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QUEENS WEEKLY, JULY 21, 2019
Board 5 tells DOT to scrap Fresh Pond Road bus lane
Advisory body overturns committee recommendation after Ridgewood residents, biz owners protest
BY MAX PARROTT
After a contentious
debate premised on pitting
express bus service against
local business interests,
Community Board 5
voted overwhelmingly
on July 10 to recommend
rejection of a proposed
bus lane along Fresh Pond
Road from Metropolitan
Avenue to Putnam Avenue
in Ridgewood.
The plan put forth by
the city’s Department of
Transporation (DOT) is
aimed at reducing the
street’s overwhelming rush
hour congestion on one of
Ridgewood’s most busiest
commercial strips.
The Board 5
Transportation and Public
Transit Committees had
recommended supporting
the plan, but during
Wednesday’s meeting at
Middle Village’s Christ the
King High School, the full
board voted against it — a
rare rebuke, as committee
recommendations are
usually adopted by the
entire advisory body.
While both those
arguing for and against
the bus lane agreed that
the DOT was likely to move
forward with their plan
regardless of their advisory
vote, those who argued for it
wanted to tack on additional
recommendations like
retiming traffic lights that
are not currently a part of
the DOT’s proposal, and
those arguing against
the plan wanted to do
everything in their power
to stall it.
“People have to
understand it’s not going to
stop this from happening.
It’s already set in motion,
so there’s nothing that
we can say or do that’s
going to prevent Fresh
Pond from staying the
same,” said board member
unday, November 13th, 12 to 3 PM
Kathy Masi, who voted
against recommendation.
In lieu of the bus lane
proposal, the board passed
a different congestionrelated
motion based
primarily on the testimony
from Geoffrey Elkind,
president of the Ridgewood
Property Owners and Civic
Association. It proposed
retime the traffic lights,
limiting commercial
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delivery times and
consolidating bus stops.
Elkind delivered
a presentation that
formed the basis of the
recommendations that the
board passed after they
shooting down the bus lane.
Before he gave his
speech, he passed out a
six-page analysis of the
DOT’s proposal, which
recommended suspending
the DOT’s current plan until
other congestion-reduction
recommendations are put
into place, the same plan
that Councilman Robert
Holden advocated for in a
letter to DOT Commissioner
Polly Trottenberg that
he release prior to
the meeting.
Board 5 Public
Transit Committee
Chair John Maier fumed
after the committee
recommendation was
turned down.
“That vote was a
vote for the historic past
of do-nothingness and a
delay tactic. I live right
off that street and I see it
stopped from Metropolitan
to Putnam in non-stop
traffic. It can literally take
25 minutes to move,” said
Maier.
Both sides agreed that
congestion on Fresh Pond
Road has become intolerable
due to the merging of bus
and car traffic. The Q58,
which runs along the strip,
is the busiest bus line in the
borough – serving over an
estimated 30,000 people per
day. It’s also been reported
to be the slowest.
The proposed bus lane
proposal would increase
the average speed of the
road from 3 to 4 mph on
average, according to
Board 5 Chairperson
Vincent Arcuri.
Outside the inter-board
contention, the majority
of residents who attended
the meeting gave the
appearance of being against
the bus lane.
“It will hurt the
businessman on Fresh
Pond Road. We have various
empty stores there. They’re
empty not only because of
the economy but they are
going to be more empty
if we add the bus lane,”
said Andy Gouzoulis of
Krisch Realty.
Congestion along Fresh Pond Road in Ridgewood
Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
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