Bicycling advocates held a rally on Queens Boulevard Sunday afternoon, just feet from where a Queens man was run down and killed by a truck while riding on the notoriously dangerous thoroughfare.

"Today, we are launching our campaign to make Queens Boulevard a complete street," declared Noah Budnick of Transportation Alternatives, which means making it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as vehicular traffic. "It shouldn't take another death."

On February 28 just after 3 p.m., 22-year-old Asif Rahman of Jamaica was hit by a truck near the intersection of Queens Boulevard and 55th Road in Elmhurst, killing him. Rahman, an avid bike rider, was on his way home from his second day at a new job in Manhattan.

A white "ghost bike" now stands near the intersection to honor his memory.

"My son had been riding his bike for a very long time all over the city," said Asif Rahman's mother, Lizi. "He was a very experienced and smart biker."

Both Rahman's mother and bike advocates called on the city to make Queens Boulevard, which is a major seven-mile artery through the heart of the borough, safer for bicyclists by adding a bike lane.

"It won't bring my son back, but I want him to give his life for a good cause," said Rahman. "We're not here just to get a bike lane, we need a protected bike lane."

The city recently installed a protected bike lane on Grand Street in Manhattan. A protected bike lane is a lane that is between the sidewalk and a row of parked cars. Most bike lanes in the city are just to the left of parked cars, which leaves bicycle riders next to moving traffic.

"I think if there is enough space on Grand Street to put a protected bike lane, there is plenty of space on Queens Boulevard for a bike lane," said Budnick, noting the street is 12 lanes wide in some parts.

Rahman said there also needs to be a program implemented to educate drivers about bike lanes and their purpose. She said that she often sees drivers ignoring them.

"Every time I see a car double-parked or driving in a bike lane my heart screams," she said.

Currently the city is in the midst of a three-year program to add some 200 miles of bike lanes throughout New York City, a program that Budnick argues is taking far too long.

"Right now, that goal is on paper," he said.

Councilman James Gennaro was also at the rally. At the time of his accident, Asif Rahman was wearing a helmet, but the truck crushed his chest, and Gennaro said that even the most conscientious of bicyclists run into trouble on Queens Boulevard.

"This is not going to protect you on Queens Boulevard," said Councilman James Gennaro at the rally, holding a helmet aloft. "This is not going to get it done, this is not going to win a fight with a truck."

The councilman recently sent a letter to the mayor, which was also signed by councilmen John Liu and Eric Gioia, requesting that the city consider putting a bike lane on Queens Boulevard. Despite the ambitious program to add miles and miles of bike lanes across the city, there is no plan to put any on Queens Boulevard.

"It [the program] has to include Queens Boulevard," said Gennaro. "I have to believe that in 2008 on Queens Boulevard we can accommodate traffic, bicycles, and pedestrians all safely."

The Department of Transportation (DOT) defended their track record of making the city streets safer for bicycling while noting the unique challenges that Queens Boulevard presents, which includes intense vehicular and pedestrian traffic, as well as visibility issues on the portion that includes the elevated 7 train tracks.

A department spokesperson said that a bike lane was recently created on Skillman Avenue, which runs parallel to Queens Boulevard, as well as noting that the last biking fatality on the boulevard was in 1996, and that pedestrian fatalities have also significantly decreased in recent years.

"Safety is our top priority across the city," said spokesperson Edward Timber, "and we will continue to build on the safety enhancements we've made along Queens Boulevard, which have led to a dramatic decrease in accidents."

According to the DOT's own statistics, bike ridership in New York City has increased by 77 percent since 2000. The city has also been promoting bike riding as a way of alleviating traffic congestion on city streets.

However, Asif Rahman's sister on Sunday that the city wasn't as diligent about promoting the safety of people who choose to ride their bikes.

"I am here to hold the city accountable, because the city is committing an act of negligence by touting bicycling to people but not providing for their safety," said Moumita Rahman.

Lizi Rahman, whose son Asif was killed while biking on Queens Boulevard earlier this year, speaks at the rally. To the left is Asif's sister, Moumita.

A "ghost bike" now stands near the spot on Queens Boulevard where bicyclist Asif Rahman was killed by a truck.