1 SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT 71 ST /CONTINENTAL AVENUE ! 71st-Continental Ave. (E,F,G,R) QUEENS MANHATTAN THE BRONX BROOKLYN STATEN ISLAND 1. 71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUES STATION 1.1 LOCATION The 71 st /Continental Avenue station is in Forest Hills, in central Queens. The station provides access to the local R and G trains and to the express E and F trains on the Queens Boulevard line. There are five entrances spread over three blocks along both sides of Queens Boulevard. The surrounding area has a number of buildings with both commercial and residential uses. 1.2 AREA TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES The 71 st /Continental Avenue station is a major inter- modal transit hub. It is in an area that is well-served by major roadways, as well as being the meeting point of the subway, several bus routes, and the Long Island Rail Road. A number of truck routes are located in the vicinity of the 71 st /Continental Avenue Station. Queens Boulevard runs east-west from the Queensborough Bridge to Jamaica, and has six lanes of traffic moving in each direction. 108 th Street begins at Queens Boulevard and runs north nearly all the way to LaGuardia airport. Approximately three-quarters of a mile south of the station, Metropolitan Avenue runs east-west, connecting Queens to Brooklyn. Forest Hills is also framed on the north, south, and east by limited-access expressways. The east- west Jackie Robinson (Interborough) Parkway lies almost a mile south of the station, and the Horace Harding (Long Island) Expressway is a little more than a mile north. These both intersect the north- south Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway, which run parallel to each other about three quarters of a mile to the east, through Flushing Meadows/Corona Park. The New York City Bicycle Master Plan recommends the use of 71 st Avenue as a bicycle route. Northeast of 108 th Street, this route continues southwest on 70 th Road and northeast on 71 st Avenue. The Q65A bus transports passengers from Kew Gardens and Utopia to the 71 st /Continental Avenue station. The Q23 runs between Forest Hills Gardens and LaGuardia Airport, and stops at the 71 st / Continental Avenue station. The Q60 and QM18, which run along Queens Boulevard – parallel to the subway – also stop at the station. The Long Island Rail Road’s Forest Hills station is one block away from the 71 st /Continental Avenue subway station, providing Manhattan-bound service to Penn Station, and Long Island-bound service to every branch except Port Washington, via the station at Jamaica. The Queens Boulevard line is the only subway within a mile of the 71 st /Continental Avenue station. This line has two local trains (the G and the R) which end at 71 st /Continental Avenue, and two express trains (the E and the F) which continue on to terminals in Jamaica. The express trains make only three stops between 71 st /Continental Avenue and Midtown Manhattan.
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1. 71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUES STATION · 1. 71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUES STATION ... The Queens Boulevard line is the only subway within a mile of the 71st/Continental Avenue ... STONE
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1
SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
!71st-Continental Ave.(E,F,G,R)
QUEENS
MA
NH
ATT
AN
THE BRONX
BROOKLYN
STATEN ISLAND
1. 71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUES STATION
1.1 LOCATIONThe 71st/Continental Avenue station is in Forest Hills,in central Queens. The station provides access to thelocal R and G trains and to the express E and F trainson the Queens Boulevard line. There are five entrancesspread over three blocks along both sides of QueensBoulevard. The surrounding area has a number ofbuildings with both commercial and residential uses.
1.2 AREA TRANSPORTATION FACILITIESThe 71st/Continental Avenue station is a major inter-modal transit hub. It is in an area that is well-served bymajor roadways, as well as being the meeting point ofthe subway, several bus routes, and the Long IslandRail Road.
A number of truck routes are located in the vicinity of the 71st/Continental Avenue Station. QueensBoulevard runs east-west from the Queensborough Bridge to Jamaica, and has six lanes of trafficmoving in each direction. 108th Street begins at Queens Boulevard and runs north nearly all the way toLaGuardia airport. Approximately three-quarters of a mile south of the station, Metropolitan Avenueruns east-west, connecting Queens to Brooklyn.
