Remember that barely legal fixed gear bike race through the rain-soaked, cobblestone streets of Red Hook? Child's play. This afternoon at 4 p.m., there's a similar "alley cat" race along a route that includes the infamously dangerous Queens Boulevard. Called "BLVDS of DEATH," the race is "inspired by the horrific stories of pedestrians and cyclists killed along Queens Blvd." Professional bike messenger and organizer Rafael Negron tells the Daily News, "Imagine how crazy a street has to be if they put signs up warning that people have died here?" HARDCORE. more ›

A 76-year-old man was struck and killed yesterday morning while attempting to cross Queens Boulevard, bringing back the street's nickname as the "Boulevard of Death." Robert Borchers was crossing the Boulevard at 80th Road around 5:30 a.m. when a marked Correction Department vehicle slammed into him. Cops say Borchers was crossing against the light, and the civilian driver was not charged with any crime. more ›

In our advanced age, street pay phones are often thought of as grimy relics of a bygone era—something between a public toilet and a closet-sized museum. Still, measured up against touch-screens and T9, they seem incredibly romantic. One pay phone outside of a Queens courthouse still swallows its fair share of quarters, and a Times reporter spent a week eavesdropping from the sidewalk. As one might expect, lots of people called after their run-ins with the law. “I do drugs,” said one man. “I got caught with them.” Others conduct their shady dealings. “Nah,” one young man said after hanging up, “you didn’t see me use that phone.” “Loneliness, loneliness, loneliness,” responded another man when asked why he was calling. He'd tried to reach his son, but was met by an automated response. See a map of the city’s payphones by zip code after the break. more ›

Fact: Brooklyn's Atlantic Avenue has now eclipsed Queens Boulevard as the most dangerous street in the outer-boroughs. Nine pedestrians were killed there from 2006 to 2009, almost twice the number of fatalities racked up in Queens. This won't come as much of a surprise to anyone who's ever had to cross Atlantic Avenue— cars and trucks use it as a highway, particularly in the stretch between Flatbush and the Brooklyn border. more ›

A group of pugilists roughed up five off duty cops outside a Queens nightclub on Dec. 16. The officers allegedly got into a brawl in front of the Tropix Bar and Lounge at around 4 am after an officer flashed his badge to a bouncer in an attempt to get into the Queens Boulevard venue, which was closing for the night. A group of men outside the club began shouting at the cops — who had just left a housing police holiday party — and a fight broke out, according to the Daily News. more ›

The notoriously accident-prone Queens Boulevard boasts twelve lanes for motor vehicles at its widest points, but the DOT refuses to cede one of those lanes for cyclists, despite a citywide boom in bicycle commuting. Last month cycling advocates held a somber rally to demand a bike lane on Queens Boulevard, and installed a white ghost bike to commemorate the death of 38-year-old James Langergaard, who was killed by a car as he crossed the boulevard on the evening of August 14th. But a Daily News reporter has learned that the DOT has not even evaluated the possibility of a Queens Boulevard bikeway in recent years. more ›

On Friday night some two dozen cyclists gathered in Queens for what has become a sadly familiar ritual in NYC: The installation of an all-white ghost bike commemorating the traffic death of a cyclist. The notoriously dangerous Queen Boulevard has claimed the lives of two cyclists in the past 19 months; the most recent victim, 38-year-old James Langergaard, was killed by a car as he crossed the boulevard at 69th Street on the evening of August 14th. (In February 2008, Asif Rahman, 22, was killed when he was hit by a truck at an intersection in Elmhurst.) more ›

Last night, a man crossing Queens Boulevard at 44th Street was hit by an unmarked police car. The Daily News reports witnesses say the pedestrian Evelio Villa, 47, and his girlfriend had the right of way and the car went through a red light—"This guy was flying. He went like a bat out of hell. There was no screeching brakes, no tire marks, nothing." However, a police union source tells the paper that the car from the 109th Precinct had the green light and that Villa was intoxicated (another police source says the car turned on its sirens when it saw Villa). Villa's girlfriend says the car was going slow but actually accelerated as it approached, "I tried to grab him, but by that time he was in the air." Villa is in stable condition at Elmhurst Hospital with a fractured shoulder and the police officer driving the car has not been charged. more ›

