The incoming New York City Council members for the borough of Queens recently told StreetsBlog about the issues they plan to prioritize when they assume office. Below are summaries of each incoming lawmaker’s response, save for one soon-to-belawmaker who didn’t respond. Their full answers are available via StreetsBlog.
In District 19, which includes Bayside and North Flushing, incoming councilperson Tony Avella said he plans to prioritize the “deplorable” roads in College Point. Specifically, he intends to resurface the street and add controls to dangerous intersections, including traffic lights, turn signals, and all-way stops. He also hopes to expand bus service.
In District 22, incoming council member Tiffany Caban plans to prioritize street safety and subway accessibility. “Public transportation is not truly public if it is not fully accessible, and right now too many subways stations in District 22 cannot be accessed by people with disabilities,” she said. To that end, she plans to seek capital funding for the construction and repair of elevators at subway stops in her district. With respect to transportation safety, she plans to advocate for more bus lanes, open streets models, and protected subway infrastructure.
Incoming District 23 council member Linda Lee told StreetsBlog of her intention to redesign local and express bus lines in Queens to better serve residents who told her “they’d love to take the bus, but can’t walk a mile or two to the nearest line, or the line they used to use was cut.” In addition to expanding bus service, she said she also hopes to improve bus speeds with traffic signal priorities and expanded express bus service. In terns of transit safety, she also pledged to advocate for safe cycling infrastructure.
In District 24, which includes Fresh Meadows and Jamaica, incoming council member James Gennaro, who once served as chair of the New York City Council on Environmental Protection, said his focus will be clean transit. “One of my biggest transportation priorities is to reduce carbon emissions by improving access to public transportation,” he told StreetsBlog, going on to describe his intent to add safety features in his district to reduce speeding, particularly on Somerset Street.
In District 25, which includes Elmhurst and Jackson Heights, incoming council member Shekar Krishnan said he plans to advocate for “livable, equitable streets and transportation.” To that end, he pledged to advocate for improved pedestrian safety, reducing emissions, building protected bike lanes, expanding open spaces, and expanding accessibility. He also called for open streets, specifically describing his plan to push for the open street space on 34th Avenue to become a permanent park.
Over in District 26, which includes Sunnyside and Astoria, incoming council member Julie Won called for the City Council to “prioritize human-centered infrastructure to provide clean air, affordable mobility, safe streets, and universal accessibility.” To that effect, she pledged to push for policies that reduce car space in the city, establish more public seats and public bathrooms, build more bus and bike lanes, and create more open streets. She also called for the City Council to make public transit more accessible and affordable, including by “funding free bus service.”
Incoming District 27 council member Nantasha Williams said she plans to expand public transportation, including by adding Long Island Railroad routes and increasing “reduced fare service to Manhattan and Long Island.”
In District 29, incoming council member Lynn Schulman described her plans to redesign unsafe roads and intersections, expand residential parking permits, expand bus service, reduce Long Island Railroad fares, and ease congestion.
In District 31, which includes Far Rockaway and Laurelton, incoming council member Selvena Brooks-Powers said she wants to expand public transit in Southeast Queens with “a comprehensive network that more efficiently connects my constituents to economic centers and other popular destinations.” She called for expanded ferry access, expanded bus services, more walkable streets, and more open streets. She also emphasized the need to improve bike safety with separated lanes.
Finally, incoming District 32 council member Felicia Singh told StreetsBlog she will advocate for “safe, reliable, and accessible” transit, in part by increasing elevator access and building additional seating to make bus and subway stations more accessible to the elderly, the disabled, and pregnant riders. She also called for more protected bike lanes and more express service to the outer boroughs.
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