FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com february 12, 2015 • The Queens Courier 3 RadioShack set to close 12 Queens locations by March 31 BY CRISTABELLE TUMOLA AND LIAM LA GUERRE editorial@queenscourier.com/@QueensCourier RadioShack is tuning out nearly half its stores around the country in an effort to remain afloat, and many Queens residents could see their local stores closed within two months. The nearly century-year old electronics retailer, which has been suffering serious economic setbacks in recent years, filed for bankruptcy on Thursday and will close 1,784 of its approximately 4,000 stores across the country. In Queens, 12 of 28 total stores will be slashed. The stores will close in three waves, but Queens customers should expect the targeted locations to shut their doors only in the second and third phases, by March 31. General Wireless Inc., an affiliate of RadioShack’s leading shareholder Standard General L.P., will buy between 1,500 to 2,400 stores, the retailer said. General Wireless and cellphone carrier Sprint have formed a deal to establish mini-Sprint stores in up to 1,750 of these purchased locations. Here is a list of Queens locations slated for closure during the second wave of cuts, by Feb. 28: 1. Floral Park; 250-36 Jericho Tpke. 2. Jamaica; 175-51 Hillside Ave. 3. Flushing; 13346 Whitestone Expwy. 4. Kew Gardens; 8515 126th St. 5. Rego Park; 96-50 Queens Blvd. 6. East Elmhurst; 75-43 31st Ave. Below is a list of Queens branches that are set to close in the final wave, by March 31: 7. Woodhaven; 92-11 Jamaica Ave. 8. Elmhurst; 8923 Queens Blvd. 9. Queens Village; 219-13 Jamaica Ave. 10. Ozone Park; 102-44 Atlantic Ave. 11. Bayside; 39-07 Bell Blvd. 12. Jackson Heights; 37-52 82nd St. City plans to launch express bus service between Flushing and Jamaica this year BY ERI C JANKIE WICZ ejankiewicz@queenscourier.com/@EricJankiewicz A planned express bus service that will run between Flushing and Jamaica is set to launch this year, according to city officials, who have included some measures to appease several communities that resisted the idea of designating lanes for buses only. “Flushing and Jamaica are two of our key commercial centers, but traveling between them by subway means going in towards Manhattan and doubling back – and forget making the trip from the Bronx on the subway,” said Polly Trottenberg, commissioner of the Department of Transportation (DOT). “There are many destinations along this route not served by the subway system, such as Queens College and other key locations in the Bronx.” During a City Council hearing on the citywide expansion of express buses, also called Select Bus Service, Trottenberg laid out a timeline to create a bus line that would connect the downtown areas of Flushing and Jamaica. She also said that in areas between the two destinations, bus-only lanes wouldn’t be created, respecting the wishes of many community members in areas like Kew Gardens Hills. But Mike Sidell, a Kew Gardens Hills resident and community activist, remains skeptical because Trottenberg did not specify which communities would be spared the bus lane. “We should hold them to the fire and get them to name all of the communities that won’t have the busonly lanes,” Sidell said. “It looks like they’re giving us lip service, but it worries me that Trottenberg didn’t specifically name Kew Gardens Hills.” Exclusive bus lanes are a common element of express bus lines, but residents in communities that live between Flushing and Jamaica resisted this idea because they feared it would create traffic back-ups by squeezing all the other traffic into only one lane. The city appears to have responded to these residents Flushing serves as a major transportation hub, with throngs of people transferring between buses and trains. by suggesting that bus-only lanes will be limited to areas where they are most needed, like the congested downtown Flushing area. “Downtown Flushing and Jamaica are very different than places in between those neighborhoods,” Trottenberg said. “We’re going to have a long period of community engagement.” The city plans to transform the Q44 into a Select Bus Service that will cut travel time, much like those that have already been created in Manhattan and Staten Island. Plans for the Q44, which runs mainly along THE COURIER/Photo by Eric Jankiewicz Main Street, include off-board fare collection, traffic lights that will stay green for buses and general infrastructure upgrades. The City Council hearing was held for testimony over a proposed bill that would require the DOT to develop a network of express buses that would stretch across the city and connect neighborhoods that have limited or no access to subways. The DOT already initiated express bus service plans on several routes, including Woodhaven Boulevard. And the hearing came soon after Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed for the expansion of express buses in his State of the City address.
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