Forest Hills is also framed on the north, south, and east by limited-access expressways. The east-west Jackie Robinson (Interborough) Parkway lies almost a mile south of the station, and the HoraceHarding (Long Island) Expressway is a little more than a mile north. These both intersect the north-south Grand Central Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway, which run parallel to each other about threequarters of a mile to the east, through Flushing Meadows/Corona Park. The New York City BicycleMaster Plan recommends the use of 71st Avenue as a bicycle route. Northeast of 108th Street, thisroute continues southwest on 70th Road and northeast on 71st Avenue.
The Q65A bus transports passengers from Kew Gardens and Utopia to the 71st/Continental Avenuestation. The Q23 runs between Forest Hills Gardens and LaGuardia Airport, and stops at the 71st/Continental Avenue station. The Q60 and QM18, which run along Queens Boulevard – parallel to thesubway – also stop at the station. The Long Island Rail Road’s Forest Hills station is one block awayfrom the 71st/Continental Avenue subway station, providing Manhattan-bound service to Penn Station,and Long Island-bound service to every branch except Port Washington, via the station at Jamaica.The Queens Boulevard line is the only subway within a mile of the 71st/Continental Avenue station.This line has two local trains (the G and the R) which end at 71st/Continental Avenue, and two expresstrains (the E and the F) which continue on to terminals in Jamaica. The express trains make only threestops between 71st/Continental Avenue and Midtown Manhattan.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
This map illustrates the various types and locations of surrounding transportation facilities.
SUBWAY LINES ANDSTATIONS
71st/ContinentalSTATION LIRR
TRACKS
LIRR STATIONTRUCK ROUTESOTHER PROJECT SITES
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KEW GARDENS
KEW GARDENS HILLS
BRIARWOOD
FOREST HILLS GARDENS
FOREST HILLS
NDALE
POM
SOUTH CORONA
REGO PARK
LEFRAK CITY
Miles
0 0.25 0.5
LIRR
MT. HEBRON CEM
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LLO
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TON
E B
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108 ST
METROPOLITAN AV
COOPER AV
UNION TP
MYRTLE AV
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ODHAVEN BL
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IN S
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UNION TP
E F
G R
QUEENS BLVD
JACKIE ROBINSON (INTERBOROUGH) P
KWY
HORACE HARDING (LONG ISLAND) EXPY
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TRL PKW
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VAN W
YCK EXPY
FOREST HILLS STATION
71st-Continental Ave (E, F, G, R)
FLUSHING MEADOW-CORONA PARK
FOREST PARK
ST. JOHN’S CEMETERY
QUEENS COLLEGE (CUNY)
MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY
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KEW GARDENS
KEW GARDENS HILLS
BRIARWOOD
FOREST HILLS GARDENS
FOREST HILLS
NDALE
POM
SOUTH CORONA
REGO PARK
LEFRAK CITY
0
Miles
0.25 0.5
LIRR
MT. HEBRON CEM
YE
LLO
WS
TON
E B
L
JUN
CT
ION
BL
108 ST
METROPOLITAN AV
COOPER AV
UNION TP
MYRTLE AV
WO
ODHAVEN BL
MA
IN S
T
UNION TP
E F
G R
QUEENS BLVD
JACKIE ROBINSON (INTERBOROUGH) P
KWY
HORACE HARDING (LONG ISLAND) EXPY
GR
AND
CEN
TRL PKW
Y
VAN W
YCK EXPY
FOREST HILLS STATION
71st-Continental Ave (E, F, G, R)
FLUSHING MEADOW-CORONA PARK
FOREST PARK
ST. JOHN’S CEMETERY
QUEENS COLLEGE (CUNY)
MAPLE GROVE CEMETERY
8N
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
% of Population Age/Years4.1%0-5
2.6%6-11
3.1%12-16
3.0%17-21
59.2%22-64
7.3%65-69
6.0%70-74
6.7%75-79
4.2%80-84
3.8%85 +
0-21 (12.76%)
65+ (28.04%)
22-64 (59.20%)
AGE DISTRIBUTION
YELLOW
69 AV
68 DR
