Queens Bus Redesign Discussion Thread

[IAlam]

OK after finally finishing reading the whole thing. some of my major takeaways:

The Q4 being extended into Nassau to connect with the n1 is intresting.

I still think it'd be better if the Q10 went to Fresh Meadows as it'd be faster than the Q23.

I wonder why the MTA wanted to swap the Q25 and Q65 with the Q17 and Q27 in College Point? Other than frequency I can't see any good reason. I can also see these routes being swapped from CP to JA and QV.

For the Q12, Id like to see it get extended to Queens college to make up for the express Q17 and lack of Q27 & Q34. Also idk if a bus can turn easily around on Sanford the corner is very sharp and street is usually congested anyways. Also would like to see it replace the n20G still but that's a pipe dream.

The Q20 needs to go to Jamaica LIRR at the very least. Cutting it back before Jamaica just makes it inconvenient for everyone especially with the Q25/34/65 no longer going to Jamaica LIRR.

I'm glad the Q32 is still going to Penn as it's still the only bus that does it atm.

On the Q44 removing the stop on Kissena going northbound but not south bound confuses me. Also unless they move the 39th Ave stop to Roosevelt Ave I am against it.

The Q50 Looks great on paper but they need to address reliability of that line. I can't see how that would be a reliable service.

I am a big fan of the Q62 I think that route is going to be great.

The Q73 I'd make a minor adjustment and have it use Kissena Blvd instead of Main St to get to 73rd Ave.

Also for the 24/7 rush routes they need to be local during night hours and on weekends in some cases, when frequencies on their local counterparts are lower. Otherwise have long wait on routes that aren't even that crowded to begin with are just going to make the bus network seem more unappealing. 

For the Express buses we need better frequencies 10,12,15,20,30, or 60 none of this 23 min, 16 min, or 90 min off peak stuff. we also need double bus lanes on 6th Ave, maybe 57th St turned into a bus way?, and a bus lane on Van Dam St with a bus only signal for the left turn to the LIE.

The cuts on QM3/4/20 are not gonna fly.

For the QM2/3/20/32 I'd suggest the route change to LIE, BQE, to GCT on par with what the super express buses currently do.

For the QM buses that get off Queens Blvd or Woodhaven, I'd suggest LIE to BQE to Queens Blvd FOR PEAK BUSES ONLY off peak buses can stay on the LIE. It seems according to the DOT Queens Blvd is already getting a bus priority project so that can probably help out. 

For the QM4 maybe during off peak hour the bus can use 108th St to provide off peak service to QM12 customers. I'd still in the camp it should be extended to Fresh Meadows during all hours. 

For the QM1/5/6 I think all off peak QM6 buses should still make pick ups and drop offs until Main St. The QM5 buses that are still running when the QM1 isn't should still run on Union to Main St.

For the QM21/63/64/68:
QM21:
Should match stops of QM63/68 on Linden Blvd and Queens Blvd.
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & Guy R Brewer Blvd to compliment QM63. 
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & VanWyck Expy to compliment QM63..
Add a stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM63:
Should bypass all stops on Queens Blvd and go to the LIE via VanWyck Expy.
Adjust the location of the stop on Linden Blvd & Guy R Brewer Blvd to compliment QM21.
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & 142nd St to compliment QM21.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & Hoover Av.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM64:
Should bypass all stops on Queens Blvd and go to the LIE via VanWyck Expy.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & Hoover Av.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM68:
Keep the stop at Queens Blvd & Main St to compliment the QM21.
Maybe add a stop on Hillside Ave & Parsons Blvd. to help encourage ridership. (Area with new development occurring)

For the QM65 I'm not sure how well this new route would do since SE Queens has the Atlantic ticket for a cheaper price with more itineraries for people going into Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. But in the end I don't live there so it'd really depend on the community and it they would utilize it. 

Also I'm still annoyed there is no replacement for the X51 or any new route the are of Queens below Northern and above the LIE. There is no LIRR or express buses in this area, and under this plan the people in this area are still being shoved down local buses into Flushing. Also NE Queens still lacking Downtown service. LIRR to Midtown only, bus to to Midtown only, or the existing express buses to Midtown only. It'd be nice if there was an express bus that served Fresh Meadows & Flushing, and then went to Lower Manhattan serving LES, Chinatown, and Downtown. Especially with many in the Asian community being afraid of the subway lately, It's show the MTA is listening to their concerns and provide service to an area that currently has no express bus service and is far from the LIRR.
 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by IAlam

[Kingsbridgeviewer382]

As a non-Queens rider, there are some things that have piqued my interest in the new draft:

1. I am going to be curious to see how the Q44 is going to work at Fordham Plaza, especially with the route going through 182nd St instead of mimicking the current Bx9 routing.

2. The insistence of merging the Q10 and Q64 just like in the previous draft.

3. The non-stop segments given to many of the routes. I wonder how those proposals will be received by the regulars.

4. Replacing the old Q48 with the extended Q50 and re-routed Q58 (The Q48 is being used to re-label the Q46's to Glen Oaks).

5. The Q54 & Q66 being given a Limited variant, though that's just me assuming that a limited variant was needed.

6. Wow, that B53 proposal.

[NBTA]

24 minutes ago, Joyjliradio said:

I don’t like q30 just cut!!! Because no service to Jamaica lirr on lie service road ! My question is how get Jamaica lirr on that route area

The Q75.

[Gotham Bus Co.]

26 minutes ago, Joyjliradio said:

I don’t like q30 just cut!!! Because no service to Jamaica lirr on lie service road ! My question is how get Jamaica lirr on that route area

Did you look at the Q75 (pages 315-317 of the report)?

[NBTA]

6 minutes ago, IAlam said:

OK after finally finishing reading the whole thing. some of my major takeaways:

The Q4 being extended into Nassau to connect with the n1 is intresting.

I still think it'd be better if the Q10 went to Fresh Meadows as it'd be faster than the Q23.

The Q10/64 merger was one of the only good things from the last draft, and they kept it here.

I wonder why the MTA wanted to swap the Q25 and Q65 with the Q17 and Q27 in College Point? Other than frequency I can't see any good reason. I can also see these routes being swapped from CP to JA and QV.

The depot swap would be unnecessary for the 25/65, as they still terminate/run near CP. Also, the 25 still runs to Linden and Whitestone. Also, I suppose they sent both the 17/27 up to CP for terminal feasibility. Flushing went from 13 buses terminating in the box to 9.

For the Q12, Id like to see it get extended to Queens college to make up for the express Q17 and lack of Q27 & Q34. Also idk if a bus can turn easily around on Sanford the corner is very sharp and street is usually congested anyways. Also would like to see it replace the n20G still but that's a pipe dream.

The Q12 is coming down Main, so it wouldn’t need to turn off of Sanford. But you want the Q12 to run from Queens College to Little Neck? That’s bad. 

The Q20 needs to go to Jamaica LIRR at the very least. Cutting it back before Jamaica just makes it inconvenient for everyone especially with the Q25/34/65 no longer going to Jamaica LIRR.

