Bus routes in Queens have largely stayed the same since the 1940s. The MTA says that’s why it's scrapping that map and developing a new Queens bus network from scratch. But when the agency released its draft plan at the end of December, it was met with backlash from many of the borough’s bus riders who say the changes complicate their commutes.
At a public workshop hosted by the MTA in Far Rockaway on Wednesday night, people were invited to sit at tables in groups of ten or less, each with a transit planning facilitator to walk them through maps comparing the old bus network to the new proposals and to collect comment cards.
Many riders said they showed up to express their outrage at the proposal to get rid of the Q53 bus, which runs North-Side from Woodside down to the Rockaways. The MTA’s draft plan cuts the Q53 but keeps the Q52, which covers much of the same route but doesn’t extend as far north to include the 75th Street-Jackson Heights transit hub that connects to several subway and bus lines.
District Leader Lew Simon said he’s concerned about the impact on beach traffic to the Rockaways in the summer.
“If we take away the 53, that’s going to kill the businesses on the west end of the peninsula,” Simon said.
Jim Burke, a resident of Rockaway Park, said calling the Q52 a substitute for the 53 isn’t accurate, since it doesn’t reach Jackson Heights.
“Just to get to the Jackson Heights hub I’ll have to take three buses now,” said Burke. “That is insane."
Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato called the Q53 a “lifeline.”
“It’s our one seat to get to the other main hubs,” said Amato. “We all talk about taking cars off the road. Well, in this community, if you’re going to make it hard for us to commute, we’re in our cars.”
The assemblywoman, who represents the 23rd district, said she supported congestion pricing because she thought the extra funds might go toward outer borough buses.
“There’s no way I would’ve supported that if I knew I would be getting less,” Amato said. “So I feel very burned in that sense.”
Tabitha Decker, the Deputy Executive Director at TransitCenter, said any changes to the bus network are bound to cause concern, but this plan includes sound, basic principles for speeding up buses.
“In this proposal you see new connections to some of the airports, you see new connections within the borough that are really important,” said Decker. “You see them balancing out the locations of bus stops, trying to speed up rides.”
During the workshop, one man was quietly floating between stations, listening and scarcely speaking. Mark Holmes is the Chief Officer of Operations Planning for MTA Buses. In other words, he's in charge of this redesign.
“I grew up in Queens, riding buses,” Holmes told WNYC. “I know firsthand.”
Holmes said he understands that no matter what the final redesign plan looks like, some number of riders will undoubtedly be unhappy.
“We want to make sure we please most….of our customers and know that we are trying to do the right thing,” said Holmes.
When asked if the agency will rethink their initial plans to cut the Q53, based on what they’ve been hearing in these feedback sessions, Holmes replied: “In a short answer, no doubt.”
“We would have to go back to the drawing board on that, and a lot of other issues that we’ve heard raised by our riders,” he said.
The MTA is holding more workshops across Queens through mid-March. They expect to release a final version of the bus plan in late spring.
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