In Astoria, Queens, a dispute over a planned bike lane has led to a legal battle as local business owners take on New York City’s construction project. The bike lane, meant to run beneath the elevated N and W subway tracks on 31st Street, is cited as a potential disruption to commerce, particularly for shops reliant on pickups and deliveries. According to Gothamist, more than a dozen businesses have initiated a lawsuit against the city, arguing that the Department of Transportation has neglected their concerns regarding the lane’s impact on their operations.
Despite the businesses’ protest, the city presents the bike lane as a safety enhancement. The DOT reported 190 injuries between 2020 and 2024 along the proposed stretch, attributing them to issues such as poor visibility around the subway columns. In defense of the project, “This redesign of 31st Street — a corridor with a high number of serious and fatal crashes — addresses critical safety needs by better organizing traffic and improving visibility, all while keeping vehicles moving,” agency spokesperson Will Livingston explained. The redesign also includes plans for designated loading zones and taxi stands on each block.
However, the business community’s dismay is palpable. “It is very troubling that DOT, instead of developing with us they developed the plan and came after the fact to speak with everybody after a done deal,” Joseph Mirabella, President of the 31st Street Business Association, told PIX11 NEWS. He further stressed that the association, which represents 54 businesses in the area, had submitted a proposal using the DOT’s data to offer real alternatives for the bike lanes.
The business group filed the lawsuit, deeming the bike lane a “Trojan horse” in an overarching city plan to boost bike lanes and reduce car use, even alleging the plan violates the Constitution’s Equal Protection Clause by ostensibly favoring cyclists. Yet, businesses along other bike lanes have not universally seen negative impacts, such as those on Skillman Avenue in Queens, which reportedly thrived following the installation of a bike lane, as per details from Gothamist.
DOT data underscores a stark reality: the stretch in question saw two deaths and 11 serious injuries due to traffic incidents from 2020 to 2024. Denouncing the notion that all streets suit bike lanes, Mirabella argued against the suitability of 31st Street for such a feature. The proposed changes would lead to the removal of 85 parking spots and added congestion in an already congested area, business owner Dennis Xenos claimed.
