Way to Go, Queens

Back in December 2012, the Trust for Public Land was given a $467K grant to study the feasibility of turning a long disused 3.5 mile section of the Long Island Railroad connecting Rego Park to Ozone Park. The idea is to turn it into a pedestrian/bike path cutting through or passing above neighborhoods and the large and verdant Forest Park. Great idea, right?

Where's Mary Boone?

The proposed name, QueensWay, is pretty blah (why not the ReGoZone?). Worse are projected images, like the one above, from Friends of the QueensWay, of completed sections of the park. Look familiar? It should: It's the High Line on the West Side of Manhattan transported to Rego Park. Fellow Plain People of Queens, don't we have any more imagination, not to speak of pride, than this?

My own view is that one set of tracks should be maintained, with a vintage single-track trolley operating continuously between termini. Imagine hopping off for yummy Indian food in Richmond Hill then hopping back on. This would still leave plenty of space for pedestrians. Would it leave enough for a dedicated bicycle lane? Possibly not, but, to be fair, urban bikers have got a lot in the last few years, what have trolley riders got?