I agree. 

I'm glad the Q32 is still going to Penn as it's still the only bus that does it atm.

On the Q44 removing the stop on Kissena going northbound but not south bound confuses me. Also unless they move the 39th Ave stop to Roosevelt Ave I am against it.

The Q50 Looks great on paper but they need to address reliability of that line. I can't see how that would be a reliable service.

I like the new Q50.

I am a big fan of the Q62 I think that route is going to be great.

So the Q16?

The Q73 I'd make a minor adjustment and have it use Kissena Blvd instead of Main St to get to 73rd Ave.

For the Express buses we need better frequencies 10,12,15,20,30, or 60 none of this 23 min, 16 min, or 90 min off peak stuff. we also need double bus lanes on 6th Ave, maybe 57th St turned into a bus way?, and a bus lane on Van Dam St with a bus only signal for the left turn to the LIE.

The cuts on QM3/4/20 are not gonna fly.

For the QM2/3/20/32 I'd suggest the route change to LIE, BQE, to GCT on par with what the super express buses currently do.

For the QM buses that get off Queens Blvd or Woodhaven, I'd suggest LIE to BQE to Queens Blvd FOR PEAK BUSES ONLY off peak buses can stay on the LIE. It seems according to the DOT Queens Blvd is already getting a bus priority project so that can probably help out. 

For the QM4 maybe during off peak hour the bus can use 108th St to provide off peak service to QM12 customers. I'd still in the camp it should be extended to Fresh Meadows during all hours. 

For the QM1/5/6 I think all off peak QM6 buses should still make pick ups and drop offs until Main St. The QM5 buses that are still running when the QM1 isn't should still run on Union to Main St.
 

For the QM21/63/64/68:
QM21:
Should match stops of QM63/68 on Linden Blvd and Queens Blvd.
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & Guy R Brewer Blvd to compliment QM63. 
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & VanWyck Expy to compliment QM63..
Add a stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM63:
Should bypass all stops on Queens Blvd and go to the LIE via VanWyck Expy.
Adjust the location of the stop on Linden Blvd & Guy R Brewer Blvd to compliment QM21.
Add a stop at Linden Blvd & 142nd St to compliment QM21.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & Hoover Av.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM64:
Should bypass all stops on Queens Blvd and go to the LIE via VanWyck Expy.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & Hoover Av.
Remove stop at Queens Blvd & 78th Ave.

QM68:
Keep the stop at Queens Blvd & Main St to compliment the QM21.
Maybe add a stop on Hillside Ave & Parsons Blvd. to help encourage ridership. (Area with new development occurring)

For the QM65 I'm not sure how well this new route would do since SE Queens has the Atlantic ticket for a cheaper price with more itineraries for people going into Downtown Brooklyn and Lower Manhattan. But in the end I don't live there so it'd really depend on the community and it they would utilize it. 

Also I'm still annoyed there is no replacement for the X51 or any new route the are of Queens below Northern and above the LIE. There is no LIRR or express buses in this area, and under this plan the people in this area are still being shoved down local buses into Flushing. Also NE Queens still lacking Downtown service. LIRR to Midtown only, bus to to Midtown only, or the existing express buses to Midtown only. It'd be nice if there was an express bus that served Fresh Meadows & Flushing, and then went to Lower Manhattan serving LES, Chinatown, and Downtown. Especially with many in the Asian community being afraid of the subway lately, It's show the MTA is listening to their concerns and provide service to an area that currently has no express bus service and is far from the LIRR.
 

 

Replies in bold.

[Cait Sith]

45 minutes ago, Joyjliradio said:

I don’t like q30 just cut!!! Because no service to Jamaica lirr on lie service road ! My question is how get Jamaica lirr on that route area

Q88 to the Q31....which covers both entirely.

Plus, most people from that side of queens isn't taking the Q30/31 all the way to Jamaica LIRR.

[Joyjliradio]

7 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

Q88 to the Q31....which covers both entirely.

Plus, most people from that side of queens isn't taking the Q30/31 all the way to Jamaica LIRR.

Oh forgot about q 30 to qcc no more 

[Cait Sith]

1 minute ago, Joyjliradio said:

Oh forgot about q 30 to qcc no more 

You got the Q75....which basically does the Q30. Take the time to actually read through the changes and don't jump to conclusions.

Edited March 29, 2022 by Cait Sith

[IAlam]

28 minutes ago, NBTA said:

Quote

I wonder why the MTA wanted to swap the Q25 and Q65 with the Q17 and Q27 in College Point? Other than frequency I can't see any good reason. I can also see these routes being swapped from CP to JA and QV.

The depot swap would be unnecessary for the 25/65, as they still terminate/run near CP. Also, the 25 still runs to Linden and Whitestone. Also, I suppose they sent both the 17/27 up to CP for terminal feasibility. Flushing went from 13 buses terminating in the box to 9.
 

Quote

For the Q12, Id like to see it get extended to Queens college to make up for the express Q17 and lack of Q27 & Q34. Also idk if a bus can turn easily around on Sanford the corner is very sharp and street is usually congested anyways. Also would like to see it replace the n20G still but that's a pipe dream.

The Q12 is coming down Main, so it wouldn’t need to turn off of Sanford. But you want the Q12 to run from Queens College to Little Neck? That’s bad. 

Ok so Even though the Q25/65 is the through route, the buses usually empties out in Flushing and you get a whole new batch of passengers. Routes like the Q17 and Q27 have more intermediate, from the Flushing Area (Not just station) to other parts of the neighborhood as well as Fresh Meadows. So now having them both express through the area makes it a more inconvenient for local travel. That being said, there isn't really any way of getting from the South part of Flushing to the east. Before you'd take the Q27 going via Holly, with the new route for the Q27 you'd have to go to Flushing Main st Sta and transfer. If the Q12 went to Queens College it would kill 2 birds with one stone. Lack of a south Flushing to point east connection and restore service that being gutted on Kissena from the Q17 no longer making any stops, Q27 which was diverted, and the Q34 which is eliminated. It wouldn't be for people going from Queens College to Little Neck but rather for people going to Flushing from Kissena, and for people going from points like Holly and Elder to destinations on Northern, as far as Utopia.

Edited March 29, 2022 by IAlam

[MysteriousBtrain]

What I don't understand is some of the "Name Patterns". The Q48 I understand (original absorbed into the Q19/50; revamped into Q46 Glen Oaks Branch), but I personally feel the Q105 is essentially a rerouted Q100 making local stops on 31 St. Maybe the idea is to distinguish it as the Q100/102 combo.

Person I'd just either extend the Q50 back to Co-op full time or split it into a rush hr variant (perhaps Q90) between Flushing and Co-op City. But time for that may have passed. Unless.....

Calling on the Q1/Q6 split later on in the final design.

How would the layover at Jackson Hts work on the Q52/53? If they do it wrong not much is gonna change.

