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.”
