Queens Bus Redesign Discussion Thread

[mikecintel]

54 minutes ago, limitednyc said:

So if they would keep the current span that the Q34 runs weekday, It would be ok with u?

It would be the Q61 route.  Well it would be express from Union Street to Flushing Main Street which I like they made it express parts of the section.  If is not "rush hours only" only that would be great but then it won't go to Jamaica.  Yes if they kept the current span that would be great.  If they ran weekends that would be great also but then from where I live there is not a lot of ridership after the peak hours so I understand what they are doing.  But I have another option and that is take the Q15 which will become Q19 but I hope if they do change it to the Q19 they better have more buses because it will be extended Astoria.

Edited July 14, 2023 by mikecintel

[mikecintel]

16 minutes ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

I personally spoke to one of the planners in front of Maspeth Savings Bank when they had an official presentation.  The man listened and took notes.

OK great I see.  I did voice my opinion when they had the 1st engagement.

[Cait Sith]

4 hours ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

The folks in my neighborhood and those who are represented by City Councilman Bob Holden will not be satisfied with "a few minor changes".  There had better be BIG changes from the final draft because anything else will be fought by him and other City Council reps.  Routes from the former privates are being disseminated and this will not be acceptable!

From what I've been told, they've done quite a lot of scaling back in this next draft. Some of the good ideas got scratched out, and some others are just......yikes.

[limitednyc]

4 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

From what I've been told, they've done quite a lot of scaling back in this next draft. Some of the good ideas got scratched out, and some others are just......yikes.

Does this include  bk/ queens routes.

[mikecintel]

20 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

From what I've been told, they've done quite a lot of scaling back in this next draft. Some of the good ideas got scratched out, and some others are just......yikes.

Oh my.  I wish the quickly can post it so I know how it looks like like what is taken out and what is added.

[BrooklynBus]

2 hours ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

Swap of terminals for the Q39/Q67.  There are lots of students from Ridgewood who use Thompson Ave. and they lose direct service.  

The B57 runs like crap like it is due to Flushing Ave. traffic.  Now they want to extend it to Jackson Hts.  And yes, it ran like crap when the terminal was in Downtown Brooklyn too.  Going back to that will do no good.  

Loss of the Q29.  No more service along Dry Harbor Road.

Loss of 80th St. service to Woodside.  80th St. bus rerouted toward Grand Ave./Queens Blvd.

B62 to Astoria, yes that is in the Queens plan.  It runs like crap to Queens Plaza and now they're extending it to Astoria!  

Who the hell needs a route starting at B'way Jct., then taking the place of the B32 and further up taking the place of the B24 along Greenpoint Ave. in Queens?

Just plain dumb to combing the Q101 with the Brooklyn portion of the B24 to the Willy B Plaza. I see not thru ridership.  Send to Q101 to Columbus Circle.  With congestion pricing coming, we need more local bus routes to Manhattan, not less.  

Look, I am not looking fora war with youse guys.  Because we all have our opinions on what should be done.  These are some of mine.

I agree with you about the B 53, B62 and the Q101. They want to force you onto the train so you can’t take a bus to Manhattan. And they claim they want to improve interborough connections. BS. They just want to save money. 

[randomnewyorker23]

the original plan was wild tho, you should never get rid of a select bus service

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

8 hours ago, Bill from Maspeth said:

The folks in my neighborhood and those who are represented by City Councilman Bob Holden will not be satisfied with "a few minor changes".  There had better be BIG changes from the final draft because anything else will be fought by him and other City Council reps.  Routes from the former privates are being disseminated and this will not be acceptable!

They literally cut all the buses headed directly to Jackson Heights throughout most of my neighborhood now you have to go to either 69th Street or Woodhaven Boulevard for a bus. Absolutely ridiculous and infuriating. They have the Q80 for 80th Street backtracking to Queens Center Mall after Grand Avenue , while hitting other routes going to QCM in the process. Grand Avenue has the Q59 AND Q98 going to QCM, so why have a third bus doing the exact same thing? Meanwhile you have the Q63 ending at Grand Avenue coming from Jackson Heights and LIC smh. Grand Avenue is a stub and the Q52 and Q53 are also proposed to cover Broadway. 

Honestly, I have my doubts about Holden doing much of anything. Besides from his opposition to the very first draft which was an obvious position, dude doesn't have the best record when it comes to transit related stuff (either dormant, or actively against stuff like the various bus lanes in the area). I'd like to be wrong (because of what's at stake) in the Maspeth/Middle Village area, but I'm not holding my breath. 

