jaf0519

The Bx23 is already a loop though.

I agree with you on most of these, as I use these routes now or in the past on a regular basis. My thoughts on: QT11 (108th St segment): I would have this route operate as the MTA has planned, but terminate at the Forest Hills-71 Ave station. 108 St is not a transit priority corridor and always has traffic. I don’t believe a route should serve both sides of Forest Hills like the Q23, especially because turnover is so high at the subway station. I would reduce it to every 10 minutes on weekdays, instead of every 8 minutes, and would not have any overnight service. QT11 (Union Tpke segment): If this was a route just between Kew Gardens station and Fresh Meadows, I would be happy. The division of the Q46 into the QT11 and QT32 is excellent. As a commuter now to St. John’s, but also someone who takes the Q46 frequently enough from west of St. John’s to Lake Success, this split is needed. While the Union Tpke section of the QT11 needs more service, the concept of separating the St. John’s ridership from the eastern Union Tpke ridership is great. No more having to let several buses pass by because there is no room, knowing that once they pass St. John’s there will be so much room on board. QT14 (Lefferts Blvd segment/Q10): Operate from Kew Gardens to Lefferts Blvd Airtrain station. QT14 (Jewel Ave segment/Q64): Should follow the exact Q64 routing, but only stop at 164 St, Parsons, Kissena, 150 St, and Main St before getting to the subway. I would categorize this as one of the purple routes. The headway’s the MTA proposed for the QT14 would be fine for this. QT86: While is dislike the MTA’s reduction of service on this route, I do agree with the treatment it has received, basically as a coverage route, compared to the current Q20 just being a local version of the Q44. I took the Q20 as part of my commute to high school at Molloy everyday. While in this plan only the Q44 would service it, I don’t see that as a problem. The Q20 was utilized much less than the Q44 especially south of Union Tpke, and my own classmates would almost always wait for a Q44, even if the wait was 10 minutes longer. Simply because it was “faster”. Also by removing the bus from Jamaica, it will be more reliable than it is currently. I agree that the frequencies should be higher on weekdays, and think the AM and PM rush should be every 12 minutes, as i feel that the current ~7 minute headway is too much, plus the bus won’t need as much service to serve Forest Hills and Glendale, compared to Jamaica. QT87: Since I don’t want the QT11 to serve Forest Hills south of Queens Blvd, the QT87 still will. While i would prefer a routing that avoids 69 Ave and Burns St, if needed would would reroute the QT87 to run down 108 St from 69 Rd/Jewel Ave to serve the subway, then take the main roadway of Queens Blvd and turn onto Yellowstone Blvd to get over to Burns St, avoiding Austin St. As for the rest of the route, its a little complicated. I disagree with you on the portion between Main St and the subway, as I feel that it should cover the Q64 west of Main St. Every 18 minutes during the rush isn’t enough, and neither is every 30 minutes off peak, so for that section, i would have a QT89 also operate. As the QT87 would be my home route now, the 9 minute rush hour headway west from Fresh Meadows to the subway would be too much along 73 Ave from Main St to 188 St. If the QT87 is rerouted along Horace Harding between 188 St and Springfield Blvd, as a Green local route, it wouldn’t serve the expressway well since it would only be stopping at 188 St, Francis Lewis, Oceania, Bell, and Springfield. NEW QT89: Operate the same hours as the QT87. Both the QT87 and QT89 will be every 18 minutes during the rush and 30 minutes off peak. Follows the current Q64 from Forest Hills to Main St, where it would take over the old Q74 route to Queens College. That way Jewel Ave west of Main St would have service every 9 minutes during the rush and 15 minutes off peak. It would stop at Forest Hills , 110 St, Park Dr East, 138 St, Main St, Melbourne Ave, Reeves Ave, Horace Harding/Main St, Kissena Blvd/HHE, and terminate at Queens College. On the way back to Main St it would stop at Melbourne Ave/150 St.

The QT87 follows the lower ridership portion of the Q23 for that exact reason. The entire route connects lower ridership areas, Little Neck on the Q36, the Q30 east of Springfield Blvd, as well as 73 Ave. Because the MTA wants buses to avoid narrow streets they have it avoiding the current streets the Q23 uses like Austin St, Burns St, and 69 Ave. People would be expected to walk to either the QT86 or QT87 from 69 Ave, or just walk to Queens Blvd. The MTA would probably have routed the QT87 straight down 71 Ave to Metropolitan, but chose Ascan Ave instead as the buses cannot pass under the LIRR trestle. They specifically don’t have the QT87 making stops in Forest Hills Gardens, so it was clearly not for ridership purposes. I hope the MTA and neighborhood can work out an agreement to let the buses just drive through, as it would make a much quicker trip from Queens Blvd to Union Tpke than via the current Q23, and would only be around 3 buses an hour in each direction at most, due to the 18 min peak and 30-60 min off-peak headways.