The Queens DA's officer announced that a cop faces assault charges after beating a pedestrian who was crossing Queens Boulevard. Last month, Geoffrey Hollinden was crossing the treacherous 12-lane road at 109th Street when, the NY Times reports, a car driven by off-duty narcotics cop Jamel Dennis nearly hit him. "Hollinden pounded on the car... as it passed," then Dennis got of his car and "dragged [Hollinden] to the boulevard’s service road, lifted him to shoulder height and slammed him to the ground, knocking him unconscious." Hollinden was hospitalized for days, with injuries including cranial bleeding and herniated disc. An eyewitness had copied the car's license plate number, but Dennis had claimed he was pushed in a dispute (when asked for a comment, he just said, "That's their side of the story"). Other off-duty cop road rage incidents: In August, two were charged with gang assault and, last year, one fatally shot a man. more ›

A team of twenty brave (or crazy) cyclists recently took part in a nighttime group ride along Queens Boulevard, that twelve-lane traffic artery affectionately known as the Boulevard of Death. Wearing reflective vests with "Share the Road" printed on the back, the so-called "bike pool" gathers monthly to remind drivers that cyclists also use the dangerous boulevard, where 22-year-old Asif Rahman, a photographer and aspiring hip-hop artist, was killed by a truck earlier this year. The Times tagged along with the cyclists, who are calling for a bike lane on the boulevard. Queens Councilman James Gennaro agrees it could accommodate one with minimal impact on traffic, but the DOT has no plans to install it. As Alex Vasiliev, a 66-year-old Ukranian livery cab driver puts it, "Bicycles need a lane, but cars do not need bicycle lane." more ›

Third Avenue and Broadway in Manhattan are the deadliest streets for pedestrians in NYC, according to an analysis released today by the Tri-State Transportation Campaign, a policy watchdog group. The study found that between 2005 and 2007, ten pedestrians were killed by cars on Third Avenue and another ten died on Broadway. There were 128 pedestrians killed in all of Manhattan between 2005 and 2007, 147 killed on Brooklyn streets during the same time period, 53 in the Bronx and 26 on Staten Island. more ›

THEATER: The salty, electric dynamo that is Elaine Stritch shows no sign of waning – about to turn 83-years-young, the show biz legend has kicked off 2008 with a reprise of her Tony-winning cabaret show. Backed by a six-piece band and performed in two acts for a dining audience at the newly restored Café Carlyle, Elaine Stritch at Liberty, co-written with the New Yorker’s John Lahr, is a hilarious, old-fashioned ride through star-studded post-war Broadway, bursting with stories from her roles in such legendary productions as Company, Bus Stop, and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? The Times raves: “Every story in her arsenal of seamlessly stitched personal anecdotes is illustrated with body language that erupts like lightning out of words spoken in the gravelly voice of a tough old dame with a tender heart. Because she has the gift of gab, this loudmouthed life of the party could go on forever.” It’s an expensive night, but worth it. Dining reservations are almost booked through the end of the run on Jan 19th, but they do accept walk-ins for the bar seating. – John Del Signore more ›

Queens Boulevard, dubbed the "Boulevard of Death," was the scene of yet another fatal accident yesterday. This time, a cement truck hit a woman in her 60s as she was crossing the street towards the Queens Center Mall, scattering the contents of the victim's purse into the street. Witnesses at the scene say that the truck was turning from Woodhaven Blvd. just and hit the woman just as she entered the crosswalk trying to beat the light. The same witness told the Daily News that the cement truck was going about 20 m.p.h. The victim's name was not released, but the police said that she may have stumbled as she crossed the street, falling under the truck's wheels. more ›

Charles Mee is renowned for his distinctive approach to playwriting, which synthesizes disparate pre-existing texts into startlingly new theatrical creations bursting with music, dance, video and other inspired surprises. The superb Signature Theatre is now in the midst of their season devoted to his plays; the first production, Iphigenia 2.0, was a devastating depiction of America’s Iraq catastrophe as seen through the prism of classic Greek tragedy. The current show, Queens Boulevard, is a funny, boisterous musical that swerves from hyper Indian ragas to contemporary dancehall tracks by M.I.A., telling the tale of a hapless bridegroom and a chain of absurd events that keep him bouncing around Queens on his wedding night. (It’s been extended through January 6th; tickets.) more ›

