Busways fade away

Queens Chronicle

After a tumultuous couple of years, it appears that drivers in Downtown Flushing may be in for some relief.

As of last week, the Main Street busway will no longer operate 24/7, and will instead run from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Since it was initially proposed over two years ago, the 0.6-mile stretch between Northern Boulevard and Sanford Avenue has been a source of controversy in Downtown Flushing, especially among business owners, who were concerned about the busway’s potential impact on foot traffic. In November 2020, some filed a lawsuit to halt the project. Ultimately, the group lost the suit, and the busway began as a one-year pilot program in January 2021, and has remained in place ever since.

Asked about the decision to reduce the hours of operation, Vin Barone, a spokesperson for the Department of Transportation, wrote in an email to the Chronicle, “The Main Street busway has made commutes faster and more reliable for 155,000 daily bus riders and DOT is committed to its continued success. DOT determined the hours could be adjusted to better balance with the requests made by the local business community.”

The change also comes after Councilmember Sandra Ung (D-Flushing) took a walking tour of Downtown Flushing with Ydanis Rodriguez, commissioner of the DOT, at the beginning of April. As the Chronicle previously reported, she had requested at the time that the busway’s hours be scaled back.

Ung also had pushed for the street to have additional, clearer signage marking the busway and its accompanying traffic patterns. Last week’s installation of those signs along Main Street — northbound at Sanford Avenue and southbound at 37th Avenue — and on Kissena Boulevard at Sanford Avenue northbound marked the official change in hours.

“I want to thank the Department of Transportation for listening to our community, who repeatedly raised concerns about the impact the busway would have if implemented, and agreeing to a compromise to reduce the hours of operation to begin to address the issues they raised,” Ung said in a statement. “This will give businesses some respite after 7 p.m. to welcome customers and arrange for deliveries. The new schedule will also provide tangible information on the impact on local businesses when the busway is in operation and when it is not, which can be used in the future to balance the city’s desire for faster and more reliable bus service while also meeting the needs of the local community. I look forward to an ongoing dialogue between the interested stakeholders and DOT to address any other concerns that might arise.”

Queens Chronicle

Momentum seems to be moving toward adjusted rules for the busway along Jamaica Avenue. In the meantime, businesses in the area continue to suffer.

Last week, the Chronicle obtained a letter on the letterhead of Borough President Donovan Richards calling for an end to a Department of Transportation study on the effect of the lanes on business in the area. In the letter, Richards and other city and state officials, who co-signed at the bottom, made it clear that they support improved bus service, but that the rules regarding the busway on Jamaica Avenue were having “a signficant and damaging effect on the businesses along the corridor,” a sentiment he doubled down on this week.

“Adjusting the Jamaica Avenue busway has been a focus of the Downtown Jamaica Improvement Council, and we’ve heard from numerous area small business owners about the impact the busway has had on their businesses,” he said in a statement to the Chronicle.

“Conversations between area elected officials and other stakeholders are ongoing about how the Jamaica Avenue busway should be altered to best serve the community, allowing for efficient public transit through the corridor at peak hours and ensuring that local businesses have the opportunity to thrive,” he added.

As the rules currently stand, passenger vehicles are allowed on the busway corridor, located between Sutphin Boulevard and 168th Street, only for a block at a time. They are required to take the first right-hand turn off Jamaica Avenue.

Passenger vehicle parking is limited, with many curbside areas that had once been used as a bus lane during peak hours now designated truck loading and unloading zones, active from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. every day but Sunday. Parking is allowed in those zones during all other hours.

“The vast majority of Jamaica Avenue shoppers take transit to the corridor and the majority of bus riders have noticed faster, more reliable service thanks to our busways,” DOT spokesperson Vin Barone told the Chronicle via email.

“We will continue to work with the business community on possible adjustments,” he added.

Several business owners along Jamaica Avenue expressed their concerns about the busway to the Chronicle last week. While some haven’t noticed a change, most were concerned about the long-term effects on business and the city’s neglect for the interests of small businesses in the area.

Kevin Jiang, owner of Jamaica Liquors between 149th and 150th streets, says he is busiest on Fridays and Saturdays. Before the busways, he typically made between $3,500 and $4,500 on weekends. Now, he says that number is closer to $2,500.

“My landlord, he doesn’t want to hear that I can’t make it because of the lanes,” he said. “So it’s hard to pay the rent right now.”