6
QUEENS WEEKLY, FEBRUARY 2, 2020
QUEENS LAWMAKERS LAMENT ANDY
BYFORD’S DEPARTURE FROM MTA
BY BILL PARRY
When Assemblyman Michael
DenDekker began hearing fierce complaints
from his constituents in Jackson
Heights, East Elmhurst, Corona and Woodside
about the MTA’s plan to redesign the
Queens bus network he scheduled a feedback
meeting with the agency to give residents
an opportunity to discuss the proposals.
D
enDekker said representatives of the
MTA would be present at the meeting last
Wednesday including planners that would
be available to field questions and concerns
regarding the draft plan. NYC Transit
President Andy Byford showed up at the
public meeting and proceeded to handle
the angry crowd for nearly an hour-and-ahalf.
Byford resigned from the MTA Thursday
morning, after two years on the job.
State Senator Michael Gianaris took note
of his leadership style.
“Andy Byford’s resignation is a loss to
transit riders throughout New York,” Gianaris
said. “He was a consummate professional
who was poised to effectively use
additional resources secured for transit
by the state legislature. The next New York
City Transit President must be someone
who focused on increasing accessibility,
effectively using new revenue, and improving
service on our subways and buses.”
City Councilman Barry Grodenchik,
who signed on to a letter from the entire
Queens delegation to the City Council calling
for significant changes to the MTA’s
bus redesign proposals that was released
just hours before Byford’s resignation, also
hailed his leadership on Twitter.
“Sorry to see Mr. Byford leaving the
MTA,” Grodenchik said. “In my interactions
with him over the past two years, I
thought he had a passion and drive to improve
When Jackson Heights commuters were irate over the MTA’s plan to redesign the Queens bus network, Andy Byford showed up at a public
meeting to take the heat. Photo by Mark Hallum
mass transit services which he did.
He will be missed.”
State Senator Jessica Ramos, a 7 train
rider who campaigned on the need for improvement
to the mass transit system, took
note of Byford’s success. Only 58 percent of
the trains were on time the month he started,
but after a series of reforms, Byford
pushed the on-time rate past 80%.
“Andy Byford is a mobility visionary,”
Ramos said on Twitter. “When state leaders
were chugging along, Andy took the express
track to propose plans to transform
our outdated public transit into a worldclass
system. This is unfortunate.”
City Council Speaker Corey Johnson
called Byford’s resignation devastating.
“It is a really bad day for New York City
and the seven million people who take the
subways and buses every day. It’s a shame
and it’s unacceptable,” Johnson said. “I
think Andy is someone who has really
turned the system around in a short period
of time and the challenges remain,” such
as the Queens bus network redesign.
DenDekker announced on Twitter that
he had contacted MTA chairman Patrick
Foye and received his word that the agency
would follow through with a slate of public
workshops over the coming weeks to listen
to commuters concerns about the bus redesign
proposals.
“I have personally spoken to Chairman
Foye, who grew up in Jackson Heights,
and he has assured me we will continue
to work together on the Queens Bus Redesign
and its impact on Jackson Heights,
East Elmhurst, Corona and Woodside,”
DenDekker said.
ASTORIA TIMES ■ BAYSIDE TIMES
FLUSHING TIMES ■ FOREST HILLS LEDGER
FRESH MEADOWS TIMES
JACKSON HEIGHTS TIMES ■ JAMAICA TIMES
LAURELTON TIMES ■ LITTLE NECK LEDGER
QUEENS VILLAGE TIMES ■ RIDGEWOOD LEDGER
WHITESTONE TIMES
38-15 Bell Boulevard
Bayside, New York 11361
Advertising: (718) 260-4537
Classifieds: (718) 260-4590
Editorial: (718) 260-8303
www.QNS.com
PROUD MEMBER OF NEW YORK PRESS ASSOCIATION
BRIAN RICE
Publisher
ZACH GEWELB
Editor
RALPH D’ONOFRIO
V.P. of Advertising
ADVERTISING
Senior Account Executive:
Kathy Wenk
Account Executives:
David Strauss
Sherri Rossi
CLASSIFIED
Classified Director:
Celeste Alamin
Classified Sales
Manager:
Eugena Pechenaya
EDITORIAL STAFF
Reporters: Bill Parry, Angelica
Acevedo, Carlotta Mohamed, Jenna
Bagcal, Jacob Kaye
Max Parrott
Photographers: Nat Valentine,
Ellis Kaplan, Robert Cole
Copy Editors: Katrina Medoff
Contributing Writers/Columnists:
Tammy Scileppi, Robert Cole
ART & PRODUCTION
Production Manager: Deborah
Cusick
Art Director: Nirmal Singh
Layout: Zach Gewelb
/www.QNS.com
/www.QNS.com