The pedestrian, bicyclist and sensible transportation advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has just launched a new website, Crash Maps: CrashStat 2.0, which maps intersections and streets where pedestrians and bicyclists have been hit by vehicles. It's an updated version of their previous map, and when the information is presented different depending on how closely you zoom into the map. For instance, at one level, it shows crashes (those with injuries as well as the fatal... more ›

In Charles Mee’s Queens Boulevard (the musical) the titular traffic artery is no longer the “boulevard of blood” notorious for hit-and-run collisions. In fact, there isn’t a drop of blood in Mee’s colorful fairytale, which takes as inspiration the centuries old dance-drama style of Hindu theater called kathakali, among other things. In Mee’s eyes, Queens Boulevard is the symbolic common thread connecting New York’s myriad ethnicities and cultures, with Queens as the proverbial melting pot... more ›

There was a bit in the MTA's August 8 Storm Report which mentioned that the MTA was working on some street furniture designs to "raise vent heights to prevent water inflow." As part of the recommendation to "Implement corrective action plan for top flood-prone locations," the MTA, with the Department of Transportation and Department of Environmental Protection, is developing short- and long-term solutions at the most flooding-vulnerable locations.

Perhaps a more promising and intriguing solution to the sidewalk grating and station entrance water inflow problem is already being pursued in conjunction with NYCDOT. In fact, in the last week the MTA, NYCT, and NYCDOT have co-sponsored a design charette with top urban designers to develop solutions to the problem. The three conceptual designs they came up with will hopefully lead to a more refined alternative that will address both pedestrian impact and neighborhood aesthetics.

more ›

Today's morning subway and bus commute should be a lot smoother (unless you need to stop at Grand Central) than yesterday's messy commute. There were a number of subway disruptions and diversions due to flooding from the rain, which left many straphangers frustrated. But why did pouring rain stop the subway? Well, here's what the MTA says:

NYC Transit utilized portable pumps and pump trains to help clear 600 feet of 2-foot-deep water across all four tracks on the Queens Boulevard line near 65th Street in Queens today. As a result, service was restored on the E, F and R lines just before rush hour, although commuters should expect some delays.

Yesterday, the MTA lowered the first of many parts of the Tunnel Boring Machine into the lower level of the 63rd Street tunnel as part of the MTA’s East Side Access project. The lowering itself could have been dismissed by passersby as just some sort of generic routine construction work, but it was much more than just moving a boring machine. When finally assembled in about two months, the 600-ton automated Spanish-owned and Italian-made machine will dig its way beneath the streets of Manhattan the tunnel that will finally bring the Long Island Rail Road into Grand Central Terminal. more ›

• Today on the Gothamist Newsmap: a partial collapse at Fleet Court and Woodhaven Blvd. in Queens, two pedestrians were struck on the westbound Grand Central Parkway at Queens Boulevard in Queens, and a stabbing on West 21st St. in Manhattan.
• All three area airports: Newark, JFK, and Laguardia, were thrown into chaos yesterday after a computer malfunction in the air traffic control system resulted in multi-hour delays, missed connections, and many unhappy passengers.
• Gov. Spitzer wants to crack down on the misclassification of employees as independent contractors, which is said to deny the state $175 million in payroll taxes annually.
• The New York Post looks at the phenomena of cats falling or jumping out of windows, for which the ASPCA treats feline patients about five times a week in New York.
• Are NYC sidewalk bike racks secure? This picture at Streetsblog seems to indicate that they are not.
• The 62nd St. replacement for an UES townhouse that a doctor blew up in a suicide attempt last year will be eco-friendly and is priced at $30 million.
• New York will be a testing ground for the Special Olympics organization's new Urban Strategy, which is an effort to attract more city kids to its programs.
• Hunts Points residents protested against the smells coming from a DEP wastewater treatment plant and the adverse health effects they claim it is causing. They say both are making life in their neighborhood unbearable.

