WWW.QNS.COM RIDGEWOOD TIMES JANUARY 23, 2020 13
Improve transit in NE Queens, don’t make it worse
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BY THOMAS SUOZZI
No r t he a s t
Queens is
already a
transit desert!
Now, the New York
City Transit Authority’s
recently
proposed Queens
Bus Network
Redesign plan
threatens to eliminate
the only oasis in that desert.
This wrong-headed proposal of
the MTA’s New York City Transit
Authority eliminates express buses
during non-peak hours, sets bus
stops farther apart, and consolidates
or even eliminates some routes. These
changes would impact mid-day and
late evening service on some routes
and weekend service on other routes.
For example, the QM6, which runs
from the North Shore Towers in
Glen Oaks to Midtown Manhattan,
would become the QMT167, running
only every 20-30 minutes during
morning and evening rush hours on
weekdays — no buses from 9 a.m. to 4
p.m., no weekends. Additionally, the
plan includes the total elimination
of the Q36, which runs to and from
the Little Neck LIRR station through
Glen Oaks, Floral Park, Bellerose, and
Queens Village, impacting thousands
of residents...no way!
In northeast Queens, there is no
subway access and limited public
transportation options for those who
do not drive to get to work, doctors
appointments, etc. These proposed
changes would greatly alter the day-today
lives of thousands of residents.
Congestion pricing was sold by the
MTA to the residents of northeast
Queens as a way to generate revenue
for improved public transit. The New
York City Transit Authority must
use congestion pricing revenues to
improve service to this area and not
reduce it.
These proposed changes have become
a rallying cry for all in northeast
Queens and on Friday, every elected
official in northeast Queens came
together for a joint press conference
to demand community workshops and
meetings so that the concerns of the
residents can be heard.
First and foremost, the Transit
Authority must hold multiple community
bus redesign workshops in
Le Havre, Bay Terrace, North Shore
Towers, and Glen Oaks, in addition to
the ones already proposed in Bayside
and Bellerose.
Secondly, the elected offi cials in
northeast Queens, who are united in
this eff ort, are seeking signatures on
a petition which will allow residents
to voice their concerns over pending
changes to existing bus routes and
will demonstrate the widespread dissatisfaction
with the proposed bus
redesign plan.
Lastly, while I have already registered
my concerns in a phone call with
the President of the New York City
Transit Authority, Andrew Byford.
We must continue to make these concerns,
of both the elected offi cials and
residents, well known to Mr. Byford
and the entire New York City Transit
Authority and MTA leadership.
I applaud each of the elected offi
cials; Congresswoman Grace Meng,
Senator John Liu, Senator Leroy
Comrie, Assemblyman Ed Braunstein,
Assemblywoman Nily Rozic,
Council Member Barry Grodenchik,
and Council Member Paul Vallone for
coming together for the needs of our
constituents.
With all the turmoil and distractions
in Washington, DC, it is essential
that we, as elected offi cials, remain
laser-focused on the day-to-day issues
that impact the residents that
we represent. I will continue to work
with my colleagues, solicit input from
my constituents, and stay in constant
communication with the MTA and the
Transit Authority until our concerns
are satisfi ed. Working together, we
can improve mass transit in Northeast
Queens, and not harm it.
Congressman Thomas Suozzi represents
the Third Congressional District
in New York.
/residents...no
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