Complete the Connections: Residents Call for a Network of Safe Bike Infrastructure Around Ridgewood, Queens

Ridgewood Rides believes that everyone deserves safe, reliable, and accessible cycling routes that connect Ridgewood with our neighbors in nearby communities. The Complete the Connections campaign aims to enhance our neighborhood's biking infrastructure by bridging the gaps in our cycling network and fostering safer streets for all.

Many existing bike lanes in Ridgewood abruptly end or are converted into shared lanes (with sharrows). This lack of continuous bicycle infrastructure forces cyclists to enter vehicle traffic without protection, creating unsafe conditions. By extending lanes and upgrading painted lanes to protected lanes, we can ensure a continuous and safe cycling experience throughout Ridgewood and beyond.

Biking is not only a means of transportation, but also a way to make our streets safer, reduce reliance on car ownership, foster community, enhance our environment, and promote a healthier lifestyle. The Complete the Connections campaign will make nearby neighborhoods, including Glendale, Middle Village, Maspeth, Sunnyside, Long Island City, East Williamsburg, and Bushwick more accessible.

Complete the Connections 

Our campaign calls for the implementation of dedicated bike lanes and improved cycling conditions on the following key routes. These routes are critical for providing safe access between Ridgewood and destinations in nearby neighborhoods:

  1. Woodward Avenue: Bike lane and sharrow markers abruptly end at Woodward Avenue at Flushing Avenue. Cyclists must navigate truck traffic, debris, railroad tracks, and a dangerous left turn onto Metropolitan Avenue to connect to the existing bike lane network westward toward East Williamsburg and the Williamsburg Bridge. The published NYC DOT bike map indicates that a connection exists but there are no signs, sharrows, or bike lanes.

  2. Metropolitan Avenue: The shared lane abruptly ends at Woodward Avenue. NYC DOT should continue a bike route along this vital corridor. 

  3. Eliot Avenue: One of few connections between Ridgewood, Maspeth, and Middle Village, Eliot Avenue lacks bike infrastructure west of 69th Street and is dangerous where Eliot narrows when crossing between Mount Olivet Cemetery and All Faiths Cemetery.

  4. Cypress Avenue: While a two-way protected bike lane is being added on Cypress Avenue from Cooper Avenue to Cypress Hills Street, the bike lane abruptly ends at Clover Place and forces cyclists onto the sidewalk. We need a comprehensive connection to Cooper Avenue and points west.

  5. Cooper Avenue & Decatur Street: NYC DOT has stated there are plans to implement future connections between Cypress Avenue and the Bushwick bike lane network on Evergreen Avenue and Central Avenue. We urge NYC DOT to complete these connections as well as connections to existing bike routes in Ridgewood and Glendale.

  6. Rust Street corridor: We urge DOT to implement bike lanes on 56th Road / Rust Street per the plan presented to Queens CB2 in May 2024 to connect Ridgewood to Long Island City and Sunnyside via Maspeth. Connections to the existing Ridgewood bike lane network on Harman Street and Himrod Street should be developed.

What we need:

  • A comprehensive bicycle network development plan from DOT 

  • Improved connections and infrastructure on Woodward Avenue, Cooper Avenue, Decatur Street, Metropolitan Avenue

  • New bike infrastructure on 56th Road, Rust Street, Cypress Avenue, Eliot Avenue

Join Us

We invite neighborhood residents, community members, local businesses, and stakeholders to join Ridgewood Rides in advocating for a safer and more connected greater Ridgewood area. Together, we can build a future where biking is not only a means of transportation but also a way to foster community, enhance our environment, improve our streets, and promote a healthier lifestyle.

Sign this petition to support Complete the Connections, help connect Ridgewood to its neighbors, and improve the quality and safety of our streets!