FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com february 6, 2014 • The Courier SUN 23 MTA to reduce Q54 service BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com While the MTA has planned fare increases for 2015, the agency will decrease service for the Q54. The bus, which travels on Metropolitan Avenue through train-scarce Middle Village and Ridgewood, connects EXCLUSIVE Bike lane vote set BY LIAM LA GUERE lguerre@queenscourier.com The ongoing plans to add new bike lanes to Community Board 5 (CB 5) seem to be rolling along smoothly. CB 5’s Transportation Committee voted unanimously on January 28 to recommend proposed lanes in Ridgewood and Glendale, which could be implemented as early as this summer. The proposal, which includes lanes in the Department of City Planning’s phase one plan, will now hinge on a full board vote at the CB 5 meeting on February 12. If the board approves the new bike paths, City Planning will begin introducing the lanes this summer. The agency will also continue to evaluate phase two, which would eventually add more bike paths and connect routes in Maspeth and Middle Village. Phase one connects the bike lanes to the Brooklyn network of paths. One set flows parallel on Woodward and Onderdonk Avenues from Flushing Avenue to Cooper Avenue. Another set runs on Harman and Himrod streets from Evergreen Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue. Phase two contains an expansive network of lanes throughout the rest of CB 5. However, residents have complained about a proposed lane on Elliot Street through Mount Olivet Cemetery between 67th Street and Mount Olivet Crescent, saying the two-way street is so narrow it is already dangerous enough for car traffic. riders to transit hubs in downtown Jamaica on one end, and Williamsburg, Brooklyn on the other. During weekday “PM peak” hours -- from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. -- the Q54 will now run every six minutes and 30 seconds, instead of every five minutes, according to notes from the MTA’s January Transit & Bus Committee Meeting. And during the evening schedule, which follows “PM peak” hours, the Q54 will run every 20 minutes instead of every 15. The planned cuts didn’t sit well with riders. “It’s slow as it is. I don’t think they send enough (buses). When I get off the train there are a lot of people that wait with me,” said Middle Village resident Jeanette Marmol, who takes the bus to connect to the M train when commuting to work in Manhattan. “That doesn’t make sense. This is a really long route. Why would they slow it down?” In April, 49 buses citywide— eight in Queens-- will see changes, which will account for a slight increase in overall service, Kevin Ortiz, an MTA spokesperson said. Of the eight Queens buses that will be impacted, the Q54 is the only one that will see an overall reduction. The MTA plans to add a one-minute speed increase between buses during the Q54’s “AM peak” hours of 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. “These changes are made to provide the most efficient and effective service possible and reflect changes in ridership patterns,” Ortiz said. THE COURIER/Photo by Liam La Guerre The MTA plans to reduce service to the Q54, which serves as the branch to train stations for many residents. st of the 2013 THE QUEENS QueensCourier.com Place Douglaston/Little Neck Library Art Gallery Exhibit Opening Photo: Ron Wan The latest exhibit at the Douglaston / Little Neck Library’s Art Gallery opened on January 31st. Organized by the Library’s Friends’ group, the exhibit features paintings by the new local artist-in-residence Olga Salamanca (pictured). Ms. Salamanca, whose beautiful mixed media are on display from January 31st through April 30th, also spoke about her development as an artist at the opening’s reception. The Friends of the Douglaston/Little Neck Library have organized exhibits by local artists since the Art Gallery’s establishment in 2013. The Friends of the Queens Library are unpaid, volunteer community advocates for the Queens Library. To join an existing Friends’ group or start your own, contact your local Community Library Manager or the Director of Government and Community Relations at (718) 990-8585, Fax: (718) 291-2695, Email: jmanley@queenslibrary.org. Advertorial
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