New York City’s 34th Avenue, a celebrated car-free corridor in Jackson Heights, is facing challenges from moped riders who are violating the posted speed limit.
The open street was established during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily to provide additional outdoor space for residents in a densely populated area.
Despite its acclaim as a ‘gold standard’ for car-free community spaces, the presence of speedy mopeds has sparked complaints from local advocates and pedestrians.
The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) is in the planning stages of an $89 million redesign for the 1.3-mile stretch, aiming to transform it into a permanent linear park.
The Alliance for Paseo Park has teamed up with architecture firm WXY to create recommendations that focus on enhancing the area while addressing safety issues, especially related to moped usage.
Key proposals include developing a dedicated micromobility lane on Northern Boulevard to provide alternative routes for delivery workers and commuters using e-bikes, which currently rely on 34th Avenue.
Dawn Siff, executive director of the Alliance for Paseo Park, emphasized the desire for increased park space, stating, “We can design a delightful park space for the community that quadruples our park space.”
The redesign aims to repurpose 273 existing parking spots along 34th Avenue, equating to 3.6 percent of street parking in Jackson Heights, to provide more recreational areas for residents.
Jackson Heights is notably underserved in terms of public parks, with only one small area, Travers Park, available for its diverse population.
During the pandemic, the community, particularly in nearby Elmhurst and Corona, saw the need for expanded outdoor spaces, leading to the creation of 34th Avenue open street.
While local traffic is permitted on most segments of the street, vehicles must yield to pedestrians, maintaining a speed limit of 5 mph.
Plaza blocks, where vehicle traffic is entirely restricted, have been introduced with tables and chairs to encourage social activities.
Feedback from the community has prompted the DOT to relocate bike lanes to the curbs rather than the center of the street, improving safety for cyclists and pedestrians alike.
Complaints regarding mopeds, which violate posted no-moped signs, have led local City Council Member Shekar Krishnan to initiate discussions, including a town hall focused on addressing this ‘moped crisis.’
The WXY report proposes further measures to mitigate unsafe moped traffic, suggesting a dedicated wide multimodal lane on Northern Boulevard for buses, bikes, and mopeds—modeling configurations seen in cities like Chicago and Paris.
Alternatively, the proposal includes creating separate protected bike lanes on both sides of Northern Boulevard, alongside the existing bus lane.
The report’s vision for Paseo Park encompasses three distinct block types: active blocks designed for recreation and exercise, passive blocks for relaxation, and school-oriented blocks for outdoor learning opportunities linked to local schools.
Ongoing challenges in the current configuration of Paseo Park include inconsistent parking regulations and unclear guidelines for various vehicle types, which have contributed to larger delivery trucks parking inappropriately.
The WXY designers advocate for widening medians and elevating the street to align with the sidewalks, improving accessibility and aesthetics.
Additionally, retractable bollards are recommended to replace existing barriers that often prove difficult for residents with disabilities to maneuver.
The initiative has faced scrutiny from some residents, who express concerns that the open street environment resembles a restrictive space, with one critic comparing it to “1961 Berlin.”
Nevertheless, the creation of the open street has brought about a significant decrease in pedestrian injuries, with reported injuries falling by 41 percent.
Community events such as dance classes, chess clubs, and educational workshops have flourished along the avenue, showcasing the positive impact of the space.
Jim Burke, co-founder of the 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition, values maintaining bike access while promoting safety for pedestrians.
Burke remarks, “You see so many senior citizens and so many children and so many kids riding their bicycles. I really want to make sure people can use our corridor to go back and forth to their jobs, ride with their families.”
While acknowledging mopeds as a problem, he believes that the primary concern for users of the space is cars encroaching into pedestrian areas.
The WXY designers envision the park as a shared community space, where bicycles move at slower speeds alongside pedestrians.
Their imaginative redesign process involved extensive community engagement, including workshops and a survey aimed at neighborhood children, encouraging young voices to inform the design.
In the upcoming mayoral primary, most Democratic candidates have pledged to maintain and expand the open streets initiative, with the exception of former Governor Andrew Cuomo, who has expressed a case-by-case approach.
Siff asserts the need for New York City to catch up with global cities tackling public space transformation, stating, “Cities around the world are figuring out how to turn street space into delightful green public spaces that make their communities healthier and safeguard against the effects of climate change. New York City is behind.”
A DOT spokesman praised the WXY findings and indicated that community input will be sought as the plan moves forward.
Vin Barone stated, “The corridor is also an important part of NYC DOT’s cycling network and part of our long-term vision will support the various cycling uses — commuter, delivery, and social — on 34th Avenue.”
image source from：https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/06/17/report-a-calmer-34th-avenue-open-street-starts-on-northern-boulevard
