Busway blowback

Queens Chronicle 

Approximately 90 businesses in Downtown Jamaica are struggling with the recent changes in the area. With new development came trucks and with the implementation of busways in Archer and Jamaica avenues, drivers have fewer parking options and receive more traffic tickets.

Leran Ruben, the owner of Beverly Hills Furniture at 149-01 Jamaica Ave., said that he had no problem with the development or the busways at first because the new transit lanes would have a loading spot for trucks being used in the area to prevent street traffic and could potentially increase the number of new consumers in the community.

However, he says, city workers — particularly members of the NYPD Forensics Laboratory at 150-14 Jamaica Ave. — have been abusing their placards by parking in the truck loading area, causing more traffic in Downtown Jamaica and driving away customers who were already struggling with getting around the shopping district.

“This space was put in place so that trucks could unload over here and not double-park to cause traffic,” said Ruben, a third-generation storeowner. “We even have placard vehicles in the bus lane.”

When the Queens Chronicle came to visit Beverly Hills Furniture on Feb. 4, there was a parked vehicle with a placard in front of the store at the truck-loading spot and a row of vehicles in the busway in front of King Manor Museum at 150-03 Jamaica Ave.

“Nobody is going to get ticketed,” said Ruben as a police car drove by. “Nobody cares.”

Straphangers getting off the bus also have to disembark into the street instead of at the curb, according to Ruben.

“Why should a passenger on a bus have to load and be unloaded into the street? It’s unsafe,” said Ruben while pointing to a sign that directed traffic off Jamaica Avenue unless it was a bus or truck. “Why are [city workers] getting special privileges?”

What infuriated Ruben the most was that there was an underutilized six-floor parking lot for the forensics team next to the lab on 150th Street as another placard vehicle was parked in the Q54/Q56 bus stop.

“The crime lab is where the green scaffolding is and this is their parking lot,” said Ruben as he walked to the parking lot. “From my understanding, they have reserved spots for employees. If you are doing shifts, working four days and working 40 hours, the rest of the time your spot is empty. Instead of rotating spots they just park here.”

At the parking lot, one level was empty at approximately 11 a.m. while other levels had either a few available spots or were more than 50 percent empty.

After leaving the parking lot, Ruben motioned toward the corner street across from it where anyone could park, but more placard vehicles, which were partially on the sidewalk, occupied the space.

“There is one street where you are allowed to park,” said Ruben. “It’s still all police vehicles. Is this fair? Everyone has a placard and they are here for hours. If you are a customer, how do you get here? If you come here, you are going to circle the block and be here for 20 minutes.”

Ruben believes there wouldn’t have been a need for a 24/7 busway to reduce traffic in the area if the initial problem of double-parking, which exists partially because of city workers with placards, was taken care of with ticketing in the first place.

de Blasio's D.O.T. imposing busways in Jamaica that residents do not want

D.O.T Commissioner Gutman: Asshole

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Queens Chronicle

A “Better Buses” busway pilot will continue on schedule in Downtown Jamaica despite backlash from a previous initiative on Merrick Boulevard that was implemented last year and led to a recent modification of bus enforcement times as a result of a petition and complaints from community leaders and elected officials. 

“I saw [the announcement],” said Candace Prince-Modeste, the Southeast Queens activist who created a Change.org petition for a modified enforcement period of the bus lane on Merrick Boulevard. “It feels like they’ve moved onto the next project without fully bringing the Merrick one to a resolution. And I don’t believe that enough residents are aware of these proposed changes to the Downtown area.”

The city’s Department of Transportation, however, said it launched a community outreach process with a series of open houses and nearly 20 events with community advisory board to gather feedback on its proposal throughout 2020 and 2021, according to the Sept. 15 announcement. 

Prince-Modeste’s “Demand Rush Hour Only Bus Lanes on Merrick” petition, has 875 signatures out of its target goal of 1,000 as of Sept. 16 and brought enough attention to the Springfield Gardens and surrounding Southeast area of the bus lane that elected officials have chosen not to support similar changes in Downtown Jamaica on Jamaica and Archer avenues and the DOT modified its 24/7 bus lane enforcement, which led to excessive ticketing and lack of foot traffic to small businesses in the area. Instead, there will be a 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. enforcement period. 

“Despite vocal opposition from the Southeast Queens community against the Merrick Boulevard bus lane, the DOT implemented it anyway,” said Councilwoman Adrienne Adams (D-Jamaica) to the Chronicle via email. “The agency has once again ignored the voices of our community, leading to numerous issues and worsening traffic conditions along this busy corridor.”

Adams also feels that the DOT should have addressed problems with poor street lighting, ill-fitted two-way streets in dire need of one-way conversion and washed out or missing street signs throughout City Council District 28 and surrounding districts first. 

“Therefore, I must oppose the new busway pilots on Jamaica Avenue and Archer Avenue,” said Adams. “Until the DOT can truly address our community’s concerns, we stand against this ill-advised pilot program.”

The DOT, however, said that is committed to installing new and improved bus lanes by fall to improve bus speeds for thousands of riders in Southeast Queens. 

“Keeping New Yorkers moving is essential to getting our friends and neighbors back to work as New York City’s recovery continues, and these new busways will speed the commutes of 250,000 daily riders through downtown Jamaica,” said DOT Commissioner Hank Gutman in a prepared statement.