Edited July 15, 2023 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[xD4nn]

Is the MTA keeping the current plans for the Q88 and Q30 merger? Seems like an operational nightmare since Horace Harding has very bad traffic during rush hours which would cause very long wait times and bunching. The Q30 already has trouble staying on time during rush hours.

Edited July 15, 2023 by xD4nn

[NewFlyer 230]

I hope they do something with the Q54 to make service better because in my opinion it has to be one of the worst routes in the entire borough of Queens. I’ve out walked this route on numerous occasions from Jamaica Ave/Parsons Blvd to Metropolitan/ 71st Ave. The times that I need to use it service is always running bad with long waits. I’ve seen as bad as 42 minutes during the midday hours.

 

The system we currently have in Queens is better in many ways in comparison to what they are trying to create. The system is outdated but I rather what we have now then a bunch of combined routes. For example the Q1 that is proposed is supposed to take over the current Q1 and Q6 or better yet the Q25 and the Q5 being combined. Who asked for these routes to be combined?
In my opinion the Q1 in it current form is redundant. I always believed that there should be a Hillside Ave route coming from the East that travels via Jamaica Ave to the LIRR. Yes one can transfer at 169th street for the Q30 and Q31 but of course 99% of the time I make that transfer there is a long wait, never fails and then I end up just walking.  

I would get rid of all Q1 service on Springfield Blvd because it’s obvious that the Q27 is more sought after than both the Q1 and Q88 combined. Braddock Ave doesn’t need all Q1’s so every other bus would just end at Hillside Ave & Springfield Blvd. I would have it run down Hillside Ave like it does now but it would turn down 169th Street and then onto Jamaica Ave and terminate at Jamaica LIRR with the Q43. 
In the redesign they got rid of the Q30 which I don’t necessarily have a problem with because the Q31 will still exist and the Q75 will serve Queensborough Community college. 

 

[xD4nn]

1 hour ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I hope they do something with the Q54 to make service better because in my opinion it has to be one of the worst routes in the entire borough of Queens. I’ve out walked this route on numerous occasions from Jamaica Ave/Parsons Blvd to Metropolitan/ 71st Ave. The times that I need to use it service is always running bad with long waits. I’ve seen as bad as 42 minutes during the midday hours.

 

The system we currently have in Queens is better in many ways in comparison to what they are trying to create. The system is outdated but I rather what we have now then a bunch of combined routes. For example the Q1 that is proposed is supposed to take over the current Q1 and Q6 or better yet the Q25 and the Q5 being combined. Who asked for these routes to be combined?
In my opinion the Q1 in it current form is redundant. I always believed that there should be a Hillside Ave route coming from the East that travels via Jamaica Ave to the LIRR. Yes one can transfer at 169th street for the Q30 and Q31 but of course 99% of the time I make that transfer there is a long wait, never fails and then I end up just walking.  

I would get rid of all Q1 service on Springfield Blvd because it’s obvious that the Q27 is more sought after than both the Q1 and Q88 combined. Braddock Ave doesn’t need all Q1’s so every other bus would just end at Hillside Ave & Springfield Blvd. I would have it run down Hillside Ave like it does now but it would turn down 169th Street and then onto Jamaica Ave and terminate at Jamaica LIRR with the Q43. 
In the redesign they got rid of the Q30 which I don’t necessarily have a problem with because the Q31 will still exist and the Q75 will serve Queensborough Community college. 

 

The problem is QBR merged a lot of routes no one asked for. QCC is a bit over-served with 4 routes going in and out of there. It wouldn’t hurt to keep the current Q30 as is with the QCC branch removed for little neck residents since QV can’t even run the Q36 (Q45) properly. The other problem I mentioned above is making the Q88 go via the full length of Horace Harding which is not pleasant during rush hours. As a daily Q30 rider, Horace Harding gets stand still traffic everyday and that means buses will bunch up and results in very long wait times as stated before.

Edited July 15, 2023 by xD4nn

[TheNextGen2009]

2 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I hope they do something with the Q54 to make service better because in my opinion it has to be one of the worst routes in the entire borough of Queens. I’ve out walked this route on numerous occasions from Jamaica Ave/Parsons Blvd to Metropolitan/ 71st Ave. The times that I need to use it service is always running bad with long waits. I’ve seen as bad as 42 minutes during the midday hours.