At least the redesign plan has the QT45 which replaces the Q111 as basically an express from Guy R. Brewer/Farmers Blvds to Jamaica. It would only stop at Baisley Blvd and Linden Blvd between Farmers Blvd and Jamaica Center, compared to today’s Q114 with 3 additional stops at 137 Ave, Foch Blvd, and 109 Ave.

I believe after the Fall 2019 schedule changes. It was detoured until further notice due to the frequent flooding on Brookville Blvd, and will most likely not be reinstated, as the Queens Redesign plan doesn’t have service operating via Brookville Blvd.

The only SBS lines in Queens will be the M60, QT44, QT52, and QT70. The QT1-7, QT13, and QT50 will all be limited stop routes. The prurple routes will act as the kind of as the Inter-County express buses act in Westchester, taking people from a neighborhood to a high demand destination like the subway. Both the green and red routes are local, with the red being more major corridors with high frequency and slightly further stop spacing, and green being more infrequent with more stops. SBS will most likely be phased out by the time OMNY is fully implemented, since OMNY should be quicker than the Metrocard is now, combined with all door boarding, even though i disagree with that part of the plan.

Ran under MTA Long Island Bus. Followed the N16 from Hempstead to Rockville Centre, the N4 to Hook Creek Blvd, and then headed down Hook Creek to Conduit Ave, then to the airport. It was the N91 and it ran every 60 minutes daily except rush hours were it was every 50 minutes in the morning and every 55 minutes in the afternoon.

It was a mix of low ridership, mismanagement, and budget shortfalls. N2/N8 Floral Park Loops Both eliminated due to low ridership N2 eventually brought back as the Elmont Flexi (Weekday rush hours only instead of Weekdays and Saturdays only) N14 Rockville Centre Loop Elminated due to low ridership Brought back as Rockville Centre Community Shuttle at same frequency with minibuses Ridership was lower than before and service was every 20 min b/c of the LIRR, too frequent based on ridership Eliminated again N17 Hempstead-Rockville Centre Eliminated due to low ridership Brought back as Mercy Medical Community Shuttle, runs every 40-45 min, rush hours only, compared to previous weekdays only service every 50-180 minutes N22A Roosevelt Field-Jamaica Eliminated due to low ridership Most of route duplicated by N22 and N27 N36 Freeport-Lynbrook Eliminated due to low ridership Alternative is the N4 N41 Mineola-Freeport Merged into N40; destination now says n40/41 Replaced by rerouted N43 N45 Roosevelt Field-Bellmore Eliminated due to low ridership N46 Hempstead-Bellmore Eliminated due to low ridership Alternative was N47 N47 Hempstead-North Bellmore Loop Eliminated due to low ridership N48 Jericho Quad Shuttle Eliminated due to low ridership N50 Hicksville-Bellmore Eliminated due to low ridership N51 Roosevelt Field-Merrick Eliminated due to low ridership Brough back during weekday middays only every 90 minutes Eliminated again N62 South Freeport Loop Eliminated due to low ridership Brought back as Freeport Community Shuttle, ran every 30 minutes compared to previous 60 minutes, too frequent for returning ridership levels Eliminated again N72 Hempstead-Babylon Service east of Route 110 in Suffolk County eliminated, NICE is responsible for Nassau Route number still used for N70 short turns, route is not different than the N70 from Hempstead to Rout 110 N73/N74 Hicksville-Wantagh Eliminated due to low ridership N73 brought back as Hicksville Wantagh Community Shuttle, ran every 30 minutes during rush hours compared to every 80 min previously (40 min combined N73 and N74), too frequent based on returning ridership Eliminated again N80/N81 Hicksville-Sunrise Mall Eliminated due to low ridership Both brought back with same schedule Eliminated again due to low ridership N80 brought back as Hicksville-Sunrise Mall Community Shuttle every 60 minutes, rush hours only Sunrise Mall Community Shuttle had greatly reduced running time compared to previous N80, buses couldn’t keep schedule Shuttle replaced by reinstated N80 with 80 min headway’s and original runtime in order to only use 1 bus Timeline: January 17th, 2016: N2, N8, N14, N17, N20L, N46, N50, N51, N62, N73, N74, N80, N81 eliminated June 26th, 2016: N14, N17, N80, N81 brought back September 6th, 2016: N2, N51, N62, N73 brought back April 9th, 2017: N14, N22A, N36, N45, N47, N51, N62, N72, N73, N81 eliminated; N19 and N57 saved from eliminated by last minute funding; N19, N21, N27, N33, N70, N71, N72 saw great reductions in service hours