 Queens Chronicle

Drivers who find themselves behind or ahead of the Q4, Q5, Q84, N4 or the N4X buses on Merrick Boulevard between Hillside Avenue and Springfield Boulevard have a 60-day warning period for bus lane violations starting Sept. 21.

The specified bus lanes are a part of Mayor de Blasio’s Better Buses initiative to improve bus speeds by expanding automated camera enforcement, according to the city Department of Transportation.

Initially, the DOT intended on having 24/7 enforcement, but after pushback from the Community Advisory Board and members who live along the Southeast Queens area, the hours were adjusted to 6 a.m. to 7 p.m Monday to Friday, according to the agency. With the activation of bus lane cameras, the mayor’s 30th Better Buses corridor will have signage indicating that the bus lanes are camera-enforced to inform drivers about the program. Since violations will be issued against the vehicle, not the driver, points are not added to motorists’ licenses.

However, a single violation will cost drivers $50 and fines will increase for bus lane violations incurred in a single year to upwards of $250 after a fifth offense, according to the agency. The DOT will work with the NYPD to enforce bus lanes citywide and will add additional camera-enforced routes over time.

”Community residents and I remain up in arms about DOT’s woefully inadequate efforts and blatant disregard for course correction,” said state Sen. Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans). “DOT’s wrongheaded policy has made it nigh impossible for a full flow of traffic along Merrick Boulevard particularly between Baisley Boulevard and Liberty Avenue where there are illegally long-term parked vehicles stored by auto body and repair shops.”

Comrie said that he understands that the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists are paramount, but he finds the measure to be unnecessarily punitive and that it fails to reimagine public transit granularly.

“Commuters, drivers and anyone trying to travel along the corridor are frustrated at the now lengthy time that it takes to get from one point to the next because of this unwanted restriction,” said Comrie. “Despite the adjustments made after the recently conducted review of the 24/7 Merrick Boulevard bus lane, DOT has still not made a reasonable move to peak hour traffic enforcement as suggested by many local advocates. It is truly unfair to residential drivers to have to suffer through overreaching enforcement when the bad actors are not being regulated consistently.”

Flushing community gives a collective thumbs down to Main St. busway

  

Queens Chronicle

 Ridiculous, unreasonable, idiotic.

Those are just some of the words Ellen Young used to describe the Flushing busway.

“The concept itself was not a bad idea, but it has been designed by politicians in Manhattan with no real understanding of what it means to live here and what the people of Flushing actually need,” the District 20 City Council candidate said April 12.

Just a few days earlier, the city Department of Transportation began issuing bus lane camera violations to vehicles using the 0.6-mile portion of northbound Main Street from Sanford Avenue to Northern Boulevard, as well as northbound Kissena Boulevard from Sanford to Main. Only buses, trucks and emergency vehicles are permitted as through-traffic — all other vehicles are required to take the next available right turn, except at 41st Avenue, where left turns are permitted.

Those who ignore the rules can be fined $50 on the first offense. The rate will continue to rise as one continues to ignore the regulations to as much as $250.

Young, who lives in a Kissena Boulevard complex, said she and her neighbors are suffering from the busway. Drivers diverted from Main Street are forced to circle around the surrounding blocks, which has greatly increased traffic congestion and pollution in the area, she said.

Young called the busway a “punitive tax” on those who live in the neighborhood — they are penalized for driving down the street on which they live. Furthermore, she said the signs along the roadways are poorly marked. Young pointed to a warning sign on the corner of Kissena Boulevard and Barclay Avenue, which directs traffic but doesn’t warn about violations.

“This is simply a quality-of-life issue that has made the lives of Flushing residents dramatically harder,” she said.

In her City Council bid, Young promises to reduce the 24/7 busway hours of operation to just six hours a day during peak transit times: from 7 to 10 a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Young’s plan would suspend the busway during weekends and holidays, as well.

Community members have decried the busway since plans were announced last June. Most of the opposition comes from small business owners, who believe the limited private car roadways will deter outside customers from traveling into the neighborhood.

Don't just blame city officials, blame the odious influence and infiltration of  the "Department of Transformation" by Transportation Alternatives and the relentlessly intolerant anti-car propaganda of their allies at Streetsblog NYC.

Only buses on Main Street to Flushing

  

Queens Chronicle

Seven months later, the Main Street busway project will finally move forward.

State Supreme Court Justice Kevin Kerrigan struck down a lawsuit by the Flushing Chinese Business Association Jan. 5 that claimed prohibition of street travel for passenger cars and lack of road parking will deter shoppers who drive into the neighborhood, resulting in a dramatic drop in Flushing business. Kerrigan was unconvinced there was evidence that the 0.3-mile stretch of priority bus travel would slow commercial activity.

“How efficacious the Busway plan will be or what precisely its impact will be upon the community, if any, is presently unknown,” Kerrigan wrote before denying the Article 78 proceeding. The judge suggested that opponents address their displeasure with their elected officials instead.

The Rider’s Alliance happily and immediately shared the news Tuesday afternoon, stating, “Today’s decision is a huge victory for 150,000 bus riders across Queens and the Bronx. Citywide, judges have now ruled decisively that when riders win well-deserved priority on busy streets, opponents can’t sue and get their way. Just as Trump and his supporters can’t overturn the vote, neither can courts ‘invade the province’ of transportation policymakers on behalf of a few rich NIMBYs.”