BURNS ST
STO
NE
BLV
D
108 ST
69 R
D
70 A
V
112 ST
110 ST
JEWEL AV
70 AV
70 RD
71 AV
71 RD
72 AV
72 RD
72 R
D
72 A
VAUSTIN ST
71 R
D
CO
NTI
NE
NTA
L A
V70 R
D
AS
CA
N A
V
GR
EE
NW
AY
TER
73 R
D
BOW STTENNIS PL
DARTMOUTH ST
71ST-CONTINENTAL AVE
2. SECONDARY STUDY AREA
The secondary study area includes the quarter-mile ra-dius (or an approximate five-minute walk) surroundingthe 71st/Continental Avenue station. LIRR tracks traversethe area. North of the tracks, this area (which includesthe 71st/Continental Avenue station) includes a trianglebordered by 69th Road, 112th Street, and the LIRR tracks.South of the tracks is Forest Hills Gardens, an historicmaster-planned community with a street layout that com-bines a grid and curvilinear roads. Forest Hill Garden’smain entrance and “town square” are just beyond the LIRRtracks along Continental Avenue. The secondary studyarea includes the northernmost few blocks of Forest HillsGardens.
2.1 POPULATION DATAThe population pie chart shows the age distribution of residents in census tracts that intersect thesecondary study area, as reported by the 1990 US Census. The total population of the Forest Hills andForest Hills Gardens area was 39,073. The area’s population was among the oldest in New York City.Only 13% were 21 or younger; this is less than half of the 29% figure for the entire city. Conversely, the28% of this area’s residents who were 65 or older more than doubled the 13% citywide figure. Theremaining 59% of Forest Hills’ residents ranged from 22 to 64.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 Daily Number of Trips
Bicycle
Taxicab
Other
Worked at Home
Railroad
Bus or Trolleybus
Walked
Carpool
Car, Truck, or Van
Subway or Elevated
Journey to Work Reverse Journey to Work
JOURNEY TO WORK: 199071st/Continental Ave
2.2 JOURNEY TO WORKThe Journey to Work chart presents the distribution of various transit modes among commuters livingin the census tracts that intersect a quarter-mile radius of the 71st/Continental Avenue station. Thesedata were taken from the 1990 US Census.
The most used mode of transit for the commute to work was the elevated train, which 53% of arearesidents used. The next-largest portion, 24%, chose single-driver cars, vans, or trucks. Although theLIRR has only one stop between Forest Hills and Penn Station, only about 400 people (two percent)rode the train each day. Another eight percent car pooled, six percent walked, four percent took thebus, and two percent worked at home. The remaining one percent of commuters traveled to work byother means of transportation.
Commuters from Forest Hills were more reliant on the subway than those from New York City as awhole. Fifty-three percent of Forest Hills residents took the subway to work, compared to only 37%citywide. At four percent, residents of Forest Hills were less likely to take the bus or drive (24%), thanthe citywide averages of 13% and 33% respectively.
Reverse Journey to Work data describe people commuting to Forest Hills from elsewhere. The great-est portion of commuters to this area, 46%, came alone via car, van, or truck, while only 15% rode thesubway. Car pools accounted for 13% of commuters, while 11% took the bus, nine percent walked,and two percent rode the Long Island Rail Road. The remaining four percent of reverse commuterseither worked at home or utilized other means of transportation.
2.3 MODE OF ACCESS TO ELEVATED STATIONAccording to the MTA’s 1990 survey of subway riders, the majority of users of the 71st/ContinentalAvenue station, 65%, walked to the station. Another 19% of riders took the bus to the station, and 14%drove. Although the Forest Hills LIRR station is only a block away, less than half a percent of commut-ers transferred between the train and the subway.