Split the B62 and B57 north sections into two different routes. Unless you gonna make local variants in the Brooklyn redesign.

Everything else I have no option (besides a handful of other "unnoticed" bus combos) on except readvocate resources for the QM65 back to the QM3.

Edited March 29, 2022 by MysteriousBtrain

[XcelsiorBoii4888]

1 hour ago, Cait Sith said:

You got the Q75....which basically does the Q30. Take the time to actually read through the changes and don't jump to conclusions.

He reminds me of how I think the general public will react in masses to these changes, lmaoo.

[JAzumah]

3 hours ago, checkmatechamp13 said:

From the draft plan to actual implementation is over 1 year (for the Bronx the draft plan was released August 2019 IIRC and the original implementation date was October 2020). For this, it'll be even longer considering they have to wait for the Brooklyn redesign to catch up.

They need to get all the redesigns done before implementing Congestion Pricing. It is imperative that they complete all of the redesigns and implement them by January 2023. The federal aid will give them a buffer to play with as the money can be injected anywhere.

The questions such as the B2/B100 will be answered very soon.

[Cait Sith]

The Q8 to New Lots has me wondering what's in store for the B15 when the Brooklyn Redesign comes to fruition, because that's a clear sign that the B15 is gonna get butchered. The stops removed from the Q8 actually makes sense too.

The Q109....I do like the fact that they essentially straightened out the Q41, but to send it to Pitkin to replace the Q7 and Q8...ehhh....

I still don't understand why Astoria needs that type of service to Downtown Brooklyn like that, but whatever...

They need to proofread what they write sometimes, they put the entire Q55 route as Juniper Blvd......as for the extension, I dig it.

I'm very happy that they're still going forward with the Q9 extension. That's one route folks legitimately wanted an extension for.

They actually added more stops to the Linden Blvd route....and more connections too, it now connects with the Q9 and with the Q40.

The Q54 I'm a little indifferent with, I actually liked the old plan better with having a local and limited/express/whatever variant run along the route.

The Q42, while it's a good use for the line, this is a stark example of them not knowing what to do with Jamaica Hospital now that they've straightened out the Q24. They tried it with the Q3 and the communities involved shot it down fast....

The Q17 cutback to Fresh Meadows makes a lot of sense, as ridership south of Union Turnpike is low, but the extension to College Point I'm actually intrigued with.

The Q1.....looks like they just took the QT18 design and pushed it westward. I don't see that line staying as proposed, at least the frequency increases makes up for it to an extent.

The southward and eastward extensions of the Q25 and Q65.....is clearly an example of how those people hated the first draft, now they extended those routes to compensate for the nonsense they proposed in the first draft(especially the Q25) and actually promoted connectivity...compared to the first draft.

5 minutes ago, XcelsiorBoii4888 said:

He reminds me of how I think the general public will react in masses to these changes, lmaoo.

I laughed at this much harder than I should have

[NBTA]

1 hour ago, IAlam said:

Ok so Even though the Q25/65 is the through route, the buses usually empties out in Flushing and you get a whole new batch of passengers. Routes like the Q17 and Q27 have more intermediate, from the Flushing Area (Not just station) to other parts of the neighborhood as well as Fresh Meadows. So now having them both express through the area makes it a more inconvenient for local travel. That being said, there isn't really any way of getting from the South part of Flushing to the east. Before you'd take the Q27 going via Holly, with the new route for the Q27 you'd have to go to Flushing Main st Sta and transfer. If the Q12 went to Queens College it would kill 2 birds with one stone. Lack of a south Flushing to point east connection and restore service that being gutted on Kissena from the Q17 no longer making any stops, Q27 which was diverted, and the Q34 which is eliminated. It wouldn't be for people going from Queens College to Little Neck but rather for people going to Flushing from Kissena, and for people going from points like Holly and Elder to destinations on Northern, as far as Utopia.

You know the Q25 still exists right?

The Q26/27 transfer would work well. You wouldn’t have to transfer at Flushing, as you can prolong it to Hollis Court, or you can even transfer at QCC or Bell, for the Q78 to head further south onto Springfield. 

Either way, nowadays you have to transfer between the 25/65 to get to the 27/17, or to points east on Northern with the 12/13, so, it wouldn’t change much.

[checkmatechamp13]

34 minutes ago, JAzumah said:

They need to get all the redesigns done before implementing Congestion Pricing. It is imperative that they complete all of the redesigns and implement them by January 2023. The federal aid will give them a buffer to play with as the money can be injected anywhere.

The questions such as the B2/B100 will be answered very soon.

What they should do and what they will do are unfortunately two very different things. They shouldn't have suspended the redesigns during the pandemic, but they did it anyway. Their goal is to implement the redesigns by 2026.

In any case, they could definitely use some proofreading of this draft. They say the Q78 will run 24/7 but then show the span as 4:30am - 1:30am. I'll make another post with some comments on the actual proposals.

[BM5 via Woodhaven]

I have to agree with those who say its a much better plan. I don't think this is too terrible of a plan, overall much better than the first draft. Of course there's some proposals in here that look like they were developed while on crack or something (the B53 is definitely one of them), but the overall number of them have gone down. I won't comment on every single proposal right now, but I'll comment about the ones in and around my area (Middle Village, Jackson Heights). I'm gonna say, that overnight this changes the game for me, I would have a lot of options from more  train stations to my neighborhood (or close by where I can walk it). 

Middle Village/Elmhurst:

Q11 Truncation, Q21 Enhancement, Q29 Elimination: Route wise, I'm kinda digging it, given that I've always been for boosting the Q21 and having it the sole Woodhaven Boulevard service. What I would have done differently initially was to send it via the Q38 to 99th Street and to/from Corona Plaza, but with the way they have it here, I can actually live with that. I also like that they're still providing 24-hour local service on Woodhaven Boulevard. What kinda sucks though is that the Q29 got eliminated in the process, as the Dry Harbor section does pick up decent ridership. I'm guessing that they want people to take to the Q80, or if they really need to go north of QCM, walk to Woodhaven Boulevard. 

Frequency wise (for the branches and south of Pitkin), the new Q11 looks to be a boost in service. However, I'm not a fan of the new Q21s frequencies, because with the elimination of the Q11, it's a service cut on Woodhaven Boulevard. Now, the Q11 and Q21 off peak are currently scheduled within minutes of each other (and they run every 30 minutes), which is stupid, but it seems that service will be more evenly distributed during weekdays. It does say 30 or better, but I'm not sure what that means during the day. Perhaps when I get more info on this I might be able to give a better view on this. 

Q38 Split - New Q14: Generally speaking, I like this route, it took part of the former QT82 and made it more useful. The one thing is perhaps it ending at Fresh Pond Road  , interesting what the turnaround to that would be if it's not going out to Forest Ave (in which, you might as well run it there anyways). IDK if I see Fresh Pond Depot being used as a turnaround here, lol. This has similar frequencies to the existing Q38, so the Corona portion will see a service cut. However the span is similar to the existing Q23, which means more service is being provided along Eliot Avenue at night. From the looks of that northern end, it also looks like it's trying to partially replace the Q48. 