Yesterday, a five people were injured on Queens Boulevard at 47th Street when a Jeep Cherokee slammed into a Honda. The Jeep, which witnesses describe as trying to beat a red light, lost control and hit the Honda. The Honda, which had been making a turn onto Queens Boulevard, was crushed from the impact and then "plowed up onto the crowded sidewalk, pinning a 16-year-old boy against a lamppost." more ›

This map isn't necessarily brand new, but it is a nice look at the MTA's big East Side Access project, which will connect the LIRR to Grand Central Terminal. amNew York (which has a gallery) and the NY Times visited the tunnel near 63rd Street and 2nd Avenue, where parts for the tunnel boring machine are being delivered. The TBM will then drill through rock to extend an existing tunnel to Grand Central. Fun fact via AMNY: After the TBM eats through stone, the pieces "about the size of 'buffalo chips,' according to one contractor on the site, are pulled out by conveyor belt." more ›

Anyone who has attempted to walk or bike from one side of Brooklyn's Grand Army Plaza to another knows that it can be a difficult journey, through which a constantly swiveling head is required to keep an eye on traffic coming from seemingly every direction. The above overhead image shows just a portion of the plaza where five different roads converge in an inner traffic loop, including Eastern Parkway and Prospect Park West, and the entire site is bisected by Flatbush Ave. It's also a destination for pedestrians and cyclists. Aside from the plaza's Memorial Arch and Bailey Fountain, Grand Army Plaza is the northwest entrance to Prospect Park, hosts a weekend greenmarket, and is the location of the main branch of the Brooklyn Public Library. more ›

A drunk driver hit a livery van on Queens Boulevard early Sunday morning, killing a van passenger - a 28-year-old new mother. The van was carrying a family (six adults and three children; the van did not have seat belts) who had been celebrating in Brooklyn. Paula Serrano was killed, and she had been holding her 3-week-old baby in her lap (the baby was not seriously injured). Serrano's husband and 6-year-old daughter, as well as other relatives, had minor injuries. The crash occurred blocks from their Sunnyside home. more ›

Yesterday afternoon, a crazy scene unfolded in Elmhurst on Queens Boulevard. Two men had just robbed an HSBC bank when they ran out and tried to carjack a woman in a car. She drove off, so they tried to carjack another vehicle - one that happened to be carrying off-duty police officer John Lopez, his wife, their 4 month old baby, and his mother-in-law. From The NY Times:

One of the men tried to open the passenger-side door, while the second man rapped on the driver’s window with a gun, ordering Mr. Lopez out, the police said more ›

- The components of each bus shelter are made from recyclable materials that are free from pollutants and will have minimal impact on the environment.We can't wait to see one ourselves, but what we really like is the illuminated map inside the shelter - that's much better than the ones outside that get faded and are hard to read because they are facing the street and you basically have to step into the street to laugh at the schedule. more ›

The amNewYork cover story is about dangerous intersections in the city. Queens Boulevard, aka the "Boulevard of Death," has only had four fatalities in the past three years, but there have been a number of pedestrian injuries on Grand Concourse in the Bronx and at Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn. Grand Concourse has had 35 pedestrian injuries during the same period, while Eastern Parkway had seven pedestrian deaths in 1999 and 2005, not including many pedestrian injuries. more ›

The 59 year old man who was critically injured while walking on Queens Boulevard by a hit-and-run driver Monday night died yesterday. Yakub Aminov, who had been coming back from Yom Kippur services, was buried in Flushing; he had immigrated from Uzbekistan 15 years ago and lived in Forest Hills with his wife and two of three sons according to the Daily News. more ›

Last night, a man was crossing Queens Boulevard at 67th Avenue when a silver SUV hit him without stopping. The 59 year old man had been returning home from Yom Kippur services, and Queens DA Richard Brown said, "I'm troubled. I went to temple myself today. It's the most important day of the Jewish calendar, and apparently he was on his way home from temple after observing the holiday, and to have this happen to him is just a terrible tragedy." Police are looking for a silver Nissan SUV with either broken windows or windshield as the victim remains in critical condition at Jamaica Hospital. more ›