The MTA is currently in their process of conducting public outreach for the Final Queens Bus Redesign Plan.
Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA
At a Community Board 7 transportation committee meeting on Thursday evening, the MTA noted various concerns that northeast Queens bus riders have with their plan to overhaul the borough’s entire bus system for the first time in decades.
The Queens Final Bus Redesign Plan, unveiled by the MTA in December, is currently in the public outreach stage. Representatives from the MTA are making rounds to community boards to share the plan and collect feedback. A final public hearing and subsequent board vote will be held later this year.
One major aspect of the plan, which has received backlash from transit advocates, is the removal of bus stops – referred to as bus stop spacing or balancing. The DOT says the move would improve reliability while speed up service by 20 seconds with each stop removed. The agency calculates that 83% of riders would still be able to use the same bus stop, despite the planned removal of approximately 1,400 stops.
The distance between bus stops would increase. For instance, the average distance between stops along the Q18 route, which runs from Astoria to Maspeth, is currently 673 feet. Under the new plan, the proposed average distance would be 1,100 feet, which is about 5-6 street blocks.
Some riders said they believe that the effort to speed up service will make the bus less accessible, especially for people who are elderly and disabled. Walking additional blocks to the next available bus stop could be burdensome for certain groups. Some also doubt that it will speed up service.
“I have to question the math of what you’re doing because what really takes the time on a bus, or train, any type of public transit is load time – when people get on and off the bus,” said Warren Schreiber, 2nd Vice Chairperson of CB7. “They’re going to get on at the stop that might be two blocks away,…
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