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QUEENS WEEKLY, MARCH 15, 2020
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
TRANSIT ADVOCATES GATHER IN JAMAICA TO BLAST
MTA’S REVENUE NEUTRAL APPROACH TO 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
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 lowincome
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.
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