MTA Bus Plan is Deficient

Dear Editor:

Regarding your 12/19/24 article, “MTA Releases Final Plan Addendum for Queens Buses,” the MTA continues to mislead. What they say: More reliable service, faster travel, better connections and simplified service. MTA chairman Janno Lieber stated that riders need a system that fits today’s needs that will increase bus speeds and fills gaps in the network providing faster commutes.

The reality: The MTA is not listening to its riders. They originally proposed to eliminate over 1,400 bus stops. As a result of nearly 3,300 signatures on Change.org (https://www.change.org/p/mta-oppose-the-mta-s-plan-to-eliminate-bus-stops ) from those against massive bus stop elimination, they now propose to eliminate over 1,700 bus stops in addition to those already eliminated bringing the number closer to 1,800. They also have to be painstakingly manually counted by route since the MTA will not divulge the number up front.

In Rockaway, the communities of Neponsit and Belle Harbor have continually opposed the rerouting of the Q35 from Newport Avenue to Rockaway Beach Boulevard for close to ten years when it was first proposed, long before the current study began. Coupled with removing every other bus stop, walking distances to and from the Q35 will increase to beyond a half mile for some. The MTA is choosing to ignore domestic bus stop distance standards of 1/4 mile to the closest bus stop in favor of following European standards with some having to walk 3/4 mile to and from the closest bus stop, making the system less attractive.

The MTA has provided zero proof that eliminating bus stops will increase bus speeds, reliability or will provide faster commutes, but it will be a great inconvenience to anyone with a mobility problem especially in inclement weather. Your chance of missing the next bus is also increased while you are walking further.

When you can currently travel within Rockaway with one bus using the Q22, how is requiring two buses to make the same trip considered an improvement? The Final Plan Addendum does not even list where new free transfers will be provided to avoid payment of additional fares. Why should these be provided after people start complaining? The list needs to be made available now to assure it is complete. They also need to be publicized so that future riders know where they exist. That has never been done.

Adding nine routes does not equate with more service. That would be indicated by additional revenue route miles and hours, and those are being decreased. The $30,000 additional per year goes to more inefficient increased non-revenue miles (i.e., buses not in service). Many gaps in the route network remain unfilled requiring three or four buses to make many trips.

The redesign plan was supposed to reimagine the system. It fails in that attempt. Many service gaps still exist that are easy to remedy, but the MTA refuses to provide the needed amount of service, being concerned more with minimizing their losses and not seeing the potential for new riders by providing additional service.

A 20-minute car ride between Sheepshead Bay and Rockaway will still require three buses and a double fare and take up to two hours. Many other trips will still require three buses, and some will require more connections to complete their trip under the plan.

I proposed a new local route from Rockaway to the Sheepshead Bay Station that the MTA has refused to provide. It could operate from Riis Park via the Marine Park Bridge and Belt Parkway using an exclusive bus lane on the shoulder and could be made in about 20 minutes. (Some minor improvements to the shoulder would be required. The bus also could use the service road when traffic is heavy.) Coupled with a free parking area in the Riis Park parking lot, this route would be heavily used and would cut commute times to Manhattan. In the summer, the route could be extended to Beach 116th Street and would be a boon to the Rockaway economy, encouraging new beachgoers providing relief to the overcrowded Q35. Isn’t that what we want from a redesign of the bus system? Rockaway’s elected officials need to support this proposal before the Brooklyn study is finalized.

Remember in 2017 when the MTA promised the Q52 and Q53 SBS would provide up to 30 percent faster commutes? Commutes were only initially 3% faster and only if you traveled three miles or more. After the Woodhaven Blvd. speed limit was lowered from 35 to 25 mph, SBS trips are now slower than the Limited they replaced. So why should we now believe MTA promises of better service, improved connections and faster commutes?

In short, while the plan may have a few pluses, it has many more negatives. Queens deserves better.

Allan Rosen

(The writer is a former director of MTA New York City Transit Bus Planning with three decades of experience in transportation and a master’s degree in urban planning.)