1. 71st/continental avenues station · 1. 71st/continental avenues station ... the queens boulevard...

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SUBWAY-SIDEWALK INTERFACE PROJECT

71ST/CONTINENTAL AVENUE

!71st-Continental Ave.(E,F,G,R)

QUEENS

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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


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

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SOUTH CORONA

REGO PARK

LEFRAK CITY

Miles

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LIRR

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COOPER AV

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JACKIE ROBINSON (INTERBOROUGH) P

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HORACE HARDING (LONG ISLAND) EXPY

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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

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Miles

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LIRR

MT. HEBRON CEM

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108 ST

METROPOLITAN AV

COOPER AV

UNION TP

MYRTLE AV

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ODHAVEN BL

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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

8N

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% 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

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108 ST

69 R

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70 A

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112 ST

110 ST

JEWEL AV

70 AV

70 RD

71 AV

71 RD

72 AV

72 RD

72 R

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72 A

VAUSTIN ST

71 R

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V70 R

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73 R

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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


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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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


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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70TH RD

71ST AVEQUEENS BLVD

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108TH S

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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


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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(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


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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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


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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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

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5

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QUEENS BLVD

108 ST

71 AV

70 RD

71 RD

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EXISTING CONDITIONS


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71ST AND CONTINENTAL APPENDICES

APPENDIX 1: 1990 CENSUS DATA

Population Data By Age


Journey to Work - Workers by place of residence

Reverse Journey to Work - Workers by place of employment

APPENDIX 3: 1996-1998 ACCIDENT DATA

Accidents by node/s

APPENDIX 4: SIGNAL TIME DATA

APPENDIX 5: INVENTORY OF EXISTING CONDITIONS

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EXISTING CONDITIONS



Population data by age

Source: US Bureau of Census, 1990, STF 3

85+ yrs80-84 yrs75-79 yrs70-74 yrs65-69 yrs22-64 yrs17-21 yrs12-16 yrs6-11 yrs0-5 yrsTotalTract

1431662472403082575215189581374278711

306453713627894612628828633247010495713.01

25633162548068556173333642513189260713.02

0147312532229171522482725

69854786711264166052661816737

32731644136742426461171191191995075739

37229054550945745811681821833807667757

1473165526252340286423131116612171010159239073People

3.8%4.2%6.7%6.0%7.3%59.2%3.0%3.1%2.6%4.1%100%Percent

725737

711

757

739713.02

713.01

71st-Continental Ave

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Journey to Work - Workers by place of residence

Reverse Journey to Work - Workers by place of employment


Source: US Bureau of Census, 1990, STF 3

PercentTotal757739737725713.02713.01711Census Tract

24.3%50817816532875215401301467Car, Truck, or Van

7.6%15833771681653224452473Carpool

4.4%914184126190135287163Bus or Trolley

0.3%66090032250Streetcar, Trolley

53.2%1113424541366494182253627151387Subway or Elevated

1.9%3884811219161235020Railroad

0.0%00000000Ferry

0.7%151452600205010Taxi

0.1%2600002600Motorcycle

0.1%2800801208Bike

5.5%11422001097114238360150Walk

0.4%761369027210Other

1.6%3347946320266586Work at Home

PercentTotal757739737725713.02713.01711Census Tract

46.3%569125235539110362669673Car, Truck, or Van

12.5%153366378309056214213Carpool

11.2%1377573113196052189254Bus or Trolley

0.1%1201200000Streetcar, Trolley

15.4%1894757237205089172434Subway or Elevated

1.9%234656026003350Railroad

0.0%00000000Ferry

0.2%2617700020Taxi

0.0%00000000Motorcycle

0.4%521006016200Bike

9.0%11011988119311179296143Walk

0.2%29300001016Other

2.7%3347946320266586Work at Home

18

EXISTING CONDITIONS


APPENDIX 3:

