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| Queens Civics, ATU 1056 & 1179 want new bus service in NE and SE Queens (297895) | |||
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Queens Civics, ATU 1056 & 1179 want new bus service in NE and SE Queens |
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Posted by Gold_12th on Thu Sep 18 14:15:03 2014 Among the worst-kept secrets in the city is that the Queens Civic Congress and the unions representing MTA bus drivers would like to see more bus routes in the eastern half of the borough. And at a joint meeting on Tuesday, with a representative of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority on the panel, both groups discussed plans to make their wishes a reality. The forum took place at the Queens Farm Museum in Glen Oaks following the QCC’s regular meeting. Panelists included Mark Henry and John Lyons, presidents of Amalgamated Transit Union locals 1056 and 1179, respectively; Joe Raskin, an assistant director at the MTA’s NYC Transit Division; Councilman Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans), who formerly held Henry’s post; and Phil McManus, founder of the Queens Public Transit Committee. Northeast Queens was particularly hard-hit by MTA cutbacks during the financial crunch of 2010, and even though some of the routes and service have been restored, Lyons agreed with QCC leaders that more is needed. “Let’s face it — they’re not building subways in Northeast Queens,” he said. He also said his membership, aside from driving and servicing the buses, live in the communities from Bayside to Brookville that are affected by mass transit shortcomings. “And I’m not here to bash the MTA,” Lyons said. “This is bigger than the MTA and the ATU.” All speakers said the problem is both local and national in scope. McManus, a Rockaway resident, pointed out that it is easier for him to get to Manhattan than it is to go between Northern and Southern Queens, a trip which he said usually requires multiple transfers. Henry said it is a matter of priorities. “Queens always seems to be left out,” he said. “We’re the stepchild in the room.” Miller, who operated a bus for 20 years and served as union president for five, also said it is a matter of priorities. “We have been promised a new bus depot in Jamaica for 30 years,” he said. “They have the land, but [the MTA] hasn’t put construction money in its capital budget.” In that same time, he said, Staten Island has gotten three bus terminals and select bus service. Miller said the lack of proper MTA funding in Southeastern Queens has gone beyond inconvenience for residents. He said the lack of a new terminal facility has buses double- and triple-parked in places like the Archer Avenue transit hub, spewing a concentrated amount of diesel fumes. He also said a lack of proper bus service has led to a proliferation of the so-called “dollar vans.” “Those are not safe, and they are not an alternative to bus service,” he said. “And Jamaica has buses double- and triple-parked on the street giving off diesel fumes,” he said. Miller pointed to an incident over the weekend where police and the Taxi and Limousine Commission were cracking down on unlicensed van operators. “An officer approached one van, the driver took off with four people inside,” he said. “There was a high-speed chase, and a 22-year-old woman tried to jump out of the moving van. She’s now in Jamaica Hospital. “Unintended consequences,” Miller said. The councilman and Lyons said what is needed is not only new funding but a decision to make mass transit funding more of a priority. Lyons said mass transit stimulates the economy far beyond the jobs created in the bus manufacturing and mass transit fields. “Investing in mass transit is an investment in communities,” he said. But Lyons also pointed out that under the federal transportation funding formula, 80 percent of the money goes to roads and highways while only 20 percent is set aside for mass transit. Even that 20 percent is under attack, with leadership in the House of Representatives wanting to eliminate the 20 percent set-aside, thus far without success. “They want cities to have to reapply for the money every year,” Miller said. “But you can’t build a system that way. You need predictable, sustained long-term funding for capital plans.” Speaking for the MTA, Raskin said many of the concerns raised already are on the authority’s radar. He said a study on the need for more service in the Northeast — including any lasting impact from the 2010 cuts — is in its preliminary stages. He also said the MTA and the city’s Department of Transportation soon would be announcing plans for hearings on a proposed select bus service route between Flushing and Jamaica. http://www.qchron.com/editions/queenswide/civics-transit-unions-want-new-bus-service/article_fdfa6821-3a4d-52a6-b595-117f7dafe102.html |
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