Queens Boulevard: A Book of Precedents

QUEENSBOULEVARDA BOOK OF PRECEDENTS

INTRODUCTIONThis booklet shows streets that are similar in size to Queens Boulevard, but have different uses in place of traffic lanes, including transit, space for pedestrians and cyclists, and parks. Use this booklet to explore these other streets, as examples of how Queens Boulevard could be a safer place for all road users.

For too long, New Yorkers have adapted to the dangerous conditions of Queens Boulevard. Though only 46 percent of New Yorkers own cars, Queens Boulevard is designed for fast travel by private vehicles, to the detriment of others. The prioritization of the car comes at a steep price – for the past 15 years, ever since traffic crash data was made public and mapped, Queens Boulevard topped the list of most dangerous streets every year.

In Spring 2010, the Transportation Alternatives (T.A.) Queens Volunteer Committee with T.A.’s Bicycle Advocacy Director, Caroline Samponaro, embarked on a campaign to win pedestrian and cyclist safety in Queens. T.A. is a New York City-based sustainable transportation advocacy organization. Working with Planning Corps, a non-profit, volunteer network of urban planners, tools were developed to build public support for changes to the street.

One major insight from our analysis is there is enough space on Queens Boulevard to accommodate all the communities’ needs. The only thing missing now is political will.

A project like this is a collective effort. Thank you to the many people who attended Planning Corps working sessions over many months. In particular, we would like to thank Mike Lydon of Street Plans Collaborative, Eric Galipo of H3 Hardy Collaboration Architecture, and Anthony Denaro of OpenPlans for working so diligently on this booklet.

The dynamic Queens Volunteer Committee motivated the entire project, and we would be remiss not to mention David Dubovsky, the former committee chair, and Jessame Hannus for their continued engagement with Planning Corps.

Finally, this whole collaboration would not have been possible without the support of Transportation Alternatives. Thank you Paul White and Caroline Samponaro.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD 200’ 150’25%

LAND USE: URBAN, SUBURBAN

Residential, Light Industry, Retail

MEDIUM, LOW

15’ SidewalksSparse Street Trees, Amenities

14

10’ - 11’ Traffic Lane Width7.5’ Parking Lane Width

N/A

n/aBike Rack

BUS, SUBWAY

Bus Stops, Shelters

Subway Stations/Viaduct

Right-of-Way WidthMotor Vehicle Space Allocation

Pedestrian/Bicycle/Transit Ratio

LAND USE CHARACTER

GENERAL USES

PUBLIC FRONTAGE QUALITY

Outer Sidewalk WidthLandscape Type

# VEHICULAR, PARKING LANES

Traffic Lane WidthParking Lane Width

BIKEWAY TYPE

MovementBicycle Parking

TRANSIT TYPE

Bus Accommodation

Rail Accommodation

Queens Boulevard features 14 vehicular lanes (including parking) and 5 different configurations over its 6-mile trajectory. The Boulevard’s auto-centric design, mix-ture of suburban/urban forms, lack of tree coverage, and oversized intersections do very little to enrich the quality of the pub-lic realm. Furthermore, access lanes are used as heavily as the thru-lanes, further degrading the pedestrian experience.

QUEENS BOULEVARDNew York, NY; Urban Suburban. Residential, Light Industrial, Retail

14 TRAFFICLANES

15’15’

SIDEWALKLANE

WIDTHS

NO MEDIAN AMENTITIESBUS STOPS W/ SHELTERSBIKE RACKSSPARSE STREET TREES

AMENITIES

10’11’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

SUBWAYNO BUSLANES

NO BIKE LANES

7.5’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

Like Queens Boulevard, the 5-mile Avinguda Diagonal accommodates very high volumes of regional traffic, and features many large, complex intersection configurations. Yet, two 30’ medians separating the center roadway from the access lanes accommodate bicycling, walking, scooter parking, tram/bus stations, generous tree plantings and other public amenitie. These tame what would be an otherwise unpleasant thoroughfare.

AVINGUDA DIAGONALBarcelona, Spain; Urban. Residential, Retail.

Avenue Marceau is one of 12 thoroughfares radiating from the Etoile. Described by Allan Jacobs as an “everyday boulevard,” the thoroughfare is highly functional, but not the city’s most elegant—two lanes of parking on each access road often spills onto the sidwalk, creating a harsh streetscape. Numerous obtuse and acute intersections and low pedestrian counts are characteristics similar to those found on Queens Boulevard.