Can confirm. I live along the line and it is atrocious in both waiting times, and in the case of Woodhaven to 71 Av, speed. There had been times where I just have to take Q10, and then the  or the , just to get into Jamaica.

Also another thing I've found about the proposal, and it's just a nitpick but still, is that 123rd St and 125th St are set to be removed, yet 124th St isn't, and I always see that stop deserted as hell.

It would be cool to see it get the proposed Limited service though. As a kid, after the Q58 got it, I was always wishing for a Q54 Limited. Now that I see how bad the service has gotten in speed and waiting times, I think it's time to give it some Limited service.

[TheNextGen2009]

4 minutes ago, TheNextGen2009 said:

Can confirm. I live along the line and it is atrocious in both waiting times, and in the case of Woodhaven to 71 Av, speed. There had been times where I just have to take Q10, and then the  or the , just to get into Jamaica.

Also another thing I've found about the proposal, and it's just a nitpick but still, is that 123rd St and 125th St are set to be removed, yet 124th St isn't, and I always see that stop deserted as hell.

It would be cool to see it get the proposed Limited service though. As a kid, after the Q58 got it, I was always wishing for a Q54 Limited. Now that I see how bad the service has gotten in speed and waiting times, I think it's time to give it some Limited service.

Oh, and to add on from what I was saying. I see they want to use Hillside for the Q54 to enter Jamaica.

That wouldn't be all too bad, but what about riders who go to Jamaica Hospital (assuming there are people who use it to go there)? Not only that, but the Q54 would risk more delays on weekends due to the weekend shuttle buses on the , and at all other times, cars coming from the Van Wyck Expressway and heading south blocking eastbound traffic on Hillside. 

[B35 via Church]

On 7/15/2023 at 9:23 AM, NewFlyer 230 said:

I would get rid of all Q1 service on Springfield Blvd because it’s obvious that the Q27 is more sought after than both the Q1 and Q88 combined. Braddock Ave doesn’t need all Q1’s so every other bus would just end at Hillside Ave & Springfield Blvd. I would have it run down Hillside Ave like it does now but it would turn down 169th Street and then onto Jamaica Ave and terminate at Jamaica LIRR with the Q43.

I was never fond of the Q1 to begin with.... Always saw it as a poor man's Q43 short turn... I'd get rid of it period, by completely phasing it out.

I mean, 165th st. Terminal is a glorified major xfer point.... Now I understand that you can't have all Q1 service running over to LIRR Jamaica, but the thing about is, you don't necessarily have to.... Instead of having the Q43 as a service running b/w LIRR Jamaica & 268th/Hillside, and the Q1 running b/w 165th Terminal & either (Braddock/243rd) or (LIRR Queens Village), I'd say the Q43 should be one service running b/w LIRR Jamaica & LIJ Hospital, with short turns at:

• Braddock/243rd
• Springfield/Hillside (instead of needing to even bother running down to LIRR QV via Springfield)
• Hillside/268th

Local service would either end at 243rd/Braddock or Hillside/268th, and LTD service would either end at Springfield/Hillside (PM rush hrs. only) or LIJ Hospital...

Being that there would be an increase in Q43 service with this, you wouldn't need:

• a route coming up from LIRR QV (as in, via Springfield) to take on the crowds that are seeking WB service along Hillside
• two routes from 165th Terminal running along Hillside, to turn down at 212th {Q36} & Springfield {Q1}

Now I understand that NICE bus snatches up a good chunk of the ridership along Jamaica av. east of say, Springfield, but that's still no excuse for them to run the Q36 the way they do.... I have seen ppl. waiting for buses at Springfield/Jamaica end up taking Q27's (or Q88's) just to get to Hillside, just to end up xferring to the WB Q43, due to the way they run the Q1 & Q36...

INSTEAD, the MTA would rather suggest:

• appending the Braddock av. branch of the Q1 to the Q6 (of all routes)
• the creation of a separate layer of service along Hillside that runs up LNP, to LIRR LNP (Hillside corridor, nor the Jamaica av corridor is clamoring for LNP service)
• the creation of some long winded Jamaica av. route that runs b/w Cross Bay/Liberty & Hillside/LNP

So what I'm ultimately saying with all this, is that the (current) Q1's resources should be divvied up into the Q36 & the Q43.... With the MTA's proposed Q1 (aside from the foolish combining of it with the Q6), I personally wouldn't introduce the heart of Jamaica av. (that pocket b/w Sutphin & Merrick) to a Hillside av. service... I'd keep the Hillside av. service running west of 165th Terminal continuing along Hillside to Sutphin - a la the current Q43....