Q38 Split - New Q38: I mean, I suppose they couldn't do much on the western end, but I would not have buses operate on Juniper Blvd South, that's only gonna increase walking time for riders. If they wanted to cut down travel time, just have buses uses Juniper Valley Road > 75th Place > Penelope Avenue.  It reduces the amount of turns needed by taking Furmanville Avenue. Or they can use 74th/75 Streets to get between Juniper Valley Road and Furmanville Avenue. On the eastern end, I would actually have the Q38 operate to/from QCM. So from 63rd Drive, I would have buses take Queens Boulevard, and then 59th Avenue. From 59th Avenue, buses would operate via 59th Ave, Junction Blvd, 62nd Drive, then continuing on to Ridegwood. In its place, I would have the Q59 serve the 62nd Drive/63rd Road segment. 

Q39, Q67 - So what they're doing is having the Q67 serve the industrial portions of the route, and the Q39 replace part of the Q67. That terminal at Grand Avenue in Maspeth is kinda odd tbh. The only part that I really have a problem with, is having 48th Avenue lose its overnight service, with Borden Avenue receiving it in its place. That's not a fair trade at all, as there's no overpasses and few stops in that area of the Q67 to begin with. At night, I would at least have the Q67 serve 48th Avenue to compensate for the Q39. 

Q47 - They're really sticking with eliminating the Calamus Avenue portion of the route, and that doesn't really sit well with me, because a good chunk of ridership comes from that discontinued segment, and it isn't like the walk to the nearest bus from there is all that close. 

This may be a compromise, but what I think could work with this route, is have the Q47 operate on Calamus Avenue until Grand Avenue, then follow a similar path to the QT80, to QCM. That way it preserves the route to Calamus Avenue, but would also provide riders a one seat ride to Grand Avenue  and QCM, which I would argue you could get more ridership that way. It would also be a shorter route. You would have the B57 north of Grand anyways, so it's not like 69th Street in that area would have no bus service. South of Grand Avenue, I guess you could have the Q18 or the Q39 (one or the other) operate down to Metropolitan Ave & Fresh Pond Road. I think I would consider the Q18 for that though.

Q52 SBS, Q53 SBS - So they're keeping the Q53 around to Jackson Heights, and extending the Q52 to Jackson Heights. I just can't agree with that. They might as well extend the Q52 SBS to Far Rockaway or something, and retain having the Q53 from Woodside. The compromise I guess to this would be to have overnight service terminate at Jackson Heights, and have people transfer to the Q70 for Woodside. Currently the runtime is close to 60 minutes long, and it would shave off a few minutes enough to be able to use half the resources for such a service. But that's about it, and I would also look to have it run as evenly far apart as possible to the Q21. 

Q58, Q98 - Route wise I think both proposals are solid, and they can work out for sure. It also provides double the overnight service, which I'm all for . I see that they choose to use 111th Street in this draft for the Q58, instead of 108th Street. If that holds, what I would like to see is a denotation on the destination sign that indicates it serving Flushing Meadows Park. My one gripe with the Q98 is that it almost makes no stops along College Point Boulevard. There should definitely be more, if it's going to replace the Q58 there. 

Q59 - Perfectly fine with rerouting away from the Williamsburg waterfront, as that whole route carried air passing through that area. I would send the Q59 via 62nd Drive/63rd Road, to/from 108th Street. 

Q60 - I would have truncated the route at the LIRR Station, or send it to Jamaica Center

Q80, Q63 merge -  Okay, so they're providing service on 80th Street with the Q80 this time around, which was cut in the first proposal. However, what planners fail to realize is that a lot of people gun the existing Q47 to Jackson Heights for the QBL express service, the , or to go shopping, to school etc.They're not necessarily looking for the nearest subway station, because if it was the case, the Q47 would not get the amount of ridership it does along 80th Street. Sending it to QCM is not a compromise either, the Q14, Q21, and Q59 would also go to QCM, faster too. 

There should still be service from 80th Street towards Jackson Heights, and there's a way to do this within this existing draft, probably while saving some money as well. Merge the Q63 with the Q80, so that 80th Street now has service to the QBL Local at Grand Ave if they want so, Elmhurst Hospital, and Jackson Heights - Roosevelt Avenue for the . 

 

Jackson Heights/Woodside:

B57 - They have this route going to 82nd Street & 37th Avenue from Downtown Brooklyn, and via Roosevelt Ave between 74th Street and 82nd Street??? Shit, LMFAO. The most I would do is end it at the 74th Street Bus Terminal, and that's it. 

Q47 - I guess I don't have too much of an issue with having buses go down 75th Street instead of 73rd Street. I just hope they reduce the runtime at night between Marine Air Terminal and Roosevelt Avenue, because buses often run early and get to Roosevelt Ave ahead of schedule. BTW, on the full map on page page 35, it shows the Q47 going to Terminal B. 

Q49 - Okay, so they heard loud and clear not to mess with this route. Looks like they threw a bone to appease folks, and both added overnight service, and extended service to 108th Street. I mean I guess the 108th Street extension is cool, the overnight service for this route I'm definitely on board with (no pun intended). The stop selection is kinda garbage, it looks like they're just selecting random stops and not actually redistributing the distances evenly between stops (which is the case on many of the other routes too). However, eliminating that 37th Avenue is not a good call, there's quite a chunk of people who get on there because of all the businesses on 37th Avenue. They're not eliminating it for the Q47, so it makes even less sense to not have the Q49 stop there. 

Q52/Q53 SBS - See my comments in the Middle Village/Elmhurst section.

Q66 - For the mileage that they have it running to Hunters Point South, I think it would have made better use sending it to Columbus Circle. The other thing I would potentially consider, is the following (although I would still prefer sending it to Columbus Circle):

• Q66 - Roosevelt Island  to Main Street via Broadway & Northern Blvd (basically the Q104 on the draft minus the Bird S. Coler deviation and 48th Street south of Northern, and the draft Q66 east of 48th Street)
• Q63 - Hunters Point South to Broadway & Northern Blvd, via Vernon Blvd, 41st Avenue, 21st Street, 35th Avenue, and Northern Blvd
• Q80 - Columbus Circle to Glendale, via 59th Street/CPS, Queensboro Bridge, Northern Blvd, Broadway, Grand Ave, and 80th Street (see my comments for this route in the Middle Village section)
• B104 - Broadway & Northern to Williamsburg Bridge Plaza (the 48th Street segment of the Q104, plus the B53 route between WBP and Sunnyside)
• Q105 gets extended to/from Hunters Point South via Jackson Avenue (daytime hours only). 
• WBP - Broadway Junction service would be reevaluated and/or left for the Brooklyn bus redesign (IMO that part was unnecessary)

There would have to be some reroute through Queens Boulevard with the B104 proposal. 

