FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.queenscourier.com april 23, 2015 • The Queens Courier 3 MAIN STREET BUS LANE PLAN IN KEW GARDENS HILLS SCRAPPED Photo courtesy of Councilman Rory Lancman’s office Nick Cannon greeted the crowd of children at the hospital on March 16 and told them how inspired he was by each and every one of them. by ROBER T POZARY CKI rpozarycki@queenscourier.com/@robbpoz Facing community and political opposition, the MTA and the city Department of Transportation slammed the brakes on a proposed dedicated bus lane for the limited Q44 bus line on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills. The news came during the April 15 meeting of the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association. The MTA planned to take one lane in each direction of Main Street to convert the Q44 between Flushing and Jamaica into a Select Bus Service (SBS) route. Civic leaders and elected officials protested the plans previously, claiming the lost lane of traffic would increase vehicular traffic on Main Street while also depriving both residents and shoppers of valued parking space. “A dedicated bus-only lane in Kew Gardens Hills was always the wrong choice for our community,” Councilman Rory Lancman said in a press release on April 16. “The proposed bus-only lane would have increased congestion, reduced parking spaces, hurt businesses and diverted cars onto residential streets.” Lancman, along with Rep. Grace Meng, Assemblyman Michael Simanowitz and state Senators Joseph Addabbo and Toby Ann Stavisky, praised the MTA and DOT for hearing concerns about the bus lane and ultimately nixing the plan. According to Lancman, the DOT and MTA will seek other methods to improve traffic flow on Main Street in Kew Gardens Hills, including potential street reconfiguration, off-board fare collection and re-synchronizing traffic lights. A source familiar with the plan indicated a bus-only lane is most likely for areas of Main Street north of the Long Island Expressway. However, it is not likely a bus lane would be created on Main Street south of Kew Gardens Hills due to a lack of street space. Study aims to improve northeast Queens buses by ALIN A SURIE L asuriel@queenscourier.com @alinangelica Major changes could soon be underway for mass transit users in northeast Queens. In their most recent meeting last week, Community Board 11 members updated the community with news of a $500,000 allocation in state funds to study bus service restoration in northeast Queens. The funding was secured by state Senator Tony Avella during negotiations before the state budget was passed on March 31. As part of the deal, the MTA is now required to immediately begin a yearlong study on ways to improve bus service and examine the effects of budget cuts implemented in the last five years. As part of the study, the MTA is also required to seek public input. Representatives of the transportation agency have already been meeting with community boards in affected areas to facilitate the dialogue and present the preliminary results of an assessment study on northeast Queens bus service which is slated to be finished in May. Chris Petallides, co-chair of Community Board 11 Transportation Committee, said that although the board did submit a wish list of needs and particular concerns, how to ultimately streamline and improve bus service is a decision that rests with the MTA. “Not that I want to downplay our input, but we are not experts in this,” Petallides said. “The best we can do is give them our personal experiences about delays, specific lines.” Workshops have also been held to assess public opinion on what services are needed for bus riders in northeast Queens. Issues raised at these meetings included requests for more routes, requests for later service on existing routes, and complaints of drivers not stopping to pick up customers because buses are crowded, among other concerns. In a released statement, Avella underscored the lack of transportation options faced by his constituents. “Northeast Queens, and specifically the 11th Senatorial District, has always been underserved in terms of bus service and mass transportation options,” said Avella. “That is why it is vitally important for the MTA to do this study and thoroughly examine the feasibility of extending or rerouting existing bus routes in these neighborhoods.” File photo The Q13 is one of the bus lines serving northeast Queens. Councilman Rory Lancman is pictured addressing the Kew Gardens Hills Civic Association meeting Wednesday night.
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