Update on Plan to move Q60 stops to the Median

[Union Tpke]

https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/queens-blvd-73rd-st-eliot-ave-cb4-sep2019.pdf

I am so furious that the final operational phase from Yellowstone Boulevard to Union Turnpike is on hold. Karen Koslowitz, you will have blood on your hands!

[P3F]

What are the benefits of moving the bus stops to the median? (Other than adding several parking spaces, which obviously isn't the main reason.)

Edited September 27, 2019 by P3F

[NY1635]

32 minutes ago, P3F said:

What are the benefits of moving the bus stops to the median? (Other than adding several parking spaces, which obviously isn't the main reason.)

It's mainly for safety reasons and to give bikers the outer lanes to themselves. This is despite the fact that a good chunk of people are commuting on the Q60 between Jamaica-QCM-and LIC.

[NewFlyer 230]

Seems like more Q60 stops will be eliminated once it gets moved onto the main road. I wonder if they will add bus lanes to further help speed up service. 

[Lil 57]

34 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

Seems like more Q60 stops will be eliminated once it gets moved onto the main road. I wonder if they will add bus lanes to further help speed up service. 

They should, it'll also speed up the express buses over there.

[NY1635]

1 hour ago, Lil 57 said:

They should, it'll also speed up the express buses over there.

Express Buses either get stuck on the LIE, or on the Queensboro Bridge, and around Midtown. Vision Zero is all about safety and improving pedestrian access over vehicles. 

[B35 via Church]

9 hours ago, P3F said:

What are the benefits of moving the bus stops to the median? (Other than adding several parking spaces, which obviously isn't the main reason.)

Space for tree planting..... Increases property value..... Ongoing attempt to beautify gentrify this city...

(of course, I'm saying this in derision)

8 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I wonder if they will add bus lanes to further help speed up service. 

Already exists... It's called the service road - and it's possibly the worst enforced "bus lane" known to man!

7 hours ago, Lil 57 said:

They should, it'll also speed up the express buses over there.

That's part of the grand scheme with the bus network redesigns anyway; bus stop elimination / "combination"....

6 hours ago, NY1635 said:

Vision Zero is all about safety and improving pedestrian access over vehicles. 

It's as if this gets lost in the mix... Vision zero isn't about improving public transit (I'd argue it's its antithesis).....

 

[aemoreira81]

I actually like this idea. I would go even further and add a protected bus lane from Van Dam Street to Roosevelt Avenue (with a special turn signal for the Q32 to cut across traffic to make a left turn), which would also serve to calm traffic by reducing Queens Boulevard from 4 lanes each way along each section to 3. (Through Woodside, one has fixed speed cameras patrolling the main road in the 50s because of a private elementary school at about 55th Street.) One would have to keep the Q60 on the service road through Woodside and past the Big Six Towers because of BQE access on the westbound side,  However, between 76/Kneeland and 57 Avenue, and again after 62 Drive, the Q60 should be in the main roadway, which would again serve as traffic calming by reducing travel lanes.

That said, I would redo the stops on Queens Boulevard between 76/Kneeland and Union Turnpike as follows:

• Jacobus (77) Street (eastbound only)
• Hillyer (79) Street/Albion Avenue (bidirectional)
• 51 Av (bidirectional) 
• Grand Avenue (Broadway) - near side for both
• 55 Avenue (eastbound only) - also with the Q59
• 56 Avenue (westbound only)
• 57 Avenue (eastbound only)
• Woodhaven Boulevard
• Eliot Avenue/Horace Harding Expressway
• 63 Avenue/62 Drive (return to main road)
• 63 Avenue/Road (western side) - better access to Rego Center
• 64 Road (near side of crossing)
• 65 Avenue/98 Street
• 66 Avenue
• 67 Road
• 68 Avenue
• 68 Drive
• Yellowstone Boulevard
• 71 Avenue/108 Street (western side of street)
• 72 Avenue (with a new crossing and light installed)
• Ascan Avenue/72 Drive
• 75 Avenue (crossing by fire house made into full-time signal)
• 76 Road
• 77 Avenue (westbound only in main road)
• 78 Avenue (westbound only in main road)
• Union Turnpike.

Eliminated stops would be:

• Ireland Street (eastbound)
• Cornish Avenue (westbound)
• Goldsmith Street (eastbound)
• Van Loon Street (westbound)
• 63 Drive (westbound only)
• 56 Avenue (eastbound only)
• 67 Drive (eastbound only)
• 69 Road (westbound only)
• 76 Avenue (eastbound only)

Running the bus on the main road would actually allow stops to be added without slowing down the route, if the stops are on the main road in a dedicated bus lane. Almost every crossing would be a bus stop, and it would be possible to undo many of the stop eliminations done about a decade ago. The bus lanes on Woodhaven Boulevard have done wonders for Q52/3 service.

As for the final part, it should be done over the objections of the Queens beep.

