Jackson Heights Life

Note- you need to register for this zoom meeting here:
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  The MTA has given up trying to control the messaging about whether the 34th Ave Open Streets is permanent. Everyone and their brother is trying to claim victory here over making this a done deal. However there are many aspects to consider and the MTA and DOT and NYC Schools and NYC Parks are all going to have to figure out how to manage items like these below - and many more.

   1. Lawsuits from businesses, individuals and various groups like disability access
   2. Dog CRAP everywhere and gallons of dog pee on the median
   3. Electric bicycles speeding, regular bicycles speeding
   4. Delivery trucks all over
   5. Post pandemic change in use
   6. Needs of schools for buses
   7. Business district of 74th street and congestion
   8. Business district of 82nd street and congestion
   9. Business district of Junction Blvd and congestion
  10. NYC budget severe losses
  11. Should Open Streets be any other street like 37th Ave instead?

  And a favorite of mine, where is our Jackson Heights Community Center? This is an election year and we are severely lacking in year round recreational facilities along with a fully funded Senior Center, gym, pool and community space. Where is it? And don't say it's 34Ave Open Streets because that is just a bandaid for now. Vote!

there's a whole lot of hysteria on the anti- open streets side of the issue, and that lends a certain air of hilarity to these meetings. registered just for that

That's a nice attitude to have, dssjh. All 11 bulletpoints listed are valid concerns, but you've got your mind made up and don't want to hear opposing viewpoints. DOT needs to address all community concerns (hysterical or not) before making permanent changes to a major thoroughfare through our neighborhood. Period.

I signed up this morning and never recieved an email response.

People complain that folks won't be able to get deliveries, they also complain that there's delivery vehicles everywhere.
They complain about speeding bicycles, but would rather go back to the status quo of speeding cars, trucks, and SUV's so that more people can drive through our neighborhood.
There's dog crap everywhere! Can't they please go back to only crapping and peeing on the sidewalk like before?
They want to bring up the congestion on 82nd St and 74th St business streets which have always been a traffic nightmare and somehow blame it on 34th Ave.

This open 34th ave is obviously not working out. Nobody goes there- it's too crowded. 

I'm always amazed by how much energy people expend bickering about 34th Avenue being open. If that energy were focused on, oh I don't know, the illegal night clubs, prostitution, the gang issues, the bands of constantly drunk men that harass women on 37th Ave and Roosevelt, the men that harass women on the street in general, people shooting up on the streets and in Travers Park, people getting shooty and stabby, the increase in muggings, open drug dealing, etc, etc. it may be that we could actually get something done about these things, which would have a far greater impact on our community.

Honestly, I like that 34th Ave is open but there are more important things going on, many of which have been issues long before the pandemic. If it was closed down tomorrow, I would be fine with it if the situation with the issues above were improved. How is it that 34th Ave deserves so much more attention than the real problems facing this community? This is an honest question.

Smart question. Which highlights the truth about being self-absorbed.

I live on 34th Avenue. At the present time, as lovely as it can be, it’s not safe and it’s not terribly sanitary. If it’s to remain an open street, it needs improvements. And by improvements, I mean enforced rules. Bikes and motor bikes go in every direction at every speed in all parts of the road. Cars (drivers)move the barriers but after they enter they don’t put the barriers back. That leads more drivers to enter the street assuming it’s open. I replaced barriers twice today during a walk, and they are heavy for me.  My favorite part of the open street is sitting on the median and having a coffee/snack. But the grassy areas have too much garbage and smell of dog waste. So... maybe increase monitoring, repaint bike lanes, better signage, more garbage receptacles?  Please don’t mock me for my opinion, as I see sometimes happen on this site. If my kids were still little I would not let them play on the street because of the random wheeled traffic.

This might cause a tishstorm but it seems like the barriers are a little too much now that people are doubling them up on the entrances. Wouldn't just one in the middle of each lane be enough? It is making both sides obnoxious to each other

I live on 34th Avenue and am in support for open streets. As a possible permanent public space, there are definitely solutions to maintain quality and cleanliness that can found and employed that are currently in use in most of our public parks today.

Agreed that we can use more signage, better marked bicycle paths, a better and more frequent system to maintain cleanliness within and around the median. Perhaps, we can designate pedestrian only paths/safe zones to improve public safety. I’ve seen this implemented in other notable parks and it helps to keep pedestrians out of the bike path as well.

I think we should be able to have both the open streets and a fully functional community and senior center— keeping in mind that these buildings are realistically only a fraction of the size and space that the open street currently is. If anything, say if you live in the high 80’s/90’s and the centers are in the mid to low 70’s, it could be a journey to reach. At least, having both options will improve instead of deter accessibility in some ways. If senior citizens want to be close to home and play bingo right outside on the open streets rather than getting into a car going back and forth, they should have the option to do so.

https://jacksonheightspost.com/weigh-in-on-the-future-of-34th-avenue-at-upcoming-workshops

FYI: there's another Zoom this evening, and one scheduled for next week. If the article is written accurately, the "open street" designation is a done deal, but these meetings are to solicit feedback, concerns, and suggestions over the design, access and use.
Dog feces is a major problem throughout our neighbrohood. Perhaps someone needs to suggest a "no dogs" rule on the open street if dog owners can't be responsible for their pets. (I presume the Parks Dept. would have jurisdiction to make this designation?)

The one today is at 1:00 pm this afternoon.