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Simon Says

New MTA Bus redesign plan is a disaster in the making


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Residents of Rockaway, Broad Channel and Breezy Point get the short end of the stick. Working people including union construction workers, nurses, domestic aides, and high and college students who use the bus daily will lose the service they depend on. 

The PS47 students who need the bus to get to their temporary location at the old Stella Maris site will lose their service. There is no plan for adding service for the thousands of visitors who use the Q53 to get to the beach at Beach 116th Street. We are the jewel of the east coast and people love our beaches.

It is unacceptable to have to get off the Q52 on Beach 90th Street and transfer to the Q22. The reduction of the Q22 service from every 7 to 10 minutes to 20 minutes is unacceptable. Cutting off service west of Beach 116th Street is unacceptable. Moving the Q 35 from Newport Avenue to overcrowded Rockaway Beach Boulevard is unnecessary and will delay service. Elimination of the Beach 169th Street stop will cut off Breezy Point residents from bus service or require them to walk to the stop at Riis Park.

There may be other problems that will affect your ride. Please read the plan on the MTA website, new.mta.info/queensbusredesign Assemblywoman Stacy Pheffer Amato has asked that you give her specific problems with the plan. Call her office at 718-945-9550. Ask for Daniel. Send an email describing your problem to amatos@nyassembly.gov

There will be a public MTA meeting on Wed. February 5 from 6:30 to 8:30 PM at the RISE Building 58-03 Rockaway Beach Blvd.. (old firehouse). This location is unacceptable for west end residents and nearby parking is limited if we have a good turnout. If everyone who is affected by this foolish redesign turns out we can force them to junk the plan and start over.

We all want to have bus service that will allow us to leave our cars at home and have a quick, safe ride to our destination. This plan goes in the wrong direction. It will make our daily transit hassle into a nightmare. There will be a number of pubic meetings. Make sure you show up and voice your objections until we are sure that they bury this plan.

This should be a priority for each of the candidates for Borough President. We need action, not lip service. The election of a new Queens Borough President has been set for March 24. I have been working closely with Joe Nocerino is the current Transportation Director a Borough Hall. I have reached the MTA and our local elected officials, Assemblywoman Stacy Pheffer Amato, State Senator Joe Addabbo, and Councilman Eric Ulrich. 

We must keep the pressure on them and on ourselves and other bus riders to keep showing at all meetings and hearings until we win. In unity there is strength. We did it before and we will do it again.

Other problems noted is the loss of service on Q53 to the major transit hub at Roosevelt Ave and 75 Street where riders can transfer to other buses and trains including the LIRR. Many local union workers use this route to transfer to the Q 70 to get to their jobs at the LAG Airport reconstruction. Service must be available to match their work schedule. The Q52 will begin and end at Queens Center at Woodhaven and Queens Blvd with no stop at Pitkin Ave.

Winning these fights for our community is why I love to be a District Leader. We can only win with the involvement of every bus rider. You can reach me at 718-945-1216.

 

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