On Wednesday, the New York City Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transit Authority is to begin looking at ways to improve commutes for long-suffering Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevard travelers — by bringing Select Bus Service to this vital north-south corridor.
Taking this opportunity to incorporate even more advanced Bus Rapid Transit features will benefit not only those who ride the Q52/Q53, but everyone who drives, walks or rides on this congested and dangerous artery.
Travel distances in Queens are long, and chronic traffic congestion means that too many trips turn into slow, unpredictable treks that consume hours of every day and undermine quality of life. Working parents lose hours that they could be spending with their kids; students are cut off from access to the educational opportunities they need; seniors are isolated from health care, shopping, and services.
Select Bus Service has already made bus trips faster and more predictable in the Bronx, Manhattan, Staten Island, and Brooklyn. A combination of dedicated bus lanes, Traffic Signal Priority and widely-spaced stops where riders pay their fares before the bus arrives, has shortened travel times by as much as 20%.
Careful planning has also meant that changes made to accommodate SBS have improved the movement of other traffic as well, and reduced the number of pedestrian and vehicle crashes.
The patience of Queens residents, many of whom have participated in DOT’s citywide Congested Corridor study since it began in 2008, needs to be rewarded with a more advanced version of Select Bus Service — one that starts to resemble the world-class Bus Rapid Transit systems many South American and Asian cities already enjoy.
And conditions on Woodhaven and Cross Bay make it not only possible — but imperative — to incorporate additional features that will further improve speed, safety and the riding experience.
By running bus lanes along Woodhaven’s center and side medians, we can keep buses moving, and still preserve parking and loading space along the curb. Widened medians can accommodate stops that are more like stations, with real-time bus arrival displays, fare machines, and platforms level with the bus floor for easy, universal access. Those same medians, along with smart management of intersections, can improve safety on what is currently the most dangerous street in Queens for pedestrians.
Years’ of engagement with residents, community boards and elected officials in the Congested Corridors Study has laid the foundation for the bold approach that the agencies now need to bring to bus planning.
Drivers will benefit as well. Intelligent planning of turn restrictions and deployment of traffic signal priority will not only make the street safer, but can reduce delays by smoothing out traffic flow at Woodhaven’s notorious bottlenecks.
Making Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards work for transit riders, drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists will pay dividends to local merchants as well.
Locally-owned stores suffer as traffic speeds by. “Once I’m in my car,” a workshop participant told Pratt Center, “I might as well go to the mall.” Queens residents, no less than other New Yorkers, deserve to be able to pick up a loaf of bread or a quart of milk on streets that don’t put their lives in danger.
The Woodhaven/Cross Bay corridor is nothing if not diverse — demographically, economically and physically. Bringing in world-class BRT doesn’t mean bringing the same treatment to every block from Woodside to Rockaway. DOT’s planners have learned to listen to local concerns, problem-solve alongside stakeholders, and come up with customized solutions that respect each neighborhood’s unique challenges and character.
Years’ of engagement with residents, community boards and elected officials in the Congested Corridors Study has laid the foundation for the bold approach that the agencies now need to bring to bus planning. The April 23 workshop is an opportunity for everyone who cares about safety, mobility, and our community’s quality of life to demand the world-class Bus Rapid Transit system we need.
The first Community Planning Workshop for Woodhaven Boulevard bus service is scheduled for 6–8 p.m. on April 23, at JHS 210, 93-11 101st Ave. For information, email brt@dot.nyc.gov or call (212) 839-6684.
Eric Ulrich is New York City Councilman for the 32nd District, in South Queens. Joan Byron is Director of Policy at the Pratt Center for Community Development, and the author of Mobility and Equity for New York’s Transit-Starved Neighborhoods: The Case for Full-featured Bus Rapid Transit.
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