MTA Bus Co. VP Defends Q60 Changes

The loss of Q60 bus stops across Queens Boulevard has prompted a strong reaction from pols and residents alike, prompting MTA officials to defend the move at Board 6's Dec. 10 meeting.

MTA Bus Company Vice President of Operations Norman Silverman addressed the removal of over 20 stops in both directions along the bus route, which stretches from Jamaica to Midtown Manhattan largely via Queens Boulevard.

According to Silverman, the bus stops were taken away as part of an aggressive bus stop revision program throughout the city which has led to the removal of over 400 bus stops on various routes boroughwide.

"Stops were simply placed too close together, especially on long routes such as the Q60," Silverman stated, "which runs over 10 1/2 miles."

MTA regulations state that bus stops should be at least 750 feet apart; the private bus lines, which the MTA took over in 2004, did not adhere to these same regulations, Silverman stated, and many stops are much closer together than 750 feet, affecting the bus route's travel speed and reliability.

"These revisions were made not to inconvenience people but to strike a balance between the number of stops that we have, the travel speed and the reliability of the bus route," Silverman told the crowd. "The change was really relatively small."

Koslowitz takes a ride

Deputy Borough President Karen Koslowitz told Silverman that she had recently traveled the Q60 "from the first stop to the last stop and back" for research into the issue.

She thanked MTA Bus for reinstating a stop at 70th Road, but noted that the loss of a westbound bus stop on 62nd Avenue, close to the Queens Center Mall, causes a severe safety hazard for pedestrian traffic.

Straphangers could be forced to cross the Long Island Expressway to get to the mall, she noted, and the ongoing construction of a new shopping center housing Century 21 could exacerbate the situation.

She was told in response that the stop was unsafe for bus drivers, who were forced to cut across two lanes of traffic immediately after stopping.

Board 6 Chairman Joseph Hennessy countered that there are no records of accidents taking place at that location.

At 39th Place

While she had the opportunity, Koslowitz also brought up a complaint from Community Board 2.

An eastbound bus stop on 39th Place in Sunnyside was also removed, she noted; that bus stop was the closest one to Sunnyside Community Services, which provides assistance to area seniors.

Silverman, aware of the issue, noted that the next stop is 70 feet away. While Koslowitz noted that for seniors in the area, "70 extra feet is a lot," the MTA Bus employee told her that if 70 feet is an issue, "we have very little to pursue."

Katz, others weigh in

City Council Member Melinda Katz told Silverman that "you have to talk to the community boards and the Council members and the people that actually represent the area that know what affect the changes are going to have."

"We understand that a few feet might make a difference to folks," she added.

"We try to strike a balance," Silverman responded. "If we were to take the argument that convenience is the most important thing, well, we'd have a bus stop every 50 feet. Why don't we do that?"

Asked later by Katz whether any more bus stop changes are in the pipeline, Silverman stated at first than "we don't communicate in advance bus stop changes," but later said that no other bus routes are being studied.

Hennessy noted that when bus routes were changed in Community Board 5's jurisdiction (such as extending the Q45 to terminate at The Shops at Atlas Park), Board 6 sent a letter to Silverman asking MTA Bus to inform Board 6 if similar changes were planned to bus routes in the Q60 area, to no avail.

"I would like the MTA to reconsider. It's very unsatisfactory for the residents for Community Board 6," he stated.

He also noted that by P.S. 220, located at 108th Street and 62nd Avenue near the Horace Harding Expressway, a bus stop was removed at the request of bus drivers who had to move across traffic. However, the bus drivers are forced to do so anyway, and the removal of the stop now, he claimed, puts students in jeopardy.

"I'd rather risk a bus getting hit than a pedestrian getting hit," he said.

Board 6 Vice President Steven Goldberg informed Silverman that, despite MTA Bus' insistence that the bus stops would improve service, Q60 buses have been seen "bunching" (arriving simultaneously at stops) in groups of two or even three. Silverman told him he would investigate.

"Forest Hills has some unique situations," board member Christopher Collett told Silverman, referring to the topography and population of the neighborhood. He asked Silverman to be more flexible and take community concerns into account.

"We can't go neighborhood by neighborhood," Silverman responded. "Otherwise it becomes inequitable."

The removed stops

Westbound (to East Midtown Manhattan), the Q60 route has dropped a stop at 109th Avenue and 155th Street; two stops on Sutphin Boulevard (Shore Avenue and 97th Avenue) and 10 stops along Queens Boulevard (77th Avenue, 69th Road, 68th Avenue, 66th Avenue, 62nd Avenue, 51st Avenue, Albion Avenue, 47th Street, 43rd Street and 39th Place).

Eastbound (to South Jamaica), the removed stops include nine stops along Queens Boulevard (34th Street, 39th Place, 48th Street, 54th Street, 66th Street, 70th Street, 73rd Street, 55th Avenue and 64th Road), as well as on 108th Avenue and 154th Street.

One stop will be added eastbound, on Queens Boulevard at 49th Street.