Would New Yorkers prefer to stroll or stroll around?
That's the question facing the city's Department of Transportation, which will spend $89 million to redesign Paseo Park and completely expand the 1.3-mile-long 34th Avenue open road in Jackson Heights, which became a pandemic-era model for reclaiming space for pedestrians, cyclists and children.
After months of gathering local feedback, the DOT narrowed its redesign plans to two options [PDF]: Option 1 offers a straight “promenade” design that divides pedestrian plazas and “shared” lanes into parallel corridors, while Option 2 offers a zigzag “meander” design that alternates pedestrian plazas and shared lanes at each intersection.
Shared lanes allow drivers, cyclists and pedestrians to use them at the same time, albeit with barricades to keep drivers from feeling like guests, as opposed to what they are on every other road: tyrants to whom everyone else must bow.
So what's what?
Compare the following isometric illustrations created by the DOT to transform what it once called its “gold standard open road” into a true linear park. First “Promenade” (option 1):
And here is “Meander” (option 2):
The most noticeable difference between the two options is how each manages drivers and maximizes free space on the road.
Option 1 would use a “physical barrier, such as a gate” to prevent cars from driving directly through intersections. This means that a driver would have to exit their vehicle, open the gate, return to the vehicle, drive past the gate, exit the vehicle again, close the gate, and then return to the vehicle again.
In contrast, Option 2 would alternate the shared lane and pedestrian plaza for each block to achieve the same goal by using the pedestrian plaza as a de facto barrier.
The DOT utilized some of these features, including contraflow bike lanes and alternating traffic lanes, in its transformative redesign of 31st Avenue in Astoria. But implementing a permanent “physical barrier” or “gate,” like those found in some older city parks, would be a novel approach to an open street. On any other comparable open street, such as Berry Street in Williamsburg, there are thin steel barricades that can be pushed aside or simply run over by a determined driver.
The two options have similarities: Both move the existing bike paths on the park's roadside to the center and hug the grassy median. Neither option aims to impede the movement of cyclists.
Even more radical, both options would eliminate all elevation differences so that the median, bike lanes, pedestrian zones, sidewalks and shared lanes would be at the same level. Hence the “park” portion of Paseo Park.
None of the options are fully fleshed out. Certain details, such as exact traffic diversion patterns and two “atypical block designs” in the western half of the park, have not yet been finalized. But both options would create or maintain large pedestrian zones where there are no cars, mopeds and bicycles at any time. The DOT says its design process will continue for several more years, until at least 2028.
It’s not clear which option will prevail – or whether the DOT will go back to the drawing board. Two major stakeholders, the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition and the Alliance for Paseo Park, have different opinions about the best choice.
Jim Burke, the co-founder of the Coalition, which hosts daily programs in the park, told Streetsblog that his group prefers Option 2 (the “Meander”) because it “preserves the true beauty of what we have now, while the boardwalk option could detract from the experience of walking and biking.” He added: “'Meander' is [the status quo] on steroids. This means more squares and car-free areas – that's what we really love about it. We currently have space on seven blocks. The 'Meander' would give us much more.”
But Luz Maria Mercado, the alliance's chief executive officer, who pushed for a long-term vision for the park, said her nonprofit wasn't happy with either option because neither option adequately addresses the presence of moped users.
“We appreciate the DOT’s recent initiative, but current proposals still fall short of providing the consistent, pedestrian-focused experience our community deserves,” Mercado said. “To truly deter dangerous mopeds from driving through Paseo Park, our community roadmap includes a dedicated micromobility lane on a nearby corridor like Northern Boulevard.”
What will happen? DOT is collecting feedback at this link until November 30th. A preliminary design will be unveiled next year, ushering in another round of outreach and design tweaks. There is no set date for construction to begin beyond the word “future” in the DOT plans.
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