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QUEENS WEEKLY, APRIL 28, 2019
Poll: Queens residents
support homeless shelters
Photo: Mark Hallum/QNS
BY BILL PARRY
A tectonic shift may
be underway on the way
Queens residents feel about
homeless shelters, if a new
poll released Tuesday is to
be believed.
In what is touted
as the first-ever poll
focused exclusively on
homelessness, the poll
reveals that 91 percent of
borough residents agree
that more needs to be done
to combat the homelessness
crisis and nine-in-10 believe
that shelter be provided to
all those who need it.
The new poll from Win,
formerly known as Women
in Need, and HarrisX shows
that more Queens residents
said they would support a
homeless shelter opening
in their own neighborhood
than those who said they
would not support it (46
percent to 40).
Win, New York’s
largest provider of
shelter and services to
homeless women and their
families, commissioned
the March poll.
HarrisX surveyed 1,002
adult New Yorkers from
every borough, including
more than 100 people
from Queens.
“Until now, we thought
there was a huge amount
of controversy around
solutions to the homeless
crisis,” Win President and
CEO Christine Quinn said.
“New Yorkers don’t agree
on much, but the poll shows
that New Yorkers believe we
should do more to solve the
problem of homelessness
and they are willing to
do their part, in their
own neighborhoods.”
Quinn, the former
speaker of the New York
City Council, added some
advice for her former
colleagues in government.
“Policy makers should
take note that their
constituents believe that
more should be done and
support a host of solutions
that the homeless services
community has been
advocating for.”
QNS reached out to City
Hall and the Department
of Homeless Services and
awaits a response.
Citywide, the poll
showed a majority of
New Yorkers, 59 percent,
would support a homeless
shelter opening in their
own neighborhood.
Reach reporter Bill
Parry by e-mail at
bparry@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4538.
‘Better Buses’ for two Queens strips
BY MARK HALLUM
Mayor Bill de Blasio set
forth initiatives across the
city along key corridors
which he says will not only
increase bus speeds, but
“complement” congestion
pricing with fewer cars
on the road.
As part of the Better
Buses Action Plan, released
on April 18, the mayor hopes
that by making redesigns
of streets to give priority
to public transit, speeds
will increase by 25 percent
by 2020.
“Making it easier to
get around our city means
New Yorkers have more
time for what matters
most – for their family
and themselves,” de Blasio
said. “These measures
are part of our OneNYC
strategy to build a fairer,
better city for all. They
complement congestion
pricing, helping us fix
our subways and reduce
traffic delays to get our
city moving.”
A s s emb l y woma n
Catherine Nolan applauded
the effort claiming the
planned changes to Fresh
Pond Road in Ridgewood
that will increase bus
speeds, improve stops
and make changes that
are within the scope of
Vision Zero.
A half-mile of Fresh
Pond Road between
Metropolitan and
Putnam Avenues will get
a southbound bus lane
after being identified as
one of the more sluggish
corridors in the city. The
bus lanes, according to
the plan, will be reserved
for buses and right-hand
turns, and would be in
effect “weekdays for part
of the day.”
“I have advocated for
better bus service and
proper management of
Fresh Pond Road buses for
many years. Fresh Pond
Depot is a very important
part of my district, an
economic generator and
a people mover, it allows
people the ability to travel
all over Brooklyn and
Queens from the Myrtle-
Wyckoff Avenues
and Fresh Pond hubs,”
said Nolan.
Photo: Edwin J. Torres/Mayoral Photography Office
The Q58, QM24, QM25
and QM34 — each of which
traverse Fresh Pond Road
— see a daily ridership
of about 30,000, the
administration said, and
average bus speeds are
5.9 miles per hour in the
morning hours and 3 miles
per hour in the evening.
Meanwhile, the 3.7-
mile stretch of Rockaway
Beach Boulevard between
Beach 116th and Beach
73rd Streets — which the
Mayor’s office says sees a
daily ridership of 36,000 —
will see redesigns.
These include
the implementation
of pedestrian safety
improvements at
intersections, sidewalks
installed at Beach 73rd
and Beach 67th Streets
bus stops for greater
accessibility as well as
offset and curbside bus
lanes at intervals along
the stretch.
Supporters of the
plan included long-time
opponent to congestion
pricing state Senator
Leroy Comrie claiming
it is a fair initiative
to both straphangers
and motorists.
“Improving mobility
in congested areas
throughout the five
boroughs will require
a well-crafted, multipronged
approach that
carefully considers
the needs of motorists,
pedestrians, transit riders,
folks who rely on alternative
modes of transportation,
and our business
community,” Comrie
said. “I am encouraged
by the administration’s
understanding of the fact
that issues like congestion
and slow bus speeds affect
communities outside the
Manhattan core.”
The plan will
also include the
implementation of bus
priority at intersections
and cameras on buses for
lane enforcement as the
mayor has championed in
the past.
“Every element of our
mass transit system must be
improved dramatically for
our city to achieve its full
potential. Buses are a vital
part of our transportation
infrastructure,” said State
Senator Michael Gianaris.
Further changes will be
made using feedback from
the public in consultation
with community boards,
elected officials and other
stakeholders, according to
the administration.
The full report for the
Better Bus Action Plan can
be seen at mta.info.
Reach reporter Mark
Hallum by e-mail at
mhallum@schnepsmedia.
com or by phone at (718)
260–4564.
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