[NewFlyer 230]

1 hour ago, B35 via Church said:

So what I'm ultimately saying with all this, is that the (current) Q1's resources should be divvied up into the Q36 & the Q43.... With the MTA's proposed Q1 (aside from the foolish combining of it with the Q6), I personally wouldn't introduce the heart of Jamaica av. (that pocket b/w Sutphin & Merrick) to a Hillside av. service... I'd keep the Hillside av. service running west of 165th Terminal continuing along Hillside to Sutphin - a la the current Q43....

I remember back in 2009 when the MTA announced the budget cuts I thought for sure they would do away with the Q1 but to my surprise they kept it around. It’s funny because there were a few times I was in the area and wanted to fan the route but I only did so once because the headways along the individual branches suck. 

 

I know it was discussed in one of these threads some time back but what are your thoughts on having the Q110 and Q36 swap eastern terminals?

[xD4nn]

4 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

I was never fond of the Q1 to begin with.... Always saw it as a poor man's Q43 short turn... I'd get rid of it period, by completely phasing it out.

I mean, 165th st. Terminal is a glorified major xfer point.... Now I understand that you can't have all Q1 service running over to LIRR Jamaica, but the thing about is, you don't necessarily have to.... Instead of having the Q43 as a service running b/w LIRR Jamaica & 268th/Hillside, and the Q1 running b/w 165th Terminal & either (Braddock/243rd) or (LIRR Queens Village), I'd say the Q43 should be one service running b/w LIRR Jamaica & LIJ Hospital, with short turns at:

• Braddock/243rd
• Springfield/Hillside (instead of needing to even bother running down to LIRR QV via Springfield)
• Hillside/268th

Local service would either end at 243rd/Braddock or Hillside/268th, and LTD service would either end at Springfield/Hillside (PM rush hrs. only) or LIJ Hospital...

Being that there would be an increase in Q43 service with this, you wouldn't need:

• a route coming up from LIRR QV (as in, via Springfield) to take on the crowds that are seeking WB service along Hillside
• two routes from 165th Terminal running along Hillside, to turn down at 212th {Q36} & Springfield {Q1}

Now I understand that NICE bus snatches up a good chunk of the ridership along Jamaica av. east of say, Springfield, but that's still no excuse for them to run the Q36 the way they do.... I have seen ppl. waiting for buses at Springfield/Jamaica end up taking Q27's (or Q88's) just to get to Hillside, just to end up xferring to the WB Q43, due to the way they run the Q1 & Q36...

INSTEAD, the MTA would rather suggest:

• appending the Braddock av. branch of the Q1 to the Q6 (of all routes)
• the creation of a separate layer of service along Hillside that runs up LNP, to LIRR LNP (Hillside corridor, nor the Jamaica av corridor is clamoring for LNP service)
• the creation of some long winded Jamaica av. route that runs b/w Cross Bay/Liberty & Hillside/LNP

So what I'm ultimately saying with all this, is that the (current) Q1's resources should be divvied up into the Q36 & the Q43.... With the MTA's proposed Q1 (aside from the foolish combining of it with the Q6), I personally wouldn't introduce the heart of Jamaica av. (that pocket b/w Sutphin & Merrick) to a Hillside av. service... I'd keep the Hillside av. service running west of 165th Terminal continuing along Hillside to Sutphin - a la the current Q43....

The Q36 LNP section was just a cheap way of reinstating bus service along LNP due to political pressure. The new Q45 would be better off at Jamaica than QV due to the distance and QV not knowing how to run that route as they can't even run the Q36 properly.

[limitednyc]

What do think of the  changes on 46th ave?

 

[B35 via Church]

7 hours ago, xD4nn said:

The Q36 LNP section was just a cheap way of reinstating bus service along LNP due to political pressure. The new Q45 would be better off at Jamaica than QV due to the distance and QV not knowing how to run that route as they can't even run the Q36 properly.

Yep, and I'm saying not even that saving of distance on the proposed Q45 is exactly being clamored for by riders.

