4 OCTOBER 26, 2017 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Q58 line between Ridgewood & Flushing
could become a ‘Select Bus’
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
RPOZARYCKI@RIDGEWOODTIMES.COM
@ROBBPOZ
For years, the Q58 bus line between
Ridgewood and Flushing
has been deemed Queens’ slowest
bus line. Even the introduction of limited
stop service hasn’t made much of an
impact with regards to wait times and
speed.
But things could change very soon
for commuters who rely on the Q58 to
get around, as the route is one of eight
bus lines in Queens now under consideration
for Select Bus Service (SBS),
according to an announcement Mayor
Bill de Blasio made on Oct. 20.
De Blasio introduced “Bus Forward,”
a plan involving the city’s Department
of Transportation (DOT) and the MTA
to expand SBS to 21 diff erent bus corridors
across the fi ve boroughs over the
next 10 years. SBS – a bus rapid transit
system that involves dedicated bus lanes,
off -board fare payment and elongated
buses designed to move more riders,
more quickly to their destinations – is in
place on the Q44 route between Jamaica
and the Bronx, and will be launched on
the Q52 and Q53 lines between the Rockaways
and western Queens in November.
“Bus riders deserve faster, more reliable
service – and the growing number
of riders on SBS buses has found that
they are getting to work on-time, and
getting home to family faster,” de Blasio
said. “With even more Select Bus Service
routes coming on-line in the years ahead
and a commitment to bring SBS-style
treatments to other routes, more communities
in every borough will see their
bus service improve.”
The city says that SBS ridership has
dramatically increased as new SBS
routes were introduced over the last four
years. Travel times have “improved by
as much as 30 percent,” according to the
Mayor’s Offi ce; while 12 percent of all bus
rides are on an SBS route, that number
will increase to 30 percent with the full
implementation of the Bus Forward plan.
The Bus Forward plan identifi ed eight
new SBS routes in Queens, including a
line between Ridgewood and Flushing.
That would likely involve converting the
Q58 route, which operates between both
neighborhoods, into an SBS line. The Q58
primarily winds its way along Fresh
Pond Road, Grand Avenue, Broadway,
Corona Avenue, 108th Street, the Horace
Harding Expressway and College Point
Boulevard.
Over the last decade, the nonprofi t
Straphangers Campaign has repeatedly
given the Q58 line its “Pokey Award” for
being the slowest bus route in Queens. According
to a 2015 report, the Q58 checked
in at an average speed of just 7 mph.
Additionally, de Blasio said that the
city and MTA would work together to
fi nd other ways to improve bus service
along lines that are notoriously slow and
unreliable. They will consider using
various tools to speed things up such
as dedicated bus lanes, transit signal
priority, improved bus stop spacing and
off -board fare collection.
Transit advocates expressed their optimism
that the Bus Forward plan would
dramatically improve service and draw
riders back to their local bus routes.
“Buses are notoriously slow and unreliable,
and the consequences are severe:
when we surveyed bus riders this summer,
we heard from people who missed
work, lost wages and sometimes even
lost jobs because of poor bus service,”
said John Raskin, executive director
of the Riders Alliance. “But Select Bus
Service works: riders know it from
experience and the data shows it’s true.
It’s time to apply lessons from the successful
Select Bus Service experiment
to the rest of the city.”
“The DOT’s new Bus Forward plan
shows a real commitment to improving
bus service for over 2 million daily
riders,” said Nick Sifuentes, executive
director of the Tri-State Transportation
Campaign. “We’re glad to see the mayor
and the DOT committing to additional
Select Bus Service routes — but we’re
most excited to see the expansion of SBS
treatments like bus lanes and transit
signal priority to local bus routes.”
RIDGEWOOD TIMES/File photo
Ridgewood Property Owners
& Civic Association
General Membership Meeting
Thursday, November 2nd 2017 at 7:00 pm
Ridgewood Presbyterian Church
59-14 70 Ave1/4 block East of Forest Avenue Entrance from side parking lot – no steps
“Conversation
with a Mayoral Candidate”
Spend some time with
Assemblywoman Nicole Malliotakis
Help cut the cake and
celebrate RPOCA’s 86th Anniversary
Catered sandwiches & salads by Frank’s Deli (Maspeth) @ 6:45 pm
Anniversary cake and coffee will be served
Courtesy of Kerzner Realty, Inc.
Ridgewood Property owners are always welcome to submit a membership application,
subject to RPOCA Board approval.
For information contact: Paul Kerzner, President - 718 381 3366
