L E H A V R E
N E W S
15
F E B R U A R Y Additional workshops scheduled
for Bayside and Bellerose
Photo courtesy of Councilman Vallone’s offi ce
WWW.QNS.COM | FEBRUARY 2020 | LEHAVRE COURIER 15
BY JENNA BAGCAL
jbagcal@qns.com
@jenna_bagcal
Following criticisms about the lack
of bus redesign meetings for northeast
Queens residents, the MTA announced
it would hold additional workshops in
collaboration with elected officials.
On Jan. 17, officials confirmed that
the MTA scheduled two meetings in
Bayside and Bellerose for Feb. 20
and 27, respectively. When the agency
originally unveiled its draft plan in
December, it failed to schedule any for
residents east of Flushing. Residents in
these areas lack train access and buses
are often their only form of public
transportation.
The first workshop is on Thursday,
Feb. 20, at 7 p.m. at Korean Community
Services (203-05 32nd Ave.); the second
is on Thursday, Feb. 27, at 7
p.m. at Cross Island YMCA (238-10
Hillside Ave.)
“Overhauling Queens bus service
will have a huge impact in Queens,
where in most places, buses are the
only form of public transportation
available,” said Senator John Liu,
member of the Senate Transportation
Committee. “The draft plan proposes
significant changes to local and
express bus services in our community,
and many people have already voiced
their understandable dismay over service
cuts.”
Liu added that the new bus plan
needs to follow several guiding principles
in order to be fair and effective
for Queens residents who take public
transportation regularly.
“In the end, the new bus plan must
increase the number of residents taking
buses, not drive people back to
driving, and we will demand practical
and common-sense revisions to the
draft plan. The MTA can start with a
revenue neutral approach system wide,
but in Queens and especially in areas
like northeast Queens where subways
and other transit options don’t exist,
there must be a significant net gain and
additional investments in bus service,
especially in light of impending congestion
pricing,” Liu said.
Earlier this month, residents also
complained about an element of the
MTA’s draft plan which proposed
cutting express bus service for many
Queens riders. In response to this,
officials including Liu, Councilmen
Paul Vallone and Barry Grodenchik,
Congress members Grace Meng and
Tom Suozzi and Assembly members
Nily Rozic and Ed Braunstein, urged
residents to sign a petition to the MTA
and Andy Byford.
The petition stated that thousands
of northeast Queens riders rely on the
QM2, QM3, QM6, QM20 and QM32
express buses to get to and from
Manhattan.
“Regardless of potential low ridership
levels at non-rush hour times,
residents of northeast Queens require
reliable express buses for their everyday
needs. Cutting service is denying
mobility to a part of the city that is in
great need of better options. This is
unacceptable,” stated the petition.
Vallone said that his office gets continuous
complaints from constituents
in northeast Queens who are concerned
with the proposal and “slashes
to express bus service.”
“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,” said Vallone. “I am pleased
to have worked with my fellow elected
officials to bring the MTA to the
neighborhood for a public workshop
with our northeast Queens residents,
who rely on our city’s bus network
every day and deserve a seat at the
table. I am hopeful for revisions to
this plan.”
Northeast Queens officials announced two additional bus redesign workshops for February
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