Express

QM1, QM5, QM6 - They're retaining more off-peak service here, which is cool, but there's really no need to have the QM1, QM5, and QM6 all running off-peak, in the way they do. Rough projections, but it looks like they'll need 2 buses for the QM1, 3 buses for the QM5 and QM6 given the headways. If that's the case, you might as well run the QM5 and QM6 as proposed hourly, and maybe have the QM5 make stops along Horace Harding to get more riders (and the QM6 as is). You wouldn't need more buses to make the extra stops, so that's kinda puzzling. Also it's not like they have the QM1 making stops on Queens Boulevard either, like they did with the QM7. 

QM7/QM11 Combo, New QM11 (Basically Downtown QM12 variant) - Route wise, the QM11 has pretty decent loads, especially in the AM, so having the QM7 essentially make QM11 stops, with the existing headways, is not gonna fly by. Sure most riders in Fresh Meadows will go for the QM8, and the QM7 won't serve LeFrak City, but you would have to improve the headways on that route. Additionally, having the QM7 making stops on Queens Boulevard is gonna run up the travel time, by how much is the question. If there were expanded bus/HOV lanes on the LIE as part of this proposal , perhaps I could see this being more feasible in terms of runtime. The one positive of the this proposal, is that the Queens Boulevard segment would have more Downtown service (and more frequent service too). 

I would need to see how that new QM11 route performs, since its' banking on LeFrak City and areas of Forest Hills along the QM12 (which IDK if they want Downtown service or not).  

Downtown Expresses Stopping at 34th Street & 1st Avenue - Overall I suppose it isn't a bad idea, it wouldn't eat up a lot of extra time to begin with. Unless you're a QM7/QM8 rider headed to a Union Turnpike stop, in which case that may be a bit rough with the added stops. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by BM5 via Woodhaven

[IAlam]

26 minutes ago, NBTA said:

You know the Q25 still exists right?

The Q26/27 transfer would work well. You wouldn’t have to transfer at Flushing, as you can prolong it to Hollis Court, or you can even transfer at QCC or Bell, for the Q78 to head further south onto Springfield. 

Either way, nowadays you have to transfer between the 25/65 to get to the 27/17, or to points east on Northern with the 12/13, so, it wouldn’t change much.

Q25 is only a north south route that is not getting any major buff in service to account for the loss of all the other routes in the area. (Specifically referring to SOUTH of FLUSHING) Q27 was an east to west route that also served the south of Flushing but is now being diverted. To make up for the loss of frequency and a one seat ride, IMO the Q12 should go beyond Sanford and Terminate near Queens College. This also creates new connections for people that are traveling within the neighborhood as now you can go from and area like Kissena to Murray Hill without transferring.  

[B35 via Church]

LMFAO at that new Q1... Instead of getting rid of this f***ing thing b/c it's so redundant to the Q43, they have this new Q1 being a LTD only route, taking over most of the Q6 (of all things) & acting as a pseudo complement to the proposed Q43 - which will be one of those purple routes (given the extension to LIJ, as was proposed in the first draft for that QT36)... This Q43 proposal is basically an n26 from LIJ, extended over to LIRR Jamaica (pxretty sure NICE will be pleased with this one... haha)... Their QT20 was one of the better proposals in the first draft, but since that QT68 was abominable, they did away with that & reverted the Q3 (which reflects the recent extension to Lefferts AIRTrain)....

Also LMFAO at that B53.... That shit has fail written ALL over it, for a few reasons.... For one, turning that portion of the B32 (the waterfront) over the B24 Greenpoint spur will be futile, as the people coming off the that take B32's or B62's over there around Vernon-Jackson subway are largely coming from Manhattan, not from points east... As for running a route clear along Broadway, well, looks like I can look forward to all B46 service being cut back to Dekalb (in other words, the B46 local being eliminated)....

That proposed Q8 is going to carry heav(ier), running to New Lots , instead of Gateway Mall... MUCH better improvement than leaving 101st with only 2 f***ing stops...

I may comment on some of the other changes some other time (esp. if the discussions here progresses/amplifies), as right this second, I'm simply not in the mood to.... What I will say is (even though I'm still not in favor of the whole, one route only being one service type bit) this is infact an improvement to the first draft...

50 minutes ago, Cait Sith said:

The Q8 to New Lots has me wondering what's in store for the B15 when the Brooklyn Redesign comes to fruition, because that's a clear sign that the B15 is gonna get butchered. The stops removed from the Q8 actually makes sense too.

I still don't understand why Astoria needs that type of service to Downtown Brooklyn like that, but whatever...

I'm very happy that they're still going forward with the Q9 extension. That's one route folks legitimately wanted an extension for.

The Q17 cutback to Fresh Meadows makes a lot of sense, as ridership south of Union Turnpike is low, but the extension to College Point I'm actually intrigued with.

- Unfortunately, I think they're going to go ahead with extending the B35 to JFK via Church & via Linden (where Church meets Linden, over there by the popeyes)....

- Hell, I'd split that B62... I still think the B32 should run to Astoria, from WBP... It appears they're about to give up on the B32.... Oh well.

- I still would've liked to have seen the Q9 get extended to Lefferts AIRTrain, but it's clear that the potential for that route south of Rockaway Blvd. has been palpable for literally decades now....

- Cutting the Q17 back from Jamaica to have it take on Q25 passengers b/w College Point & Flushing is pretty smart..... THIS is how you effectively piece a puzzle together (so to speak)...The only thing I don't concur with, regarding the proposed Q17, is that it's using Kissena to run nonstop on (if it's going to run nonstop)... It may as well stay on Main to HHE instead (I would add a stop at HHE/Main in the process)....

Edited March 30, 2022 by B35 via Church

[Lex]

The Q1/Q6 combo is really weird and one I definitely don't see working if they eschew the Q6 short-turns.

I'd definitely prefer running the Q7 to the Crescent Street station.

They're still insisting on that Q10/Q64 combo, the purpose of which is transparent in its opacity.

I'm not really seeing how the Q12/Q13 swap helps.

Look at that hodgepodge known as the Q14! I hope it works significantly better than I expect.

Sure, turning that rerouted Q19 in Flushing to any appreciable degree would be a real pain in the ass, but that doesn't stop the tacked-on Q15A from being just that.

I guess not having the Q20 plunge deep into Jamaica isn't the worst thing, but would it kill them to at least run it to Jamaica Hospital (if not to the LIRR station or Jamaica Center)?

I really hope Q21 frequencies will be high enough to cover the gaps that would be left without the Q11 (speaking of which, that's been reduced to a glorified shuttle running at individual frequencies that are all-too-likely comparable to the S58, at best).

How distinguishable is that Q22's eastern terminus from the middle of nowhere?

I can't say I'm too keen on the Q25 proposal (what even is that northern terminus?), but at least Merrick Boulevard makes more sense here than it did with that stupid QT18.