10 hours ago, NewFlyer 230 said:

I remember back in 2009 when the MTA announced the budget cuts I thought for sure they would do away with the Q1 but to my surprise they kept it around. It’s funny because there were a few times I was in the area and wanted to fan the route but I only did so once because the headways along the individual branches suck.

I know it was discussed in one of these threads some time back but what are your thoughts on having the Q110 and Q36 swap eastern terminals?

Routing wise, that's essentially what their proposed Q82 is.

Anyway, I'd still be against a swap, more than I would be for it - As it would tip the scale too far in the favor of having the Q36 run to Belmont Park, in terms of ridership balancement.... Putting that another way, the Q36 still garners more pax along Hillside & the 212's, than the Q110 garners along Jamaica av (the Q54 & the Q56 has something to do with that, which is another problem I have with Jamaica av. service at & east of Jamaica [the neighborhood]).... I wouldn't so much mind the proposed Q57, if they were to have it perhaps ending where the current Q60 does... That way, you wouldn't need the Q54 and the Q56 terminating at Jamaica - 170th.... That's really only the thing I do concur with about that Q57 -  the fact that it would do away with the relic of having the former JBL's all terminating in close proximity to each other....

7 hours ago, limitednyc said:

What do think of the changes on 46th ave?

They got rid of too many stops along it.... Usage along 46th is underrated.

Routings-wise, I don't so much mind the having the Q27 run to College Point (for the sake of a Springfield av route; proposed Q78), although I could do without the portion to Oakland Gardens - 230th.... The proposed Q26 (while a cute way of connecting dots) I'm against, as I see it being too weak a version of the current Q27....

[limitednyc]

Your feelings on spiting the q17? Is there anything  good in the hole plan?

[xD4nn]

20 minutes ago, limitednyc said:

Your feelings on spiting the q17? Is there anything  good in the hole plan?

Not really. It just puts pressure on casey Stengel if the Q17 gets assigned there. To relieve pressure it would be best if the Q17 got sent to college point (if even possible) or send a possible Stengel route elsewhere like the proposed Q88 to grand ave to be interlined with the Q59 if possible. Of course this is all speculation and I don’t know what they are going to do.

Edited July 17, 2023 by xD4nn

[B35 via Church]

41 minutes ago, limitednyc said:

Your feelings on spiting the q17? Is there anything  good in the hole plan?

I've been against the current Q17 routing for the longest; particularly the Fresh Meadows - Jamaica portion.... The proposed Q17 I think, shouldn't be anymore than an extension of the current short turns, up to College Point (in other words, I wouldn't bother with running the proposed Q17 south of the Fresh Meadows Shopping Ctr.)... The proposed Q75 is solid....

[Gotham Bus Co.]

On 7/14/2023 at 8:28 PM, randomnewyorker23 said:

you should never get rid of a select bus service

Once OMNY is fully rolled out with all-door boarding, every "Select" route will be effectively downgraded to a mere "Limited."

[BrooklynBus]

2 hours ago, Gotham Bus Co. said:

Once OMNY is fully rolled out with all-door boarding, every "Select" route will be effectively downgraded to a mere "Limited."

Selects will be renamed Crosstown. What will be eliminated are local bus routes which will all become Limiteds. Crosstown will have fewer stops than Limiteds. https://www.change.org/p/mta-oppose-the-mta-s-plan-to-eliminate-bus-stops?redirect=false

 

[N6 Limited]

Some opposition to the redesigns are disheartening. Keep in mind that some of these new routings:

• Allow trips not currently possible without major backtracking.
• Provide alternative routings between various areas, in case of service disruption, subway disruptions/outages/planned service changes, or just options if a bus is missed etc. Especially bypassing congested areas.
• Open up new trips for existing riders & new riders.
• Makes it easier to connect to various NICE routes, LIRR stations, crosstown Queens service and Brooklyn routes.

[BrooklynBus]

17 minutes ago, N6 Limited said:

Some opposition to the redesigns are disheartening. Keep in mind that some of these new routings:

• Allow trips not currently possible without major backtracking.
• Provide alternative routings between various areas, in case of service disruption, subway disruptions/outages/planned service changes, or just options if a bus is missed etc. Especially bypassing congested areas.
• Open up new trips for existing riders & new riders.
• Makes it easier to connect to various NICE routes, LIRR stations, crosstown Queens service and Brooklyn routes.

But the question is if the positives outweigh the negatives. Many don’t think so. Hence the opposition.