Queens judge clears way for long-delayed Long Island City bike lane

Catalina Gonella

and

Phil Corso

Published May 5, 2025

Modified May 5, 2025

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Vehicles parked along Review Avenue in Long Island City, where a planned protected bike lane has sparked legal pushback from nearby businesses.

Image via Queens Supreme Court filing

Catalina Gonella

and

Phil Corso

Published May 5, 2025

Modified May 5, 2025

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

A Queens judge has cleared the way for a protected bike lane along Review Avenue in Long Island City, ruling that the city’s Department of Transportation acted lawfully and dismissing a legal challenge brought by a group of local businesses.

In a decision entered into court records Friday, Justice Kevin Kerrigan denied all claims brought by LeNoble Lumber and several nearby property owners. The group argued the project would harm industrial businesses and was illegally approved without an environmental review. Kerrigan sided with the city, which said the bike lane was part of a broader safety initiative and exempt from such review.

His ruling lifts a temporary restraining order that had paused the project since October.

In their petition, the businesses claimed the bike lane would block truck access, reduce employee parking and ultimately “ruin over 40 businesses, some of which have been in existence for over 100 years.”

Kerrigan wrote the Department of Transportation had “demonstrate[d] the purpose of the bicycle lane and the research, planning, and design that went into the plan,” calling the legal challenge “unavailing.”

“We are disappointed in the judge’s ruling and are considering all options,” said Alexander McBride, an attorney for LeNoble Lumber.

Vincent Barone, a spokesperson for the city's transportation department, said in a statement that the agency was "thankful for the court’s ruling and determining next steps as well as a schedule for implementation."

The fight over the Review Avenue bike lane is one of several recent battles over street redesigns across the city. In South Williamsburg, Orthodox Jewish leaders have long opposed new bike infrastructure. In Greenpoint, neighbors and a film production company have clashed over plans to redesign McGuinness Boulevard.

In a 2022 letter to the transportation department, Councilmember Julie Won of Queens urged the agency to act swiftly, calling traffic conditions “dangerous” and pointing to more than 400 injuries and four deaths in the Blissville neighborhood in a five-year span.

“It is DOT’s responsibility to ensure zero New Yorkers are killed or seriously injured from traffic violence,” wrote Won, who represents Long Island City. “The agency must address the safety of my constituents in Blissville and those traveling through the neighborhood without delay.”

The DOT said it was re-evaluating the corridor’s design and Review Avenue was being included in a larger “Blissville Greenway” plan to improve bike and pedestrian connections. The agency also said it had observed that “most vehicles not following the street direction are associated with the local businesses on the block.”

The city in court filings described the corridor as one of the most dangerous in Queens. It said 15 people were killed or seriously injured on the stretch in five years, including cyclists and a pedestrian.

“All street users stand to benefit from the installation of a protected bicycle lane,” wrote Sean Quinn, the transportation department's associate deputy commissioner for livable streets. “I remain concerned that if DOT is prevented from implementing this Safety Improvement Project, otherwise avoidable deaths or serious injuries will occur along this Corridor.”

The agency also argued the lane was designed to preserve truck access, reduce speeding and close a gap in the bike network connecting the Kosciuszko, Pulaski and Greenpoint Avenue bridges.

This story has been updated with additional information.

Tagged

new york city

queens

transportation

biking