They actually decided to try to restore at least some of the Q26's former glory while still truncating the Q27 (albeit with the latter serving that little pocket of Oakland Gardens, so that's good, I guess).

Perhaps that proposed Q31 will work. It's certainly helping to close glaring coverage gaps.

I seriously get the impression that the rationale for the Q35's shift is "straighter = faster", which is especially ludicrous because the part of the route that drags its performance down is the part that's not changing (Flatbush Avenue, lost stops aside).

Can I just say how hilarious the proposed Q16 and Q38 look, given how they've been truncated?

While I find the Q51 to have wider stop spacing than I'd like, I'd still consider it a marked improvement over the QT7.

As much as I don't like the proposed Q53 losing Woodside, I can't refute the reasoning for that change, especially with the Q70 also using artics. At least the Q52 has better route parity with the Q53 without cutting SBS service back to QCM (schedule parity, on the other hand...).

That Q57 will still have to contend with Liberty Avenue, no matter how easily it can get through Jamaica. I'd still watch to see if this gets split to spare Jamaica Avenue/Jericho Turnpike.

Color me surprised that the Q60 is still planned to serve South Jamaica.

The thing that pisses me off about the Q61 is that the MTA is still trying to put as little service as possible on Willets Point Boulevard, which is exacerbated by the QM20 proposal. The route itself is fine, but the service quality? That's less funny than making a joke about bald heads at the expense of someone with alopecia.

I'm not sure how I feel about that Q63. As for that Q66, well, I guess it could work.

They got really cute with the Q73, Q80, and Q109's names.

I don't understand why the Q75 isn't a green or red route, given how pathetically short its "dash" segment is.

I think the one thing that would make the Q77 proposal better (along with the Q25 and Q78 proposals) is to reinstate the Springfield Gardens station.

Thanks to the Q26 and Q77 proposals, the Q78's route slots in reasonably well. I can't figure out what the service span is supposed to be, given the conflicting information.

Using the Q65 so the Q83 can blaze by most of the stops doesn't exactly seem like a recipe for success, but we'll see what ultimately happens in the coming handful of years (it may not survive all the way to the implementation of the final draft).

JFC, that B53. Why the hell would anyone think combining the Greenpoint Avenue leg of the B24 and most of the B32 with a Broadway bus down to Broadway Junction would be a good idea? I'd sooner make the Broadway bus an extended B39 and keep the B53 as that Greenpoint Avenue/B32 combo.

[Cait Sith]

10 minutes ago, IAlam said:

Q25 is only a north south route that is not getting any major buff in service to account for the loss of all the other routes in the area. (Specifically referring to SOUTH of FLUSHING) Q27 was an east to west route that also served the south of Flushing but is now being diverted. To make up for the loss of frequency and a one seat ride, IMO the Q12 should go beyond Sanford and Terminate near Queens College. This also creates new connections for people that are traveling within the neighborhood as now you can go from and area like Kissena to Murray Hill without transferring.  

Well, at least off-peak Q25 frequency would improve to an extent, that kinda helps. With the whole "10 minutes or better" shtick, I can't see it being 10 minutes altogether honestly.

But, we all know that residents will definitely raise hell for an alternate service. They basically pushed the Merrick Blvd ideas from the old draft to Flushing in the new draft to a certain degree.

4 minutes ago, B35 via Church said:

LMFAO at that new Q1... Instead of getting rid of this f***ing thing b/c it's so redundant to the Q43, they have this new Q1 being a LTD only route, taking over most of the Q6 (of all things) & acting as a pseudo complement to the proposed Q43 - which will be one of those purple routes (given the extension to LIJ, as was proposed in the first draft for that QT36)... This Q43 proposal is basically an n26 from LIJ, extended over to LIRR Jamaica (pxretty sure NICE will be pleased with this one... haha)... Their QT20 was one of the better proposals in the first draft, but since that QT68 was abominable, they did away with that & reverted the Q3 (which reflects the recent extension to Lefferts AIRTrain)....

Also LMFAO at that B53.... That shit has fail written ALL over it, for a few reasons.... For one, turning that portion of the B32 (the waterfront) over the B24 Greenpoint spur will be futile, as the people coming off the that take B32's or B62's over there around Vernon-Jackson subway are largely coming from Manhattan, not from the Flushing end... Well, looks like I can look forward to all B46 service being cut back to Dekalb (in other words, the B46 local being eliminated)....

That proposed Q8 is going to carry heav(ier), running to New Lots , instead of Gateway Mall... MUCH better improvement than leaving 101st with only 2 f***ing stops...

I may comment on some of the other changes some other time (esp. if the discussions here progresses/amplifies), as right this second, I'm simply not in the mood to.... What I will say is (even though I'm still not in favor of the whole, one route only being one service type bit) this is infact an improvement to the first draft...

I think they're going to go ahead with extending the B35 to JFK via Church & via Linden (where Church meets Linden, over there by the popeyes)....

I would split that B62... I still think the B32 should run to Astoria, from WBP... It appears they're about to give up on the B32.... Oh well.

I still would've liked to have seen the Q9 get extended to Lefferts AIRTrain, but it's clear that the potential for that route south of Rockaway Blvd. has been palpable for literally decades now....

Cutting the Q17 back from Jamaica to have it take on Q25 passengers b/w College Point & Flushing is pretty smart..... THIS is how you effectively piece a puzzle together...The only thing I don't like about the proposed Q17 is that it's using Kissena to run nonstop on (if it's going to run nonstop)... It may as well stay on Main to HHE (I would add a stop at HHE/Main instead)....

The B32 makes too much sense to run to Astoria....gotta remember who are the ones concocting these schemes lol.

The Q9 would work out at JFK in the long run from a logistical and ridership standpoint....there's already a high number of riders that take the Q9 to the local Q10 and vice-versa. With the redevelopment of the Airport, I would think it's a matter of space. As much as I hated the idea of Federal Circle being a terminal for MTA Buses(especially with the lack of space), sending the Q9 there wouldn't be that bad actually...it would be a much better use of Federal Circle than that QT68 abomination.

For those that are interested, here's the remix maps.

Local

Express

[7-express]

For NE Queens local buses:

Q16 - Weird start point at Fowler/College Point Blvd that will get bogged down in traffic there.  Also pointless to stub end it at Francis Lewis Blvd when it should just continue north to either Fort Totten or Powells Cove, especially since the Q61/62 have trash frequencies/service spans.

Q17 / 27 to College Point - Seems like an okay idea but I'm not sure how big of a deal will the loss of Jamaica service be

Q19 - Combining it with the Q15/15A is a decent idea

Q20 - Extension up 154 St to the current Q15 terminal is not bad but at the expense of College Point and 20 Ave service might not be so good.

Q25 - Why do they keep insisting on terminating at the College Point Multiplex/NY Times Plant?  This was in the in the old draft plan and it's pretty useless to stub end there instead of somewhere further north like the 20th Ave shopping center or somewhere else in College Point

Q61 - Good idea to have bus service along Willets Point Blvd but the terrible service span and frequency will kill the line.  Needs to change if they're going to axe local Q16 service to Flushing.  Also might not be a suitable replacement for the Q34, as there are a lot of school kids who take take it from 149 St to Mitchell-Linden, unless the plan on adding special school runs.