[B35 via Church]

Quote

• All changes to bus operations have been coordinated with MTA

• Design aligns with the goals of the MTA Queens Network re-design, and will be included in the final plan (to be released April 2020)

This is inadvertently stating that the Q60 will remain serving Queens Blvd in the Queens Network redesign....

[NewFlyer 230]

28 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

This is inadvertently stating that the Q60 will remain serving Queens Blvd in the Queens Network redesign....

I don’t necessarily have a problem with the Q60 serving all of Queens Blvd. I just wish it had a dedicated bus lane to help speed it up. Also I don’t think it needs to handle the responsibility of serving South Jamaica, that can be left up the the Q6 which I feel needs more service.

 

[B35 via Church]

27 minutes ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I don’t necessarily have a problem with the Q60 serving all of Queens Blvd. I just wish it had a dedicated bus lane to help speed it up. Also I don’t think it needs to handle the responsibility of serving South Jamaica, that can be left up the the Q6 which I feel needs more service.

Neither do I......

What I was implicating in that reply, is that the DOT knows that the MTA will retain the Q60 along Queens Blvd in the final version of the Queens redesign....

As for the rest of your post.... Well, the only real point of contention I have regarding the route is that virtually every trip runs to Manhattan..... Instead of having the few random trips on the route that short turn at 33rd, there should be a] more total Q60 short turn trips throughout the day & b] have those trips end at QBP..... I would end more of the Q60's total trips at QBP for the same reason they terminate the few Q60 trips at 33rd....... The eastern end of the route OTOH, I don't have a problem with; while I definitely understand the need for more Q6 service, you can't terminate every Q60 at Archer....

One doesn't (or, shouldn't) affect the other.

 

[bobtehpanda]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

This is inadvertently stating that the Q60 will remain serving Queens Blvd in the Queens Network redesign....

Well, they know that some bus is going to be on Queens Blvd serving those median stops. I would say the jury's still out on whether or not the Q60 exists unalterated in the new redesign.

Bus service on Queens Blvd is always going to exist, given that it's pretty much the only uninterrupted east-west road going that far into the borough.

[B35 via Church]

9 minutes ago, bobtehpanda said:

Well, they know that some bus is going to be on Queens Blvd serving those median stops. I would say the jury's still out on whether or not the Q60 exists unalterated in the new redesign.

Bus service on Queens Blvd is always going to exist, given that it's pretty much the only uninterrupted east-west road going that far into the borough.

Reason I framed the post as such, is b/c the PDF specifically states "Q60".... Picked up on that & immediately thought to myself, how is it for certain that the "Q60" will remain the QB route in the redesign..... Point noted in that last statement, but I don't put anything past the MTA.... All possibilities are on the table, including partial service (along QB), split service (a la, some wacky split of the current Q60 or some other concoction that would have more than 1 route serving significant portions of QB), or even the draconian result of no service......

All the reason for me to believe these plans are finalized long before any bit of information is ever released to the public......

 

[P3F]

@Union Tpke What's with the silence? You still haven't explained why you're "furious" about this.

[Union Tpke]

23 minutes ago, P3F said:

@Union Tpke What's with the silence? You still haven't explained why you're "furious" about this.

Did you even read? "furious that the final operational phase from Yellowstone Boulevard to Union Turnpike is on hold"

https://gothamist.com/news/why-is-the-next-phase-of-the-queens-boulevard-bike-lane-still-in-limbo

[P3F]

1 hour ago, Union Tpke said:

Did you even read? "furious that the final operational phase from Yellowstone Boulevard to Union Turnpike is on hold"

https://gothamist.com/news/why-is-the-next-phase-of-the-queens-boulevard-bike-lane-still-in-limbo

Yes, and I was asking you why you're "furious" about that.

I tried to find a list of benefits of moving the bus stops to the median, given the link. The DOT presentation says "New...amenities - shelters, benches, leaning bars and bike racks" as well as "Install more shelters & benches to create more comfortable bus stops for transit riders", neither of which are significant enough to warrant the move. Therefore, I asked you (as the person who seems to have a strong opinion on this) what the main benefits are.

The Gothamist article says absolutely nothing about bus service, so you still haven't done anything to explain your position.

 

If (and I hope it's not true) your main reason for being "furious" is the bike lanes not being extended yet, then it was quite misleading of you to drop this in the New York City Bus forum coupled with the statements you made.

[NY1635]

2 hours ago, Union Tpke said:

Did you even read? "furious that the final operational phase from Yellowstone Boulevard to Union Turnpike is on hold"

https://gothamist.com/news/why-is-the-next-phase-of-the-queens-boulevard-bike-lane-still-in-limbo

I ride the Q60 from time to time, and I say the Queens Blvd doesn't need them. It runs smoothly during off peak hours and overnights. All of the delays are caused primarily by people getting on/off along Queens Blvd. There's also long boardings at Union Turnpike, 71st-Continental, QCM, Rego Center, and traffic on the approach to the bridge consider. Lots of people use it as a means to avoid the  and  trains because they can be unpredictable and unreliable due to a signal malfunction, or if the  is down due to repairs, or signal malfunctions. 