I don’t live in this part of Northeastern Queens, but i could probably guess what the MTA was thinking with the QT48, QT49, and QT51 being rush hours only. QT48 (Flushing-Fort Totten via Willets Point Blvd) riders already have either infrequent or limited service today with the Q34 being weekdays only and the Q16 being every 30 to 60 minutes during middays on weekdays and weekends respectively on the Willets Point Blvd branch, along with the Q16 having the 4th lowest ridership of all NYCT Buses in Queens. The MTA probably figures that most riders would take either the QT81, QT84, or QT85 to Flushing, or either the QT64 or QT65 to the QT17. QT49 (Flushing-Beechurst via Utopia Pkwy) riders, while they would lose out of any service on Crocheron outside of the rush, Crocheron Ave is walking distance to Northern Blvd and the QT17, as well as Utopia Pkwy being currently covered by one of the Q16’s lower ridership branches. The only people who really lose out are those living in Beechurst near the Q15/Q15A terminal now, as they would have to take the QT65 and transfer or walk to the QT16 at Clintonville St. QT51 (Flushing-Bay Terrace via Crocheron Ave) riders would still be within walking distance to Northern Blvd and the QT85 on Corporal Kennedy St. 35 Ave actually gains service between Francis Lewis Blvd and Corporal Kennedy now. Aside from these routes, I can actually see mysel using the QT65 more than i currently use the Q65. While i wont be able to catch the in Flushing under the redesign, I avoid Flushing now anyway, and i would now be able to take the QT65 straight to the Broadway LIRR as opposed to walking up from 45 Ave. The only thing i would add would be a QT57 from Electchester (164 St/Jewel Ave) that would be a rush hours only purple zone express up 164 St and would follow the QT30 and QT31 to Flushing. Give the QT57 15-20 minute frequency during the rush, and cut the QT65 to every 20 minutes during the rush except for every 10 minutes between Jamaica (165 St Terminal) and Queens General Hospital), since patronage would not remain the same as Flushing bound riders would take a different route. Overall, the plan has mostly good ideas, aside from some of the frequencies being a bit lacking, but when there are bad ideas, they are quite terrible.

How does this have any impact on the bus redesign?

They just did that for simplicity on the map. On the Remix site it shows the QT10 on 82 St and 92 St, as well as 83 St and 90 St in the opposite directions. Simplicity is also why on the full Queens local map the QT10 is shown to end at the Queens Center Mall/Woodhaven Blvd area with the QT12, when 1) it doesn’t even stop there, 2) it ends in Rego Park by the QT72

That’s only for the N33

Also, extending the Bx23 to Flushing just gets you the pre-2010 QBx1, minus a few peak service patterns, which they split for a reason.

Nowhere is it mentioned that the Q50 is becoming a SBS route.

I agree with that. I just find it strange that the MTA listed some streets in the draft plan that operators felt were to narrow to operate on, mostly streets on the Q18, Q47, and Q67, yet ignored others like Penelope Ave. I guess just because there aren’t too many other ways a bus could reach Woodhaven and 63 Dr from that area.

You still run into the problem of the streets being too narrow to the point that operators don’t want the new network to include them. Aside from 80 St, Grand Ave, and Woodside Ave, all the streets for your restructured Q47 are narrow, along with Dry Harbor Rd on the current Q29.

While I am probably one of the few people who likes almost all of the changes in my neighborhood, one thing that I am really glad the MTA did is differentiate the route numbers for local and limited service. Currently routes like the Q65 that have both local and limited service always have people at local stops waving at the limited bus that drives by, thinking its supposed to stop at their stop. Now the number is completely different. People won’t be getting on the QT3 looking for a local stop on Metropolitan because they didn’t notice the word LIMITED flash by after the destination.

