"Paladino has made a name for herself as a committed foe of street safety - even though her district led the city in traffic fatalities in 2024. Meanwhile, Chou has welcomed support from pro-cycling advocates and organizations, made overtures to the r/Micromobility sub-reddit and won a StreetsPAC endorsement on the strength of his commitment to daylighting and bringing more protected bike lanes to his district. He also is a strong supporter of the Queens Waterfront Greenway."
"Still an active firefighter, Chou took a few minutes between the end of a shift and the latest planning session for the greenway to talk about why he doesn't think it's a risk to run in northeast Queens as a friend of greenways, pedestrian safety and expanding mobility options beyond just driving. In our interview, Chou called out Paladino for "fear-mongering" about the greenway that he and his neighbors grew up riding."
""We walked, jogged off the river, the bay. It's a nice function that's being utilized by our community, our families. It's not a 'pipeline for criminals,'" Chou told Streetsblog, channeling Paladino's language. "This rhetoric - fear mongering it really is - it's trying to empower a base of people by projecting a villainous image on people that want any form of change. These are families that want to ride their bikes.""
Several competitive City Council races in New York City include a District 19 contest between Republican Vickie Paladino and Democrat Ben Chou. Paladino opposes street safety measures and has vowed to stop a waterfront greenway in College Point and Whitestone. Her district led the city in traffic fatalities in 2024. Chou is an active firefighter and lifelong resident who supports the Queens Waterfront Greenway, daylighting, and protected bike lanes. He has received endorsements from pro-cycling groups and StreetsPAC and has engaged online communities like r/Micromobility. Chou accuses Paladino of fear-mongering and emphasizes community use of the waterfront for families and recreation.
Read at Streetsblog
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