1996-1998

Accident Data

Accidents by node/s

PedestriansInjuriesFatalitiesReportableAccidentsYearNode/s

01012199635243

00000199735243

01013199835243

020253 yr total35243

00000199635244

00001199735244

00000199835244

000013 yr total35244

11101339199635245

61111726199735245

31001035199835245

10321401003 yr total35245

350515199635246

02038199735246

250617199835246

512014403 yr total35246

140713199635284

15178199735284

360713199835284

515121343 yr total35284

12029199635285

02029199735285

140510199835285

2809283 yr total35285

00001199635317

00000199735317

00000199835317

000013 yr total35317

00000199635318

00000199735318

00000199835318

000003 yr total35318

00000199635448

00000199735448

00002199835448

000023 yr total35448

00012199635449

11015199735449

00002199835449

110293 yr total35449

01013199635320

01012199735320

00029199835320

0204143 yr total35320

02023199635242

12037199735242

22025199835242

3607153 yr total35242

010314199635246 35247

00005199735246 35247

11015199835246 35247

1204243 yr total35246 35247

00007199635231

00015199735231

00000199835231

0001123 yr total35231

19



Continued

Intersection

108TH ST AND 71ST AVE




71ST AVE AND QUEENS BLVD












70TH RD AND QUEENS BLVD




71ST RD AND QUEENS BLVD
























108TH ST AND 70TH RD




71ST AVE BETWEEN QUEENS BLVD AND AUSTIN ST




QUEENS BLVD SRVC RD AND QUEENS BLVD




20

EXISTING CONDITIONS


PedestriansInjuriesFatalitiesReportableAccidentsYearNode/s

11012199635242 35243

00000199735242 35243

00001199835242 35243

110133 yr total35242 35243

600812199635245 35285

11067199735245 35285

20039199835245 35285

91017283 yr total35245 35285

10016199635245 35284

22135199735245 35284

00009199835245 35284

3214203 yr total35245 35284

21



Source: New York State DOT Local Accident Surveillance Project

Intersection

108TH ST BETWEEN 70TH RD AND 71ST AVE




QUEENS BLVD BETWEEN 71ST AVE AND 71ST RD




QUEENS BLVD BETWEEN 71ST AVE AND 70TH RD




22

EXISTING CONDITIONS


E

FG

HC

AD

B

QUEENS BLVD

71 RD

71 AV

108 ST

70 RD

AUSTIN ST

70 R

D

71 R

D

71 A

V

LVD

APPENDIX 4: SIGNAL TIMING DATA

Queens Boulevard and 70th Road

Intersection Map: 71st/Continental Avenue

TIMETRAFFIC FLOWCROSSWALK ORIENTATIONINDICATORINTERSECTION

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

23



Queens Boulevard and 70th Road

TimeCrossing

of SufficientEstimationPreliminary

Street*to CrossRequired

TimeEstimated

Only)(GreenTime

CrossingPedestrianAdjusted

Amber)and

(GreenTime

CrossingPedestrian

Total

WidthCrosswalk

LengthCrosswalk

TIMECYCLE

REDAMBERGREENsecondssecondssecondsfeetfeetsecondssecondssecondsseconds

Sufficient10757812401202375

Sufficient12757810481202375

analysisFurther

42.753336121711204333

analysisFurther

42.753336121711204333

Sufficient10757812401202375

Sufficient12757810481202375

analysisFurther

42.753336121711204333

analysisFurther

42.753336121711204333

Sufficient10606312401202360

Sufficient12606310481202360

Sufficient42.754851121711204348

Sufficient42.754851121711204348

24

EXISTING CONDITIONS


Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue

TIMETRAFFIC FLOWCROSSWALK ORIENTATIONINDICATORINTERSECTION

Hours/Min

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

25



Source: NYC DOT

Queens Boulevard and 71st Avenue

TimeCrossing

of SufficientEstimationPreliminary

Street*to CrossRequired

TimeEstimated

Only)(GreenTime

CrossingPedestrianAdjusted

Amber)and

(GreenTime

CrossingPedestrian

Total

WidthCrosswalk

LengthCrosswalk

TIMECYCLE

REDAMBERGREENsecondssecondssecondsfeetfeetsecondssecondssecondsseconds

Sufficient24.5374012 and 14981202337

Sufficient10374013401202337

analysisFurther

42.753336181711204333

analysisFurther

42.753336181711204333

Sufficient24.5374012 and 14981202337

Sufficient10374013401202337

analysisFurther

42.753336181711204333

analysisFurther

42.753336181711204333

analysisFurther

24.5202312 and 14981202320

Sufficient10202313401202320

Sufficient42.755053181711204350Sufficient42.755053181711204350

1. 71st/continental avenues station · 1. 71st/continental avenues station ... the queens boulevard...

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