AVENUE MARCEAUParis France. Urban. Residential, Office, Light Retail

MEDIAN AMENTITIESBUS STOPS, BUS LANESBIKE RACKSSTREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYBUSTRAM

BIKE LANES10 TRAFFICLANES

——

PARKINGLANE

WIDTHS

8’9’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

10’11’

OUTERSIDEWALKWIDTHS

BUS SHELTERS CONTRA FLOW BUS LANESNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYCONTRA FLOW BUS

LANES

BIKE LANES6

TRAFFICLANES

7’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’10’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

12’12’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

AVINGUDA DIAGONAL

QUEENS BLVDQUEENS BLVD

AVINGUDA DIAGONALAVENUE MARCEAU

Like Queens Boulevard, Commonwealth Avenue features many configurations over its meandering trajectory. The corridor’s access lanes are separated from the thru lanes by two medians, used in three different ways: planted, angled parking, bi-directional trolley tracks/stations. Bicycle lanes were recently added along portions of the thoroughfare, which connects Boston’s Public Garden to its suburbs.

COMMONWEALTH AVENUEBoston, MA Urban, Suburban. Residential, Retail

St. Kilda Road is one of three impressive and historic multiway boulevards radiating from the center of the city. The 4-mile thoroughfare includes dense mixed-use development as well as low-rise neighborhood retail. Almost as wide as Queens Boulevard, this regional thoroughfare sets itself apart by providing transit (trams run down the center of the roadway), bikeways, and a continuous cover of mature London Plane trees.

ST. KILDAROADMelbourne, Australia; Urban. Mixed-Use, Office, Light Retail

BUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYTRAMBIKE LANES

BUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYTRAMBIKE LANES10 TRAFFICLANES

7’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’10’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

17’20’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

6 TRAFFICLANES

8’16’

PARKINGLANE

WIDTHS

10’-15’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

8’25’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

QUEENS BLVDQUEENS BLVD

COMMONWEALTH AVENUE ST KILDA ROAD

OCEAN PARKWAY

Context

Detail

Ocean Parkway is a classic multiway boulevard. It handles large volumes of regional traffic (up to 70,000 cars per day), while also providing plenty of amenities within the public realm: generous tree cover, wide sidewalks, and two 30’ medians featuring America’s oldest bike path accommodate high volumes of bicyclists and pedestrians. Despite being wider than Queen’s Boulevard, Ocean Parkway maintains a superior design.

New York, NY: Urban, Suburban. Residentia, Civic, Institutional

AVENIDA DA REPUBLICA

Context

Lisbon, Portugal: Urban, Residential and Retail

One of three boulevard’s connecting the city center with the Campo Grande Park, Avenida da Republica, like Queen’s Boulevard, is too auto-oriented. It’s expanding tree cover and land use make for an attractive destination, yet much of the space has been compromised by making space for motor vehicle traffic, including the conversion of a 20’ median to diagonal parking. Furthermore, few amenities exist for pedestrians or cyclists.

BUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIES

12 TRAFFICLANES

15’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’TRAFFIC

LANEWIDTHS

SUBWAYBUSNO BIKE LANES

15’15’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

MEDIAN AMENITIESTWO WAY BIKE LANEBIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIES

12 TRAFFICLANES

8’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

10’15’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

NO SUBWAYBUSTWO WAY BIKE LANES

15’15’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

QUEENS BLVD QUEENS BLVD

AVENIDA REPUBLICAOCEAN PARKWAY

OCEAN PARKWAY

THOROUGHFARE TYPE MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

Right-of-Way Width 210’Motor Vehicle Space Allocation 120’

Pedestrian/Bicycle/Transit Ratio 43%

LAND USE: CHARACTER URBAN, SUBURBAN

GENERAL USES Residential, Civic/Institutional

PUBLIC FRONTAGE QUALITY HIGH

Outer Sidewalk Width 15’, 15’ SidewalksLandscape Type Street Trees, Median Amenities

# VEHICULAR , PARKING LANES 12 Parking Lanes

Traffic Lane Width 10’, 15’Parking Lane Width 8’

BIKEWAY TYPE SHARED USE PATH

Movement Two-wayBicycle Parking Rack

TRANSIT TYPE BUS

Bus Accommodation Bus Stops at Major Cross Streets

Rail Accommodation N/A

AVENIDA DA REPUBLICA

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

175’120’32%

URBAN

Mixed-Use, Office, Retail

MEDIUM

15’, 15’ Sidewalks Tree Cover

12 Parking Lanes

9’ 15’

N/A

N/AN/A

BUS, SUBWAY

Bus Shelters, Bus Lanes

Subway Stations

AVINGUDA DIAGONAL

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

165’84’