 

[Union Tpke]

1 hour ago, P3F said:

Yes, and I was asking you why you're "furious" about that.

I tried to find a list of benefits of moving the bus stops to the median, given the link. The DOT presentation says "New...amenities - shelters, benches, leaning bars and bike racks" as well as "Install more shelters & benches to create more comfortable bus stops for transit riders", neither of which are significant enough to warrant the move. Therefore, I asked you (as the person who seems to have a strong opinion on this) what the main benefits are.

The Gothamist article says absolutely nothing about bus service, so you still haven't done anything to explain your position.

 

If (and I hope it's not true) your main reason for being "furious" is the bike lanes not being extended yet, then it was quite misleading of you to drop this in the New York City Bus forum coupled with the statements you made.

I said I was furious about the hold up of the bike lanes, not about the bus lane move. I included my thoughts on the bike lanes because they are part of the same project. I wonder why you "hoped" it wasn't true that I was furious that the bike lanes and other safety improvements on Queens Boulevard are being held up by my idiotic Councilwoman. Every know and then I think of running for her seat given that she is term-limited.

[Union Tpke]

20 minutes ago, NY1635 said:

I ride the Q60 from time to time, and I say the Queens Blvd doesn't need them. It runs smoothly during off peak hours and overnights. All of the delays are caused primarily by people getting on/off along Queens Blvd. There's also long boardings at Union Turnpike, 71st-Continental, QCM, Rego Center, and traffic on the approach to the bridge consider. Lots of people use it as a means to avoid the  and  trains because they can be unpredictable and unreliable due to a signal malfunction, or if the  is down due to repairs, or signal malfunctions. 

 

I was talking about the bike lanes. Anyhow, given that the street is one of the widest in the city, it should have bus lanes.

[NewFlyer 230]

In a way I can see the elderly and disabled shooting the idea down for the Q60 to use the main road. Honestly I can see it being problematic for example if an elderly person is trying to cross the service road to catch the bus on the main road that’s at the stop, but can’t because of oncoming traffic.
 

[P3F]

6 hours ago, Union Tpke said:

I said I was furious about the hold up of the bike lanes, not about the bus lane move.

No, you didn't. The thread title is "Update on Plan to move Q60 stops to the Median", and what you actually wrote doesn't indicate anything about bike lanes. There is no way anyone reading the thread could glean that you are "furious" specifically about the bike lanes.

Quote

I wonder why you "hoped" it wasn't true that I was furious that the bike lanes and other safety improvements on Queens Boulevard

If you're trying to imply that I'm against the bike lanes, nice try. I am ambivalent about them because I do not visit Queens Boulevard enough to know of the traffic dynamics there. Either way, this isn't the place for that discussion.

 

My original question was "What are the benefits of moving the bus stops to the median?", because I was under the impression that you had some benefits in mind. If you have nothing further to say about that topic, there is no more discussion to be had.

Edited September 30, 2019 by P3F

[Lex]

On 9/26/2019 at 9:52 PM, P3F said:

What are the benefits of moving the bus stops to the median? (Other than adding several parking spaces, which obviously isn't the main reason.)

If someone has to cross the main road to catch the bus and aren't between 57th and 63rd Avenues, they won't have to cross the entire thoroughfare. (Granted, everyone will have to cross one of the service roads, but even knowing that it's Queens Boulevard, I can't say that's much of a big deal, even with mobility issues factored in.)

[Kamen Rider]

They need to ether create the bus lanes or get rid of the bike lane (or both). Having the buses stuck on the single file service road lane is stupid.

I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve seen the buses, along with cars, have to enter the bike lane space to get around a blockage that would otherwise cause a mile long traffic jam.

[danielhg121]

16 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

In a way I can see the elderly and disabled shooting the idea down for the Q60 to use the main road. Honestly I can see it being problematic for example if an elderly person is trying to cross the service road to catch the bus on the main road that’s at the stop, but can’t because of oncoming traffic.
 

It's their way of speeding up bus service LOL. I can imagine riding the bus and seeing seniors wave their canes as the bus speeds through their stop on the median (a bit of a stretch...). LESS PEOPLE GET ON...THE BETTER. It's the MTA's new way of deterring ridership. JK

[checkmatechamp13]

18 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

In a way I can see the elderly and disabled shooting the idea down for the Q60 to use the main road. Honestly I can see it being problematic for example if an elderly person is trying to cross the service road to catch the bus on the main road that’s at the stop, but can’t because of oncoming traffic.
 

But that's also one less part of the road they have to cross for buses traveling the opposite direction