Queens Community Board 12 hosts bus redesign forum tonight

Southeast Queens bus riders are invited to attend a forum tonight to discuss the proposed Queens Bus Redesign Plan. Photo by Marc A. Hermann / MTA New York City Transit.

By Jonathan Sperling

Bus riders in Southeast Queens will have a chance to weigh in on the MTA’s proposed Queens Bus Network Redesign plan at a forum hosted at Community Board 12 tonight.

Community members are invited to attend the forum, which will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the York College Faculty Dining Hall (94-20 Guy R. Brewer Blvd.), to give their feedback on what will eventually be the largest bus redesign in North America.

An array of area elected officials, including Councilmembers I. Daneek Miller, Donovan Richards and Adrienne Adams; U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks; State Sen. Leroy Comrie; and Assemblymembers Vivian Cook, Alicia Hyndman and Clyde Vanel will also give remarks. A question and answer session with the MTA and Department of Transportation will also be available.

Southeast Queens residents have historically taken issue with the area’s bus service, specifically in regard to frequency of service, hours of service and bus bunching. Much of the area’s neighborhoods are entirely dependent on bus service for public transportation for connection to subway hubs.

The MTA stated in its proposed redesign plan that Jamaica especially suffers from traffic congestion, slowing down service and making bus arrivals more unreliable. For Southeast Queens residents in particular, the MTA’s plan suggests better interborough connections between the area and the Bronx, as well as Brooklyn.