49%

URBAN

Residential, Retail

HIGH

10’, 11’ SidewalksStreet Trees, Median Amenities

9, 10 Parking Lanes

8’, 9’n/a

BICYCLE LANES

With Traffic, In MedianRack

BUS, SUBWAY

Bus Lanes, Bus Stops, Shelters

Subway and Tram Stations

QUEENS BOULEVARD

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

200’150’25%

URBAN, SUBURBAN

Residential, Light Industrial, Retail

MEDIUM, LOW

15’ SidewalksSparse Street Trees, Few Amenities

14 Parking Lanes

10’ - 11’7.5’

N/A

n/aRack

BUS, SUBWAY

Bus Stops, Shelters

Subway Stations/Viaduct

ST KILDAROAD

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

197’90’

55%

URBAN

Mixed-Use, Office, Light Retail

HIGH

17’, 20’ Sidewalks Generous Tree Cover

10 Parking Lanes

9’ - 10’7’

BIKE LANE

With TrafficN/A

TRAM

N/A

Center Median Tram Stations

COMMONWEALTH AVE

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

200’123’39%

URBAN, SUBURBAN

Residential, Retail

HIGH, MEDIUM

8’, 25’ SidewalksStreet Trees, No Median Amenities

9 Parking Lanes

10’, 12’, 15’8’, 16’ (diagonal)

BICYCLE LANES

With TrafficRack

BUS, TROLLEY

Bus Stops

Tram Stations

AVENUE MARCEAU

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

134’92’

32%

URBAN

Residential, Office, Light Retail

HIGH

12’ SidewalksGenerous Street Trees

6 Parking Lanes

9’, 10’7’

BUS/BIKE LANE COMBO

With TrafficN/A

BUS

Bus Shelters, Contra-flow Bus Lanes

N/A

51%49%

57%43% 32%

68%RATIO OF

PEOPLEVEHICLE

SPACE 45% 68%

32%55%61%39%25%

75%

Pedestrian

Bike Lane

Planted Green Space

OCEAN PARKWAY

Non Occupiable Median

Motor Vehicle

Parking Lane

Dedicated Mass Transit

CROSS SECTION COMPARISION

AVENIDA DA REPUBLICA

AVINGUDA DIAGONALCOMMONWEALTH AVE

AVENUE MARCEAU

ST KILDA ROAD

QUEENS BLVD

Parking Lane

Motor Vehicle

Non Occupiable Median

Planted Green Space

Bike Lane

Pedestrian

Dedicated Mass Transit

AVENIDA DA REPUBLICA

OCEAN PARKWAY

QUEENS BLVD

COMMONWEALTH AVE

AVENIDA DIAGONAL

ST KILDA ROAD

AVENUE MARCEAU

COMMONWEALTH AVENUE

ST. KILDA ROADBUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYTRAMBIKE LANES10 TRAFFICLANES

7’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’10’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

17’20’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

BUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYTRAMBIKE LANES6

TRAFFICLANES

8’16’

PARKINGLANE

WIDTHS

10’-15’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

8’25’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

MEDIAN AMENITIESTWO WAY BIKE LANEBIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIES

12 TRAFFICLANES

8’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

10’15’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

NO SUBWAYBUSTWO WAY BIKE LANES

15’15’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

OCEAN PARKWAY

AVENIDA DA REPUBLICABUS SHELTERS CENTER MEDIAN TRAM STOPSNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIES

12 TRAFFICLANES

15’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’TRAFFIC

LANEWIDTHS

SUBWAYBUSNO BIKE LANES

15’15’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

QUEENS BOULEVARD14 TRAFFICLANES

15’15’

SIDEWALKLANE

WIDTHS

10’11’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

SUBWAYNO BUSLANES

NO BIKE LANES

7.5’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

AVINGUDA DIAGONAL

AVENUE MARCEAU

MEDIAN AMENTITIESBUS STOPS, BUS LANESBIKE RACKSSTREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYBUSTRAM

BIKE LANES10 TRAFFICLANES

——

PARKINGLANE

WIDTHS

8’9’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

10’11’

OUTERSIDEWALKWIDTHS

BUS SHELTERS CONTRA FLOW BUS LANESNO BIKE RACKSGENEROUS STREET TREES

AMENITIESSUBWAYCONTRA FLOW BUS

LANES

BIKE LANES6

TRAFFICLANES

7’PARKING

LANEWIDTHS

9’10’

TRAFFICLANE

WIDTHS

12’12’OUTER

SIDEWALKWIDTHS

ALLOCATION OF SPACE BY USES