With MTA buses turning 38th and 39th avenues into “defacto parking lots,” Councilwoman Sandra Ung introduced legislation to create a bus depot task force.
Courtesy of Ung’s office
With the streets of Flushing chronically congested with traffic, Councilwoman Sandra Ung introduced legislation recently to create a new task force to find potential sites for a new bus depot.
During a joint hearing of the Council’s committee on Sanitation and Solid Waste Management and Oversight and Investigations on Sept. 13, committee members discussed a piece of legislation authored by Ung to create the task force to restudy plans for such a facility that were shelved in the 1970s.
“We are lucky to have a transit-rich area in downtown Flushing, but that also brings with it a number of challenges,” Ung said. “Flushing streets have become a de facto parking lot for buses, and the increasing number of them laying over in the neighborhood is causing severe congestion. I want to thank the chairs of both committees, Council members Selvena Brooks-Powers and Gale Brewer, and Speaker Adrienne Adams for bringing my legislation forward for a hearing.”
During his opening remarks, NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez agreed that a bus depot would benefit the neighborhood and that he looks forward to discussing it further. The bill, known as Intro 1026,would require the city to create a task force to study the suitability of potential sites for a bus depot and provide cost estimates for land acquisition and construction.
The DOT commissioner or a designee would chair the task force. Membership would include the commissioner of the Department of City Planning or a designee, and five members appointed by the mayor. The mayor may also invite any relevant stakeholders, such as the MTA or other agencies at the city, state or federal level, to take part in the work of the task force.
The Flushing Bus Depot Task Force will make the final determinations on potential sites, but…
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