led the group of about 40 people throughout the neighborhood on Saturday calling for an end to the Open Street. The group has also drawn support from former City Council candidate Yi Andy Chen and former City Councilmember and convicted felon Hiram Monserrate.
Many of the group’s members, including Josephine and Contreras, were members of the 34 OS Compromise, which organized in an effort to limit the number of hours the Open Street was in effect but didn’t want to see it ended completely.
They splintered when some felt no one was listening to their requests.
“I don't want to compromise,” Contreras said. “Open up 34th Avenue, give me back my safety, give my child a life.”
Aided by a police escort, 34OS Resisters United marched through several streets open to cars, blocking and diverting traffic, one of the things they said they were marching against.
Members of 34OS Resisters United march through Jackson Heights on Saturday, Oct. 9, 2021. Eagle photo by Jacob Kaye
“They got permission from the police and it's only for five minutes in each block,” Jaswal said. “We are not blocking it for 12 hours.”
Contreras said that her daughter is scared to get hit by a cyclist or electric bike rider everytime they step out of their house. She’s heard from neighbors that a boy who was recently struck now refuses to cross the street.
While Open Streets haven’t been free of crashes, they have seen fewer injuries to pedestrians, cyclists and motorists, according to a new report by Transportation Alternatives. Motorists injuries fell by 25 percent citywide and by 50 percent on Open Streets, when comparing the 12 months prior to the pandemic to the 12 months since the Open Streets were announced, the advocacy group found. Pedestrian injuries fell by 38 percent citywide and by 42 percent on Open Streets, the report said.
The group’s march comes several weeks before Queens Community Board 3 is scheduled to hold a meeting on the future of the Open Street, which was made permanent by the City Council in May. The Oct. 21 meeting will feature an update on the program from the Department of Transportation.
An agency spokesperson defended the Open Street in a statement to the Eagle and said the agency welcomes the 34OS Resisters United’s critiques.
“These protestors are welcome to make the case about why they are opposed to increased access to open space, enhanced safety for hundreds of students in the six nearby schools, as well as community centered activities,” DOT spokesperson Seth Stein said. “Open Streets, especially 34th Ave in Queens, are an overwhelmingly popular and now permanent fixture of our streetscape for good reason. We always aim to ensure our Open Streets are accessible, and are open to improvements that make that possible.”
Eventually, 34OS Resisters United made their way to 34th Avenue. Entering from the easternmost section of the Open Street, the group chanted, “Whose streets? Our streets,” as their neighbors took advantage of the open space.
Liz Sprotzer and Alex Perlin were walking their young baby along the avenue as the protesters marched by.
“I really do like the open streets,” Perlin said. “I know I'm sure there's some commercial difficulties, parking is a little bit harder. But also, we do have a baby and it’s much, much nicer to walk in a wide street with fewer cracks in the crowded sidewalk.”
Tony Giffone, who lives on 34th Avenue, was out on the street reading a book, something he says he’s done nearly every day since the start of the pandemic.
“I think Open Streets are great, it's been a real addition to the neighborhood,” Giffone said. “I think it's made the neighborhood even more civic minded, people see each other more and become more friendly and more neighborly.”
Local musician Ben Swan plays his violin on the 34th Avenue Open Street whenever he can. Eagle photo by Jacob Kaye
Without a venue to play in during the pandemic, local musician Ben Swan has taken to the Open Street to play the violin for his neighborhood.
“Having the streets closed off is great for me and it's great for the people that like to come and listen to me play music for them, especially the small children who don't get to experience live music, violin jazz and other kinds of archaic art forms like this,” he said.
With the Resisters a few blocks west and with the sounds of their bullhorns faded in the distance, Swan broke out an old classic: “Sunnyside of the Street.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly spelled 34OS Resisters United on several occasions.