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
This map shows the existing land use conditions for the secondary study area
RESIDENTIAL /COMMERCIAL
RESIDENTIAL
COMMERCIAL
OPEN SPACE /PARKS
PUBLIC FACILITIES
INDUSTRIAL
PARKING
VACANT
TRANSPORTATION / UTILITY
2.4 LAND USEThere are a number of ten to 15-story, free-standing apartment buildings along Queens Boulevard andon the blocks just to the north. The north side of Queens Boulevard has a supermarket and a variety ofother first-floor commercial uses. The south side of Queens Boulevard has a number of tall (up to tenstory) commercial and office buildings, as well as a movie theater, and a number of ground-floorcommercial uses. The area also has a number of bank branches. The strip between Queens Boule-vard and the LIRR tracks has one- and two-story structures, also with numerous small businessesand restaurants, many of them upscale. One block west of the station, MacDonald Park is wedged injust south of Queens Boulevard. Forest Hills High School is also nearby.
South of the LIRR tracks is Forest Hills Gardens, an early 20th century master-planned and designedcommunity with the appearance of an English town. Past the “town square” at Continental Avenue andBurns Street, which has shopping and the recently refurbished LIRR Forest Hills station, Forest HillsGardens has single family houses, attached houses, rowhouses, and garden apartment buildings.One block west of the town square is Forest Hills Stadium, the former site of the US Open tennistournament.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
2.5 ZONING AND DEVELOPMENTNorth of the LIRR tracks, the secondary study area is zoned for large-scale residential and commercialuses. The blocks north of Queens Boulevard are zoned R7-1 residential, which permits mediumdensity apartment buildings of up to 14 stories, with low lot coverage and large set-backs. The stripbetween Queens Boulevard and the LIRR tracks is zoned C8-2, permitting automotive and heavycommercial uses and C4-2, which allows major commercial uses, including shopping centers andoffice space. South of the train tracks, in Forest Hills Gardens, a combination of garden apartments,single-family houses, and detached houses exists in the R3-2 residential zone.
There are no current Uniform Land Use Review Process (ULURP) applications being considered inthe area.
2.6 ORGANIZATIONS AND ON-GOING PROJECTSThe Queens Borough President's Office has organized the Queens Boulevard Working Group to ad-dress safety and transportation issues along Queens Boulevard. Queens Community Board No. 6has also formed a task force to address these issues. Currently, the Forest Hills Chamber of Com-merce is the merchants' association for this area. However, an organization representing the AustinStreet-Continental Avenue shopping area is in the process of forming, called the Austin ContinentalUnited Merchants.
In 1998, New York City DOT, the Queens Borough President's Office, and Queens Community BoardNo. 6 commissioned the RBA Group and Eng-Wong, Taub, and Associates to prepare the QueensBoulevard Pedestrian Safety Study, which assessed conditions and made recommendations for pe-destrian improvements at intersections along a two and a half mile stretch of Queens Boulevard,between the Long Island Expressway in Elmhurst and Union Turnpike in Kew Gardens. Several of thereport's recommendations potentially impact the study area. The report recommended the installationof high visibility ladder crosswalks at the intersections of Queens Boulevard with 71st Road and 71stAvenue. It further recommended the widening of the central traffic islands from four to six feet toprovide more area for pedestrian refuges, and the inclusion of curb cuts on all islands. Implementationis scheduled to begin in late 2000.
In addition, the office of city council member Karen Koslowitz has plans to repave the roadway andsidewalks along Austin Street, and eventually to introduce distinctive Bishop's Crook lampposts alongAustin Street and Continental Avenue. The block housing the Forest Hills branch of the RidgewoodSavings Bank (bounded by Queens Boulevard, 108th Street, and 71st Avenue) has distinctive, non-DOT catalogued streetlights. These were installed by the bank; they have two luminaires set above across-bar at the top of the lamppost.
The station is slated to be rehabilitated in order to bring it into compliance with the Americans withDisabilities Act. The project is to be awarded between 2005 and 2019.