Q62 - Laughable weekend/off-peak service frequency that will doom the line.  Also not sure what benefit this routing has over the Q16 besides slightly faster service along Northern.

Q76 - Having this as the only service along 20 Ave is a bad idea for the shopping center there, especially with the proposed frequency.  There's plenty of people buying stuff and heading south along the current Q20A, which would now require a transfer.

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by 7-express

[Eric B]

For the Cipher-zone (the invisible hole smack in the middle of the city), the best thing is the Q14 via Eliot, but it still only goes to Fresh Pond/Putnam, not Ridgewood terminal. Also, the 55 finally going all the way into Jamaica, and the 47 coming down to Metropolitan and Fresh Pond.

Most everything else is still the same isolation (either by stopping short of connections, or just tortuously winding indirect routes).

They swapped the 39 and 67 east of 48th, but still have the 39 taking the ridiculously long angled route through 100% industrial areas between 48th and Rust. It sould stay on Rust to 48th, and move the 67 to 55th Ave. and drop the under the BQE section.
I see they also ditched the 59th/60th shortcut (some kinds at the last hearing were saying they couldn;t make the turns, but I think they should really consider doing something about that, and keep it off fresh Pond). 
If that weren't bad enough, when swinging over from Forest to Fresh Pond, it doesn;t even take the ovious direct path on Eliot, like the 39 does, but stays on Metropolitan to the hard left turn incredibly busy intersection with Fresh Pond. Are they kidding? They're making things worse!

The 18 is straightened along 65th, but still doesn't come down past Grand.

The 73 still ends on the 23 loop on Union Tpk, and doesn;t go the severl blocks to Myrtle!

The 58 now takes Roosevelt instead of Horace Harding,which is slightly more direct, but turns off before reaching the intesection with Main, and ends up using the same loop several blocks away. They should have it turn from Roosevelt onto Main (which is no turns except buses), then end on the loop.

I think the 98 at least (or something going across to Flushing) should use Eliot. Grand and Corona is just too long, winding, busy and narrow.

The expresses are all unchanged, going 2 miles past Maspeth to Rego Park, to come all the way back to Fresh Pond. The exit in Maspeth is one mile from Fresh Pond @ Eliot, and this is stretched to four miles, half of which on the slow packed LIE! This to-scale map shows how utterly ridiculous it looks. Of the three expresses they have now, can't at least ONE of them go direct, using the Maurice Av.  exit?

[GojiMet86]

Q39 - Good idea to have this line (or maybe another line) cover Vernon with connections to both Queensbridge and Court Square. Almost all riders north and south of Queensbridge were using the Q103 for the station.

Q68 - Can't speak much about the Brooklyn portion of it, don't know enought of the B24. The Steinway portion is fine; I will miss the one-seat ride to 2nd Avenue, it's been very useful over the years.

Q69 - The extension to Hunters Point has been growing on me for a while. It has heavier ridership at Queensbridge than at Queens Plaza, and it still manages to serve Court Square while also serving a growing neighborhood.

Q105 - It manages to combine two lower ridership corridors/bases (the Q102 on 31st Street and the Q101 on Upper Steinway). If Rikers is indeed planned to closed, it'll probably be cut back to 19th Avenue. OR maybe have it (or the Q68) turn left on 20th Avenue and towards the river. The 20/30 minute frequencies do seem in line. I do wonder if it should be extended to Manhattan as a replacement for the Q101, I would think ridership would be the same.

B62 - A service running from Hallets Cove on 21st Street is a good idea, but the B62 is getting really stretched out at this point, might as well have the B32, Q39 via 21st instead, or a new line instead.

[EastFlatbushLarry]

2 hours ago, B35 via Church said:

As for running a route clear along Broadway, well, looks like I can look forward to all B46 service being cut back to Dekalb

glad someone else pointed it out. can't get something "new" without chopping away at the old. I guess the woodhull nurses & hha's that work north of DeKalb will be overjoyed with the fact that no matter what, it'll be a 2 bus ride to reach Bushwick/Williamsburg via Utica/Malcom X Blvd. that layover area for the 46sbs is already a mess (with or without artics) hell, back in the day, it was a zoo for the 46 LTD/local short signs, i can't imagine trying to turn back all 46 service at DeKalb unless there's a fulton street short sign or they go full nuclear and short turn even more buses at eastern pkwy. anyway, that B53 on paper is an absolute joke: northern leg of the 24 + the 32 + some ADA substitute for the via a full broadway bus line = trash. i can't imagine that line ever being on time the way traffic on Broadway has deteriorated over the past several years. 

 

2 hours ago, Lex said:

I really hope Q21 frequencies will be high enough to cover the gaps that would be left without the Q11

THIS. it really seems like they're going to attempt to do the bare minimum headway on this one, aside from 24/7 services and extending it to 82nd street at worst, a line like this should have 10-12 minute headways to provide clean-up duty for the sbs52/53.

 

2 hours ago, Lex said:

I seriously get the impression that the rationale for the Q35's shift is "straighter = faster", which is especially ludicrous because the part of the route that drags its performance down is the part that's not changing (Flatbush Avenue, lost stops aside)

yeah, I've often thought about what exactly can be done with the 35 to get itself away from the parking lot that is flatbush avenue (which used to be an issue during rush hours, now off-peak there seems to be problems getting thru that area around flatbush depot) i honestly want a reroute off flatbush via fillmore/gerritsen/Nostrand since after all, the purpose of the Q35 is not to provide alternate service for the B41, but to get customers to the as efficiently as possible which isn't currently happening via Flatbush Avenue

2 hours ago, Lex said:

How distinguishable is that Q22's eastern terminus from the middle of nowhere?

over the past almost 3 years I've been utilizing the 22 more frequently than I ever have and i have noticed that a significant amount of employees at the various 5 towns stores live in the rockaways, and I'm talking about from hammels, arverne & edgemere. that current set up of trying to catch the 113/114 off the hope that the 22 is on time is annoying to be polite. this is why the dollar vans clean up the way they do from beach 90 to beach 20. so for me, any attempt to offset the dollar vans and actually help a sizeable employee base at 5 towns is somewhat admirable on transit's behalf. at least they didn't attempt to extend the 113 or 114 to edgemere or hammels. 

Edited March 30, 2022 by EastFlatbushLarry

[Mtatransit]

Overall a much better plan than the previous version

Q49: Glad they are keeping this route intact. Although some of the stop removals are questionable. Going northbound most of the boardings occur at 74th Term and 37th Ave, no idea why they would eliminate that stop. I can see the 35th/74th go, however. Because this is a neighborhood route, they didn't need to cut stops like that, because, after a certain threshold, passengers will just opt to walk to the instead. 

