Often referred to as the "Boulevard of Death", Queens Boulevard is now being recognized by advocacy groups for recent safety improvements as NY1's Angi Gonzalez reports.
Less than a year after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a $100 million redesign of Queens Boulevard, the city is gaining national recognition for its efforts.
"We’re super proud. We won a 'Streetsie' award and we won a bike award (recognizing) it's one of the greatest urban transformations of a street and a great cycling street," NYC DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg said.
In December, Queens Boulevard placed 3rd on a list of "America's 10 Best New Bike Lanes of 2015" compiled by the advocacy group "People for Bikes".
Now, the thoroughfare has been named for having the "Best Urban Street Transformation of 2015" by readers of StreetsBlog.org.
"(The voters are) people who want to walk to school with their kids and feel like they can do it without being threatened by turning traffic," said StreetsBlog.org's Editor in Chief Ben Fried.
"So far it's only on 1.3 miles and were talking about a street that is miles long. There’s a lot more to go but just the fact that they started it, that they are on the ground, people are using it and it works, that shows that you can do it," Fried added.
The safety improvements include constructing protected walking and biking lanes on service roads.
The first phase of the project, which is already complete, has implemented the changes along Queens Boulevard from Roosevelt Avenue to 73rd Street.
"We think it represents a wonderful model for some other boroughs in the city and in other parts of the country," added Jaime Moncayo, the Queens organizer for another advocacy group called Transportation Alternatives.
Moncayo also points out that pedestrians and cyclists are not the only ones benefitting from the improvements.
"All of these changes make it safer for people driving there as well," Moncayo said.
While Commissioner Trottenberg is thrilled about the awards, she says it too early to tell if the changes have statistically made Queens Boulevard safer.
"When we put in a project, we typically like to look at a year or two before and a year or two after to fully measure the effects," Trottenberg explained.
She did say, however, that "we are definitely seeing that the street is calmer, the speeds are slower and cyclists and pedestrians are just feeling safer when they have to travel it or cross it."
It may take residents sometime to change their opinions about Queens Boulevard.
"I don’t feel that it's safe," said Judith Mills of Cambria Heights.
Fried says that reaction is to be expected.
"Anytime you change the street, people are used to the way it is now, and when you introduce a new element like a bike lane there’s usually this teething period where people can be a little bit cranky about it, but over time people get used to it," Fried said.
NYC's DOT is still working on the redesign of Queens Boulevard and are now conducting community outreach for the next phase of the project.