I have a feeling even with all this backlash, the area around Maspeth and near Grand Ave will still not get what they want. I would guess that the final plan would still have no service along 65 Pl or Calamus Ave, as on page 48 of the draft plan, streets were listed that bus operators recommend that routes avoid, including 65 Pl, Calamus Ave, Jay Ave, and 53 Dr, all in the Maspeth area.

I had not looked over the plan in detail previously, but here is what I think after reviewing it thoroughly: Overall there are more routes I like than dislike, with most of the issues coming down to either not enough service, frequency wise or span wise, or too much service during late night hours. There are however several route that have glaring issues that frequency cannot change. Frequency change: QT3 Jamaica-Williamsburg via Metropolitan Ave Should not have late night service QT6 Flushing-Ridgewood via Horace Harding Expwy/Grand Ave Should not have late night service QT7 Cambria Heights-Spring Creek via Linden Blvd Should not have late night service on weekdays, as it only runs 19 hours on Saturday and Sundays QT14 Electchester-JFK Airport via Jewel Ave/Lefferts Blvd Should have higher frequency between Electhester and Forest Hills with short turns QT22 Rockaway Park-Cedarhurst via Rockaway Beach Blvd/Beach Channel Dr Should either be extended to JFK Depot Or Cedarhurst LIRR; Burnside/Rockaway is not a great terminal spot QT24 Jamaica-Bushwick via Atlantic Ave/Broadway Should not go past Broadway Junction QT62 Cedarhurst-East New York via Rockaway Blvd Should be truncated to JFK Depot or extended to Cedarhurst LIRR; Burnside/Rockaway is not a great terminal spot Needs a change in frequency or service span: QT35 Rockaway Park-Brooklyn College via Rockaway Beach Blvd/Flatbush Ave (better frequency) QT38 Jamaica-Queens Village via Hillside/Hollis Aves (longer hours) QT39 Jamaica-Cambria Heights via Hillside/Murdock Ave (24/7 as coverage between Hollis and Linden) QT40 Jamaica-Cambria Heights via Merrick/Linden Blvds (longer span) QT42 Jamaica-Green Acres Mall via Merrick Blvd (longer span) QT43 Jamaica-Rosedale via Guy R. Brewer Blvd/Bedell St (longer span) QT51 Flushing-Bay Terrace via Crocheron Ave/Bell Blvd (Weekdays only at a minimum, not just peak direction) QT54 Jamaica-Williamsburg via Hillside/Metropolitan Aves (24/7, 60 min late nights) QT55 Jamaica-Ridgewood via Jamaica/Myrtle Aves (60 min late nights) QT56 Jamaica-Broadway Junction via Jamaica Ave (60 min late nights) QT58 Flushing-Ridgewood via Corona/Grand Aves (24/7) QT61 East Elmhurst-Columbus Circle via 23/Roosevelt Aves (longer span) QT68 Jamaica-JFK Airport via Liberty Ave/Farmers Blvd (60 min late nights) QT69 Jackson Heights-Hunters Point via Ditmars Blvd/21 St (longer span) QT77 Elmhurst-Long Island City via Eliot Ave/21 St (longer span) QT78 Middle Village-Roosevelt Island via 36 Ave/69 St (60 min late nights) QT80 Astoria-Ridgewood via 30 Ave/58 St (longer span and more frequent during weekdays) QT81 Astoria-Whitestone via Astoria Blvd/150 St (longer span) QT82 Glendale-East Elmhurst via 80/National Sts (longer span and more frequency on weekdays) QT83 Elmhurst-Howard Beach via Woodhaven/Cross Bay Blvds (24/7, 60 min late nights; more frequent overall) QT84 Flushing-Bayside via 20 Ave/Francis Lewis Blvd (longer span) QT86 College Point-Glendale via Main St/Yellowstone Blvd (24/7 to Kew Gardens (60 min); more freuquent overall) QT87 Little Neck-Forest Hills via 73/Jewel Aves (weekday rush more frequent) Bad: QT44 SBS Jamaica-Fordham via Main St/Cross Bronx Expwy Should be 24/7 QT50 Pelham Bay-LaGuardia Airport via Buckner Blvd/Roosevelt Ave Bronx should have an airport route, but not the Q50. Something from the West Bronx, over the RFK Bridge. Contradicts the Bronx proposal which maintained rush hour service to Co-op City. Should be left as a Flushing-Pelham Bay/Co-op CIty route QT52 SBS Elmhurst-Arverne via Woodhaven/Cross Bay Blvds If one had to be eliminated, the Q52 should have been eliminated and the Q53 should have been truncated from Woodside to Elmhurst. The Q52 side of the Wye already has the better subway service, and not it keeps the better bus connections? Doesn’t make much sense QT74 Jackson Heights Shuttle Just bring back the Q49 and maybe extend it to Flushing during the rush to maintain the Astoria Blvd connection with Flushing that skips Roosevelt Ave/108 St QT75 Woodside-Bryant Park Does too much between 48 St and Queens Plaza Routes the MTA should add for coverage QT90 Little Neck LIRR to Queens Village LIRR via Little Neck Pkwy/260 St/Jamaica Ave (Daily with hourly service outside the rush, timed to connect to the LIRR in either Little Neck or Queens Village) QT91 Glendale (80 St/Myrtle Ave) to Woodside LIRR via 80 St/Grand Ave/65 Pl (Rush hours only) As for express bus service, while I understand the need for costs to be cut, and that people relay on express buses in Queens, including myself, I would only add Sunday service to these routes, hourly on both: QMT164 Bay Terrace-6 Ave QMT166 Fresh Meadows-6 Ave I would not maintain service on the 73 Ave corridor (QM5) or Union Tpke corridor past 188 St (QM6), as commuters in the area would have access to the QT32, QT33, QT34, or QT36 that would get them to the subway quicker than they would be able to today. I also have to disagree with the arguement from BrooklynBus regarding stop eliminations. I think that we need to look at a stop by stop basis of what stops to put back, not what stops to eliminate. I will admit that on some routes the MTA went a little overboard removing the stops, such as the QT12 on Horace Harding, which makes 9 stops between QCM and 188 St, compared to 34 stops on the Q88. But other routes like the Q64, literally stop every block from 164 St to 138 St. With routes like these, looking at what stop to eliminate each time, the trip from 164 St to Forest Hills would end up being maybe 10 or 11 stops, much more than the MTA’s recommendation of 4 stops, but less than the 17 stops it makes today. In this example I would say, start with the 4 stops, and see which you would add back, maybe Parsons Blvd, 150 St, 136 St, and wind up with 7 stops to the subway, a better compromise than what you would have gotten if you reviewed what to eliminate stop by stop.

