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Jan. 17-23, 2020
MTA’s bus redesign proposal means service
cutbacks for express bus riders in NE Queens
A NEW HOME
Alley Pond Environmental Center cuts the ribbon to mark the opening of its temporary headquarters. See story on Page 15.
Photo courtesy of APEC
BY JENNA BAGCAL
Residents in Bayside and
Whitestone may soon see severe
cutbacks in express bus
service to Manhattan following
the MTA’s recent bus redesign
proposal.
The affected buses include
the QM2, QM32 and QM20
lines which the MTA name the
QMT163 under the new plan.
The route would operate between
Beechhurst in Queens
and 6th Avenue in Manhattan.
But express bus riders said
that this new route reduces and
eliminates service to areas it
previously serviced.
According to a flier created
by the Vittorio Bugatti, founder
of the Express Bus Advocacy
Group on Facebook, the following
is how the QMT163 affects
Queens riders:
• Severe cuts to off-peak service,
including no express bus service
on Sundays, and no express bus
service in Mitchell Gardens on
weekends
• Eliminating all 3rd Avenue
service to Powells Cove Boulevard/
Le Havre
• Eliminating all Midtown
express bus service along Utopia
Parkway in Whitestone and
26th Avenue in Bayside
• Eliminating all Super Express
trips on the QM2 and QM20
despite good ridership and saving
riders 15 to 30 minutes over
regular QM2 and QM20 service
• Service cuts to rush-hour
service
MTA data from 2018 showed
that the QM2 and QM32 saw
an average weekday ridership
of 1,690 people while the Q20
served an average of 1,025 every
weekday, making these lines
the fourth and eleventh most
popular bus routes run by the
MTA Bus Company.
The agency unveiled the
draft proposal at the end of December
and called on the community
to provide feedback at
a series of public workshops
across Queens. But residents
and politicians complained that
eastern Queens residents were
once again left out of the transportation
discussion since the
MTA failed to schedule workshops
in neighborhoods like
Bayside and Whitestone.
Councilman Paul Vallone
also chimed in on Twitter.
“In northeast #Queens,
where there is no subway access
and limited public transportation
options for commuters, the
MTA should be increasing and
improving bus service, not creating
a more desolate transportation
desert. We deserve a seat
at the table,” Vallone tweeted.
The Express Bus Advocacy
Group flier encouraged bus riders
to reach out to local politicians
like Grodenchik, Vallone,
Assemblymen Ed Braunstein
and Ron Kim and Senator John
Liu to make them aware of the
need for the express buses.
Vol. 29 No. 3 48 total pages
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