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
70TH RD
71ST AVEQUEENS BLVD
CO
NTI
NE
NTA
L
GERARD ST
108TH S
T
70TH
RD
AVE
3. PRIMARY STUDY AREA
The 71st/Continental Avenue station has five entrances spread out along Queens Boulevard on thethree blocks between 71st Road and 70th Avenue. Description of physical conditions in the area arefollowed by descriptions of traffic conditions.
In 1988, the 71st/Continental Avenue station had 6,772,535 turnstile registrations, making it the fifthbusiest station in Queens (out of 79), and thirty-second in the city (out of 425). The 1998 figure repre-sents an increase of 17% over 1990 and 13% over 1996.
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
3.1 STATION ENTRANCESThere are five entrances to the 71st/ContinentalAvenue station, all of them on Queens Boulevard.
(1) The entrance on the south side of QueensBoulevard between 70th Road and Continental Av-enue is open 24 hours, faces west, and begins127 feet west of Continental Avenue. The en-trance is 15 feet long, and the stairs are six feetacross. At the top of the stairs, the sidewalk is15 feet wide. At the other end of the entrance is alarge set-back plaza, 50 feet deep from curb tobuilding wall.
(2) The 24-hour entrance on the southeast cor-ner of Queens Boulevard and Continental Avenuebegins 18 feet from the Queens Boulevard curb,and it faces south. The stairway is 13 feet long,and the stairs are six feet across. The side fa-cade of the building next to the stairwell is re-cessed from the property line, so although thestairwell is on the property line, there is a gapbetween it and the building wall. There is a news-stand abutting the entrance on the street side,leaving 12 feet of sidewalk between the news-stand and Continental Avenue. A bus shelter sits15 feet south of the entrance. This is a busy cor-ner, with a number of businesses on both streets.
(3) The entrance on the north side of QueensBoulevard between 70th Avenue and 70th Road isopen daily 6:00 AM to 9:00 PM. It begins 69 feetwest of 70th Road, and opens to the west. Thestairwell is 14 feet long, and the stairs are six feetacross. Most of this block has ten-foot wide side-walks, but surrounding the entrance, the sidewalkwidens to 15 feet. There are two telephones rightat the entrance to the stairs. The effective side-walk width between the entrance and QueensBoulevard is eight feet. The only obstructionnearby is a street vendor who sets up about 20feet west of the entrance. Otherwise, this blockhas no commercial uses, and is relativelyuncongested.
South side of Queens Boulevard, east of Continental Avenue(entrance 1), looking east
Southeast corner of Queens Boulevard and Continental Avenue(entrance 2), looking north. Note the narrow pathway to the rightof the entrance
North side of Queens Boulevard, west of 70th Road (entrance 3),looking east
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
(4) The entrance on the north side of QueensBoulevard between 70th Road and 71st Avenue isopen 24 hours. It begins 108 feet east of 70th
Road. The stairwell opens to the west, and isrecessed behind the property line. Whereas therest of the sidewalk on this block is ten feet wide,near the station entrance the sidewalk widens to15. The widened sidewalk extends 20 feet in frontof the entrance. The stairway itself is 15 feet long,and the stairs are six feet across, leaving eightfeet of sidewalk between the stairway and thestreet. There are no obstructions nearby, and thissmall block is entirely taken up by a bank, theentrance to which faces east.
(5) The entrance on the north side of QueensBoulevard between 71st Avenue and 71st Road isopen 24 hours. It begins 60 feet east of 71st Av-enue. The stairwell opens towards the east andis 15 feet long; the stairs are six feet across. Theentrance is situated in the middle of the sidewalk,leaving a four-foot gap on the building wall side,and an eight-foot gap on the street side. Thereare no obstructions nearby, and this block is takenup by one-story commercial buildings. It is rela-tively uncongested.