Also, I am not sure they needed to extend this route along Astoria Blvd either, if it was up to me, I would just end it at that burger king at 92nd and Astoria. Buses are empty on Astoria anyways. Also, what's with the move from 32 Avenue to 31st Ave, what difference does that make?

Q66: Glad they are straightening this route out, though I am skeptical about the ridership west of the Home Depot on Northern Blvd. Most ridership west of 35th Ave either came from 31 street or got on at 21 street Queensbridge station heading somewhere along 21 Street, but never further into Jackson Heights. By cutting off 35th Avenue, now you are relying on ridership along N Blvd and Queens Plaza, which I predict will be abysmal. Riders from LIC /Hunters Points area are more likely headed to Manhattan, or even Brooklyn than out east to Jackson heights/Woodside. I would end most service at Woodside/51 street or Steinway/Northern Blvd, and run every other trip to LIC/Queens Plaza via Northern

They removed a lot of stops along this route which is highly annoying even before the redesign. After 108th Street, the next stop is 102nd Street, and similarly, after 89th St, the next stop is Junction Blvd. These are subway stopping distances. I can understand having a bus every 3-4 blocks, but every 6-7 blocks are way too far for unreliable bus service.

Q19: I don't mind the consolidation with the Q15 bus, but it's highly annoying in that instead of going via Northern Blvd after 114th and essentially running express to Flushing, buses will have to detour down via 108th and Roosevelt. I would keep the bus on Astoria to Main Street and run it south to Sanford, and north on 149th Street. There will most likely be 100% turnover along Main Street anyway, so it wouldn't impact most passengers. Or at least do what the Q50 is doing in that area, which is to turn onto 126th.

That being said with this combination, no more of the Q15A trying to fit down the side streets in Beechhurst 

Q39/67: Pretty smart thing they did there, cut the Q39 overnight, detach the current overnight ridership portion and hand it over to the Q67. Sunnyside will lose overnight service, however, most of it is walkable to , and most of the industrial portions/FedEx/UPS warehouses will maintain their overnight service for early shift workers, as well as Ridgewood passengers 

Astoria: I will still maintain my stance that there is simply too much service serving this portion of Queens. Other than 21 Street, Astoria/the neighborhood doesn't utilize the buses, and with the development/gentrification of the area, I expected it to have even less usage in the future. 

Q105/Q68: I don't feel like the Q105 needed to exist at all, the Q68 can be extended to Rikers and rerouted to Ditmars to service the 20th Ave - subway passengers. There should also be some short turns on this route serving only the Sunnyside - Astoria portion of the route. Traffic on the BQE could be horrific. That being said, good idea on paper, but the demographics living in that area will most likely continue to pile onto the  

Q104: Glad they are trying something to make this route work because currently, it doesn't work. I could've swore most of the ridership along this route is along 48th Street heading to the (and not a lot of ridership). Extending to Roosevelt Island will add "some" ridership headed to Queens but it will overall continue to be a very low ridership route 

Broadway (Elmhurst corridor)- This corridor will be way overserved with the extension of the Q52 to 74th Street. They should've just left the Q52 at Hoffman/QCM and scheduled it correctly with the Q53, this way both Woodhaven buses will not be bogged down by double parking/traffic along Broadway. 

Q63 On top of the Q52/Q53, you have the Q63 going along Broadway as well. I don't see the point of the Q63 traveling anywhere south of the 74th Street terminal. I am struggling to understand what ridership the Q63 will be trying to serve. Maybe 35th Av to the and Broadway between 51 street and 74th Street - QBL Express? I think the only thing it would accomplish is siphoning some ridership off the Q18 in that area 

Q58/Q98: Love this idea. There is a significant portion of passengers getting on at Grand Avenue/Newtown station heading into Flushing. This should alleviate the overcrowding of the Q58. it will also add some room for Newtown HS Students getting onto the Q58

Q32: I wonder why they didn't reroute this bus to Columbus Circle, it would connect to most subway lines as a crosstown route. Is it to serve the elderly population which relies on this route? Also, there is no point in having this route continue past 74th/Broadway as well. I rather have the Q21 terminate at 81 St/Broadway instead, to provide JH passengers with a one-seat ride to QCM

Q72: Called it, it always made more sense to reroute this to QCM to provide additional connections to other bus lines versus staying at Rego Park. Probably adds significantly more runtime due to the traffic in the area, but I think it's worth it. 

Q21/11- As I said above, I would prefer if they extended the Q21 up to Northern/83 Street. On Woodhaven, while I understand their reasoning for cutting the Q11 to the Rockaway blvd  , it still represents a cut in capacity for Woodhaven locals. not that the current service is scheduled any better as you have the Q21/11 leaving 10 minutes apart on service every 30 minutes.  

Q47: Central Terminal? 

On that note I much rather they keep the Q47 on 80th Street/Calamus instead of running it along 80th St since they have the B57 there anyways. Riders use that route from Calamus/80th as a residential route to connect with the QB Express (similar to those in JH). I am okay with them rerouting them on Woodside Ave. The tradeoff for that is a loss of direct one-seat ride from Middle Village to Elmhurst/JH and replacing the Q80

B57: I wonder why this bus is extended to 83rd Street/37 Avenue like that, no layover room at the 74th Street terminal? 

Q25: LOL they are ending this route in front of CP depot or something? I originally thought extending it to 20 Ave shopping corridor would be a good idea, but thinking about it now, most of the stores there are also available at Skyview in Flushing

Q17/27/25/34- Interesting move they are attempting here. Currently, All these routes are competing for the same passengers heading down Kissena Blvd today, so I understand their reasoning for rerouting the Q27 off Kissena and running the Q17 permanently as an express to provide faster service for passengers heading into Fresh Meadows

For Q27, agreed with them splitting up the service, the ridership based south of LIE/HHE and Springfield is completely different from the ridership north of it.

Q76: Wonder why they can't extend the Q76 into College point proper to where the Q20 terminates. Would provide CP direct access to the shopping centers on 20th Avenue

Q22: Another smart move, they reduced the service serving Neposit by combing the Q35 and Q22 service onto the Q35, and utilize the savings to extend the Q22 into Five Towns Shopping Center, where many Rockaways residents go to shop.

Q43: NICE bus will be really happy, because they can officially cut the entire n26, saving Nassau taxpayers money and passing it to NYC taxpayers

Q4: Same deal here, NICE will probably find a way to reduce/cut the n1. Maybe end it at Elmont at all times? TBH that route should go to Jamaica at all times.

 

Express bus: Wow, QM3 is gone, all weekend service is now every 90 minutes, all routing is via LIE... I believe operators should have MORE discretion in which routing they can take instead of less

 

Also I wonder how will the divisions be affected with this redesign. Which will be MTA Bus which will be NYCT? The city still writes a blank check each year for MTAB routes, so I would imagine the MTA will have a financial incentive to classify as many routes as possible to MTAB? Not sure how it would work there

 

Edited March 30, 2022 by Mtatransit