#BikeNYC Twitter Stars: Meet CJ from Queens

This is the first in an on-going series looking at NYC bike riders in all five boroughs who are very in-tune with what is going on in transportation in New York and provide lots of content & views for their followers.

Each person will highlight a few good and bad things about bicycling going on around them.

So meet CJ Wojtkowski from Queens who has only been biking regularly for a few years but has become active on Twitter. She lives near the Queensboro Bridge and so she offers up some opinions on not only the struggle to make the ped/bike path safer but...

- Pulaski Bridge Bike Path
- Crescent Street Protected Bike Lane
- Shore Boulevard
- 34th Avenue Open Street
- What Transportation Planners, Engineers & Elected Officials should do first before final implementation of bike/ped projects.

You can follow her on Twitter at @Tellythecairn

[chow-chihuang]

All true!
Sometimes, it takes a new cyclist to point out and advocate to improve what experienced ones have learned to ignore or accept.

[torrawel]

A curb is the simple solution to make sure the cars stay out. An Amsterdammer knows 😉

[joshabramsydg]

Great video, and really captures the failures of the DOT! Astoria has certainly come a long way from when we had zero bike lanes but we could have accomplished so much more with the money and time spent on these halfway measures. I guarantee many of the home owners on Crescent St complaining about the bike lane have illegal curb cuts to begin with, if NYC wanted to get serious about safety they could have easily checked DOB records to confirm if any of the houses had a permit on file for a curb cut and driveway while designing the bike lane, and fined and filled back in the sidewalk for anyone without a proper permit. Instead they turn a blind eye and officially sanction illegal curb cuts by carving out sections of the bike lane to accommodate them.

[MarijnRoorda]

As a dutchmen, this video is almost hilarious so sad as it is. We were once like that, 50 years ago. You should plan your next vacation here. So you have a idea of how the dream looks like.

[streetsareforpeople]

1:46 to further her point about what should be required of Transportation Engineers before signing off on a project, an intersection, a road with a new/extended bike lane: force them to have their 8 year old family member (or 80 year old!) walk through that crosswalk or bike in that bike lane BY THEMSELVES while they watch and film from a distance.
If an engineer isn't willing to have their child walk through a crosswalk alone, THE DESIGN FAILS, start over. Calm the cars!!
Great video CE2!

[abmindprof]

Yes, to everything she said! That exit from the Pulaski is just nuts, and it wouldn't be hard to fix either. Just a two way bike lane instead of the one way on 49th avenue going to the bridge. Of course, people will scream if that involves taking away their free parking.

[woutervanr]

"Trapped" by a cyclelane existing near your front door. What the actual fuck.

[Froboymike]

Great work that you are doing there! Protected intersections are the best complement to protected bike lanes to greatly increase safety and comfort! People driving cars should realize that even if they never want to ride a bike, it benefits them to have more people on bikes to reduce traffic congestion. Cars are the least efficient, most dangerous, and most expensive form of transportation to provide; any city would greatly benefit by having a more balanced and healthy transportation diet!

[steveaguinaga]

Amazing woman... This advice for city planning should go NATION WIDE...
First walk, stroller, carry a screaming kidd... 😂

[TriniFietser]

Great stuff! We have so much to learn in Trinidad & Tobago! #NoBikeInfrastructure #TinyIslands

[twgood]

Really good. Was expecting to see Telly in one of the scenes though.

[danelstien]

where do I find out about other protests like the one on Queensboro bridge? I used to live in the UES and took that bridge all the time even though its a death trap. would have loved to be a part of those walkovers!

[travelfoodbusinessbestheyyono]

In every video like this there must be a Dutchmen comment bragging about how marvelous and fabulous is the Dutch cycling infrastructure! Oh, fellow Dutchmen, WE KNOW!

[concretemode]

I would add regarding Crescent Street for example, two way bike lanes on one way car roads doesnt entirely work when you are cycling against the traffic. Cyclists like myself have to use the pedestrian light signals as cues to cross intersections, and you have to be on alert that a car, or other bikes, motorized scooters, ebikes, even pedestrians see you in the intersection as they are turning or crossing. Also, whats the deal with mopeds and electric delivery bikes being in the bike lane?

[jscocozza]

to all the "Bikers" Pls wear your helmets, stay in your bike lanes and ride with the flow of traffic. Oh yeah RED Lights mean STOP for bikes to!!. 
We have many Senior pedestrians so pls share