3.2 STREETS ADJACENT TO THE STATION ENTRANCES
3.2.1 RoadwaysQueens Boulevard is one of the most important thoroughfares in Queens, stretching from theQueensboro Bridge to Jamaica. In the study area, it is 171 feet wide and comprised of four 33-foot-wide roadways separated by median strips. In the center two roadways, three express lanes run ineach direction. Although the express lanes of Queens Boulevard are at grade and have crosswalksand cross traffic, entering and exiting them can only be done at certain points, among them the inter-section at 71st Avenue (Continental Avenue). The outer roadways of Queens Boulevard each have twolanes of local traffic and a one-hour metered parking lane. Westbound Q60 buses stop on the southside of the boulevard between Continental Avenue and 71st Street. Eastbound Q60, Q65A, and QM18buses stop on the north side between 70th Road and 71st Avenue.
70th Road is a small, southwest-bound street that runs from Peartree Avenue, a few blocks northeast,past the intersection with Queens Boulevard, where it angles almost due south. It terminates twoblocks further south, at the LIRR tracks. (There is also another segment of 70th Road further south.)North of Queens Boulevard, the roadbed is 30 feet wide, with one lane of traffic and one lane of one-hour metered parking on the south side of the street. South of Queens Boulevard, the road is 40 feetwide, with two-hour metered parking on both sides. The New York City Bicycle Master Plan recom-mends the use of 70th Road as a bicycle route.
North side of Queens Boulevard, west of 71st Avenue (entrance 4),looking east
North side of Queens Boulevard, east of 71st Avenue (entrance 5),looking west
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
108th Street is a larger, busier arterial. It runs northwest-to-southeast, two-way, from Roosevelt Av-enue in Jackson Heights to its terminus at a four-way intersection with Queens Boulevard, 71st Avenue,and Continental Avenue. In the study area, the roadbed is 44 feet wide, with one traffic lane and a two-hour metered parking lane on the north side of the street. The south side of the street has a Q65A busstop.
71st Avenue runs parallel to 70th Road north of Queens Boulevard. 71st Avenue is a northeast-boundstreet that begins at the four-way intersection with Queens Boulevard, 108th Street, and ContinentalAvenue, and terminates a few blocks away at Peartree Avenue. In the study area, it is 30 feet wide, withone traffic lane as well as two-hour metered parking on each side. The New York City Bicycle MasterPlan recommends the use of 71st Avenue as a bicycle route.
Continental Avenue is a two way street that runs south for less than a mile, beginning at the intersec-tion of 108th Street, 71st Avenue, and Queens Boulevard. It continues under the LIRR tracks andbecomes the main street through Forest Hills Gardens. In the study area, it is 40 feet wide, with onetraffic lane in each direction. The Q23 bus stops on both sides of the street near the Queens Boule-vard intersection, but further south there is one-hour metered parking.
3.2.2 SidewalksSidewalks in the primary study area are generally in good condition and are ten to 20 feet wide. Thewider sidewalks are on commercial frontages, while residential uses (and the bank on the block boundedby Queens Boulevard, 108th Street, and 70th Road) have narrow sidewalks separated from deep set-backs by fences or hedges.
Three of the subway entrances (north side of Queens Boulevard between 71st Avenue and 71st Road,south side of Queens Boulevard between 70th Road and Continental Avenue, and the southeast cornerof Queens Boulevard and Continental Avenue) are on wide sidewalks. The latter two have narrowspaces behind them due to irregular building walls.
Queens Boulevard, looking west. Eastbound local traffic is on the left and express is on the right; there are six additional lanes ofwestbound traffic out of the frame on the right
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
The remaining two entrances are located on thenarrow sidewalks of the north side of Queens Bou-levard between 70th Avenue and 70th Road, and be-tween 70th Road and 71st Avenue. The propertyline is set back near each of these entrances, leav-ing eight feet of effective sidewalk width betweenthe stairway and the street. West of 70th Road,there is a vendor 20 feet past the subway entrance,which narrows the sidewalk to about four feet.
3.2.3 CrosswalksThe primary study area has several types of inter-section and crosswalk configurations. All cross-walks are standard pedestrian crosswalks.