On the Express bus interactive map, it looks like service was added. Now there is weekend service on the: QMT162 (former QM4) Electchester-6 Ave (Weekday rush hours only, plus Saturday and Sunday hourly service) QMT164 (former QM2) Bay Terrace-6 Ave (Weekday rush hours only, plus Saturday hourly service) QMT166 (former QM1) Fresh Meadows-6 Ave (Weekday rush hours only, plus Saturday hourly service) QMT168 (former QM15) Howard Beach-6 Ave (Weekday rush hours only, plus Saturday hourly service)

The Airtrain only makes you pay at Jamaica/Sutphin-Archer and Howard Beach regardless of entering or exiting. The Lefferts Blvd Airtrain station has no subway connection, only the current Q10 LTD and B15, and is located by the JFK Long Term Parking Lot, so it is treated as a airport station, therefore it is free.

The Q19 is currently one of the few routes that makes a profit, so that’s why they probably aren’t going to change the headway’s for it. The Airtrain is already free at Lefferts Blvd Station.

The whole Q10/Q64 combo is not a great idea by far. However as a rider of the Q64 from the first stop, I like that nonstop portion from Main St to the subway. Not too big of a fan of the increase in headway, but its better then being stuck with the QT87 west of Main St every 18 minutes during the rush. Then again, riders near Main St will have the QT86 (former Q20) which also goes to Forest Hills, albeit via Kew Gardens, every 22 minutes during the rush.

Interesting how the QT44 will only have 24 hour service on weekdays, with an 18 hour span on Saturdays and Sundays.

One thing i would imagine that plenty of people will be surprised by is if the MTA actually changed more routes than those that were shown on the map. In the Existing Conditions Report, the MTA said they would be looking at all Queens routes, the M60 SBS, as well as 13 Brooklyn routes that enter Queens. Unless that was a typo, what routes are missing? From west to east: B32, B62, B24, B57, B38, B13, B26, B52, and B54, B20, B15, and BM5 What is the last route? Also only the B32, B62, B24, B57, and B15 seem to have been shown (or no longer shown) on the map we have seen.