Opinion: Bridge the highway barriers separating Queens parks from communities
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The treacherous intersection of Union Turnpike, Metropolitan Avenue and the Jackie Robinson Parkway near Forest Park. Photo courtesy of Kate Orff
By Karen Imas and Kate Orff
What do the Grand Central, Van Wyck, Jackie Robinson, Union Turnpike and Woodhaven Boulevard all have in common?
They’re not only some of Queens’ busiest roadways, they serve as boundaries cutting through and surrounding Queens’ open space jewels: Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Park.
These crisscrossing highways and speeding roadways create barriers to open space access in Central Queens and underscore the lack of investment in Central Queens parks, and moreover, the “missing links” to these parks — safe streets and bike lanes.
Anyone who has tried to ride a bike along Union Turnpike or to cross the Grand Central overpass into Flushing Meadows is intimately familiar with the challenge of navigating multiple lanes of traffic, confusing wayfinding, and dangerous potholes or broken sidewalks. Compare this to riding a bicycle from the Battery to Inwood uninterrupted along Manhattan’s West Side, strolling more than 20 blocks of the Highline or meandering the many continuous miles of the Brooklyn Greenway along the waterfront.
It’s time for Queens to be the centerpiece of New York City’s open space initiatives and think holistically about open space and transportation together. It’s time to take on the connectivity issues that have plagued Queens since the Robert Moses-era, when a tangle of highways split neighborhoods and parks throughout Queens into disjointed fragments.
At a minimum, the city’s Department of Transportation and Parks Department should prioritize pedestrian and cyclist safety measures to safely get into Forest Park and Flushing Meadows Park. A real game changer would be a more comprehensive vision of a network of pedestrian paths and cycle trails which would not only have tangible value for residents, but also make Queens feel more like a unified borough.
As elections are underway across the borough and the city, new and creative parks proposals should be explored and endorsed by elected officials and candidates.
One such proposal — the QueensWay — seeks to activate the old unused Rockaway Beach Branch line into a new kind of neighborhood greenway that will safely link to and enhance Forest Park. At present, about 70 percent of Forest Park’s more than 900,000 visitors arrive by car, partially due to the dangers of walking and bicycling across major thoroughfares to reach the park. Nearby Woodhaven Boulevard which runs right through the middle of Forest Park holds the record for most traffic fatalities in Queens for several years running.
The QueensWay would serve to support Vision Zero priorities by creating 3.5 miles of safe walking and biking routes to schools, stores and work. It would also serve to connect children with nature and create much-needed new play spaces.
Forest Park, an urban oasis that filters and cools our air, is in need of major investments in hiking trails and maintenance. Forest Park Drive, a haven for bikers and walkers, is currently closed to vehicles for the Covid Streets program, and should be permanently closed to traffic.
Similar innovative concepts for alternative transportation and open space abound.
The Kissena Way proposal would address safety concerns from Flushing Meadows Corona Park to Kissena Corridor Park. And the Eastern Queens Greenway effort seeks to create a family safe route from Flushing Meadows to Alley Pond Park and the Joe Michaels Mile.
These grassroots community driven efforts to enhance open space access and safe streets are a sign of the times. Attention to these issues is growing as Queens residents have flocked to local parks during the pandemic. As Forest Hills parents frequently making our way to local parks with kids in tow, we both value what our Central Queens parks have to offer, but are also acutely aware of their shortcomings.
Join us in making your voices heard for investments in safer streets, roadway conditions and parks access across Queens.
Karen Imas is a steering committee member of Friends of QueensWay. Kate Orff is founding principal of SCAPE.