In order to cross Queens Boulevard at either 70th
Road or at the large intersection with 71st Avenue,Continental Avenue, and 108th Street, pedestriansmust cross four roadbeds and three islands, total-ing 171 feet. Many pedestrians require more thanone signal cycle to cross. At the intersection of 71st
Avenue, Continental Avenue, and 108th Street,Queens Boulevard is crossed by continuous 18-foot-wide crosswalks, and the islands — which ex-tend only partially into the crosswalk — have no curbcuts. At the 70th Road crossing, each roadbed hasits own 12-foot-wide crosswalk, and the islandscompletely bisect the crosswalks and have levelcuts through them. Crossing from one island toanother that is parallel to Queens Boulevard is ille-gal at both intersections.
The intersection of 108th Street and 71st Avenue,just north of Queens Boulevard, is also a complexintersection. Separating the two lanes of 108th Streetis a small traffic island with a street-level cut throughit. There are crosswalks extending from the street-level cuts to all three nearby street corners, but thereare no crosswalks that lead directly across 108th
Street or 71st Avenue. In the direction of QueensBoulevard, this intersection is 100 feet across, andmany people must wait more than one signal cycleto complete the crossing.
3.2.4 LightingMost of the street lights in the vicinity of the station are standard Cobra Head luminaires. However,Type2085 luminaires are present on 108th Street.
Wide, continuous crosswalks with no curb cuts in the islands,at Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue
Narrower, separated crosswalks with street-level cuts throughthe islands, at Queens Boulevard and 70th Road
Crosswalks at the intersection of 108th Street and 71st Avenue,looking west
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EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
3.3 TRAFFIC
3.3.1 AutomobileThroughout the primary study area, automobile trafficis heavy, especially at rush hours. The high volume iscomplicated by complex street geometry in the inter-sections along Queens Boulevard, which results fromthe meeting of two differently oriented street grids, andby the existence of at-grade express and local trafficon Queens Boulevard. There is significant “kiss-and-ride” traffic at rush hours, and concomitant double-park-ing impedes traffic. At night, taxicabs and livery ve-hicles impede traffic by queuing at the taxi stand onQueens Boulevard just west of Continental Avenue.
Accident data drawn from 1996 through 1998 showthat the intersection at 71st Avenue, which is an ac-cess point to the express lanes of Queens Boulevard,is three times more accident-prone than adjacent in-tersections. The data indicate that all along QueensBoulevard in the study area, the express lanes are alsothree times more prone to accidents than the locallanes.
3.3.2 BusFour bus lines run through the primary study area. Two of these bus lines, the Q60 and the QM18,duplicate the subway’s route through this area, although transfers between these lines and the subwaywere not uncommon.
The 71st/Continental Avenue station is the eastern terminus for the Q65A route. It stops on 108th Street,about 30 feet from the intersection with Queens Boulevard, and on Queens Boulevard, just east of theintersection with 70th Road. Most transfers from this bus stop move between here and the subwayentrance on the Queens Boulevard side of the same block between 108th Street and 70th Road.
The Q23 bus has stops on either side of Continental Avenue, just south of the intersection with QueensBoulevard. Both bus stops have subway entrances that can be reached without crossing any streets.However, while the entrance adjacent to the northbound Q23 bus stop on the southeast corner ofContinental and Queens Boulevard is only feet away, the entrance on Queens Boulevard betweenContinental and 70th Road is half a block away. Many people getting off the southbound bus, therefore,choose to cross Continental Avenue and use the closer entrance. The Q23 also stops in both direc-tions on 108th Street two blocks north of the station.
Total accidents that occurred at anintersection (1996 - 1998)#Total accidents that occurred mid-block(1996 - 1998)#
2
9
28
28
1
5
40
24
100
15
3
200
34
1
14
12
108 ST
71 AV
70 RD
QUEENS BLVD
71 RD0
0
0
0
0
0
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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
3.3.3 PedestrianAlthough pedestrian traffic increases at rush hour, thisarea is a commercial hub all day long. The highestconcentrations of pedestrians were observed in threelocations: the Q65A bus stops on Queens Boulevardjust east of 70th Road and around the corner on 108th
Street, the Q23 bus stops on Continental Avenue justsouth of Queens Boulevard, and the Q23 bus stops on108th Street two blocks north of Queens Boulevard. Inthese areas, morning commuters move en masse frombuses to nearby subway entrances, and evening com-muters coming off the subways queue up the entirelength of both blocks waiting for the buses. At the sta-tion entrance on the southeast corner of Queens Bou-levard and Continental Avenue, a slight set-back leavesa three-foot passageway behind the stairwell. Whilethis corridor is wide enough to accommodate a singleperson, congestion occurs when more than one per-son attempts passage.
