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THE NEWSPAPER OF JAMAICA, HOLLIS & ST. ALBANS
‘WHO IS RESPONSIBLE?’
Transit advocates blast MTA’s revenue neutral approach to Queens bus redesign
BY MAX PARROTT
Three transit advocacy
organizations banded together
to attack the MTA’s
revenue neutral approach to
the Queens Bus Redesign at a
press conference held March
5 in Jamaica to release their
analysis of the MTA’s draft
proposal.
“What this is doing is
taking bus service from one
community and giving to another.
So after the redesign
we’ll still have the same
problems,” said Riders Alliance
Campaign Manager
Stephanie Burgos-Veras.
“Who is responsible for
that? Governor Cuomo. He is
responsible for funding the
redesign.”
The Riders Alliance,
Straphangers Campaign,
and Tri-State Transportation
Campaign, which have
been pushing for a redesign
for years, spoke to hundreds
of riders and transit unions
about the MTA’s draft plan
they came up with seven
principles that stress equitable
service for residents,
especially low-income riders
and people of color, and more
investment in the system.
Councilman Donovan
Richards and Assemblyman
David Weprin joined the
groups at the presser to demand
a new approach to the
redesign as the MTA goes
back to the drawing board
for the second draft of the
plan, which it plans to release
in the spring.
Weprin added that every
Queens Assembly member
believes the draft of the bus
redesign, especially the cuts
to bus service, is unacceptable.
As the governor enters
Transit advocates banded together to attack the MTA’s revenue neutral approach to the Queens Bus Redesign at a press conference in
Jamaica on March 5. Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
into fiscal budget negotiation
over the coming weeks,
Queens legislators will have
an opportunity to fight for
increased bus funding.
“I’m hoping that he will
be recommending, as we get
to the bargaining table, additional
funding for buses,”
Weprin said.
Asked for how much funding
he would want to see to remedy
these cuts, Weprin declined
to give a concrete figure.
“More. Whatever it is, it’s
not going to be enough.”
The advocates argued
that one necessary outcome
of more investment would be
to increase bus frequencies
on weekends, during midday
hours and overnight. The report
argues that the status
quo, which is slow and unreliable,
will result in driving
down ridership.
The groups also stressed
the principle of equitable
service. Their report found
that the proposed plan includes
cuts to service that
will end up hurting low-income
riders and neighborhoods
of color.
“The MTA should prioritize
low-income neighborhoods
as it enhances riders’
ability to reach work, educational,
and other opportunities,”
Burgos-Veras said.
The report recommends
that the MTA should prioritize
service improvements
for low-income neighborhoods
in Queens, including
Far Rockaway, Rockaway
Beach, Flushing, Ridgewood,
Corona, Jamaica, East
Elmhurst, Elmhurst, Jackson
Heights, Murray Hill,
Hillcrest, Jamaica Hills and
Rego Park.
As far as municipal efforts
to increase bus service
go, Richards used the rally to
call for an expansion of the
Select Bus Service (SBS) network.
The councilman and
candidate for Queens borough
president added he was
in favor of a busway along
the transit corridor along
Archer Avenue in downtown
Jamaica.
“The city can be doing
a lot to be thinking about
where can we put aggressive
street measures to accommodate
bus riders, outside of
14th Street,” said Straphangers
Campaign advocate Jaqi
Cohen.
To find more information
about the report’s findings,
visit shorturl.at/glxPW.
Reach reporter Max Parrott
by e-mail at mparrott@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2507.
Vol. 8, No. 11 40 total pages
/QNS.COM
/schnepsmedia.com