Pedestrians traffic in Forest Hills is characterized by alarger-than-average number of elderly people, many ofwhom do not move as fast as the population at large.Nevertheless, many of the intersections are very wide,and while in some cases there are adequate pedes-trian refuges, in other places (especially at the inter-section of 71st Avenue, Continental Avenue, 108th Street,and Queens Boulevard) there are not. The 71st Av-enue intersection’s traffic islands have no curb cuts,and the center island is only four feet wide due to left-turn lanes in both directions.
Signal timing data reveals that some pedestrians mayhave difficulty crossing Queens Boulevard during onelight cycle. These pedestrians will find themselves wait-ing on the pedestrian refuges in the center of QueensBoulevard until the next signal cycle. In addition, pedestrians crossing the intersection of 71st Avenue,108th Street and Queens Boulevard may be unable to do so during one light cycle. Further analysis willbe done for this intersection.
As a result of the wide street, some pedestrians cross Queens Boulevard below grade using thesuwbay station. Others take advantage of the traffic islands by walking parallel to Queens Boulevardagainst the light and jay walking to the next island when traffic allows.
Pedestrian accident data showed the same pattern as total accident data: the 71st Avenue intersectionhad more accidents than other intersections, and the express lanes had more accidents than the locallanes.
An older resident of Forest Hills crossing QueensBoulevard
Pedestrian accidents that occurred at anintersection (1996 - 1998)#Pedestrian accidents that occurred mid-block(1996 - 1998)#
0
2
1
9
0
0
4
10
1
3
1
30
0
5
0
QUEENS BLVD
108 ST
71 AV
70 RD
71 RD
14
EXISTING CONDITIONS
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
15
SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT
71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE
71ST AND CONTINENTAL APPENDICES
APPENDIX 1: 1990 CENSUS DATA
Population Data By Age
APPENDIX 2: 1990 CENSUS DATA
Journey to Work - Workers by place of residence
Reverse Journey to Work - Workers by place of employment
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AMQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along north side of Queens BlvdAM-F, 5:00AM-10:30AMQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along south side of Queens BlvdB
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AM70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 70th RdC
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AM70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 70th RdD
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PMQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along north side of Queens BlvdAM-F, 2:30PM-7:30PMQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along south side of Queens BlvdB
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PM70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 70th RdC
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PM70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 70th RdD
All Other TimesQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along north side of Queens BlvdAAll Other TimesQueens BlvdCrossing 70th Rd along south side of Queens BlvdBAll Other Times70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 70th RdCAll Other Times70th RoadCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 70th RdD
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AMQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Ave and 108th St along north side of Queens BlvdEM-F, 5:00AM-10:30AMQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Continental Avenue along north side of Queens BlvF
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AM71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 71st Avenue G
M-F, 5:00AM-10:30AM71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 71st Avenue H
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PMQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Ave and 108th St along north side of Queens BlvdEM-F, 2:30PM-7:30PMQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Continental Avenue along north side of Queens BlvF
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PM71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 71st Avenue G
M-F, 2:30PM-7:30PM71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 71st Avenue H
All Other TimesQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Ave and 108th St along north side of Queens BlvdEAll Other TimesQueens BlvdCrossing 71st Continental Avenue along north side of Queens BlvFAll Other Times71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along east side of 71st Avenue GAll Other Times71st AvenueCrossing Queens Blvd along west side of 71st Avenue H