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| Historical Information needed concerning the Q3, Q23, and Q37 (314694) | |||
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Historical Information needed concerning the Q3, Q23, and Q37 |
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Posted by Union Tpke on Mon Jun 20 11:34:01 2016 Hello again. I am working on articles on the Q3, Q23, and Q37 buses. I currently have limited historical information, and I would like this to be expanded. I will write what information I have. Any information would be helpful. Thanks againQ3 The Q3 was originally operated by St. Albans Imp. in 1919 as DP&S Route 76. This route was later operated by Bee Line Bus Company and North Shore Bus Company. Q3 service was extended from Rockaway Boulevard to JFK International Airport on December 6, 1987. Prior to the extension, the Q3 only operated during weekday morning and evening peak periods. However, once the route was extended, the route was expanded to 21 hours per day, 7 days a week. This extension was not designed for air travelers, as evident by the route's roundabout routing, but it was instead intended for airport employees, those at JFK Airport. In this area of southeast Queens there is a high concentration of airport workers, and before the extension, they had no direct access via public transportation. The headways during peak-periods were shortened from 20–25 minutes to 15 minutes, and new midday, evening, and weekend service was provided every 30 minutes. The new extensions, was extensively advertised through the use of brochures and timetables, which were the first for a local bus in Queens. These were distributed by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to its employees at JFK, and articles were written about the extension in airport newspapers and newsletters. All households in southeast Queens got mailings. A special inaugural bus with local dignitaries ran on December 6, 1987, with a celebration at JFK. Additional service was added to the route because of increased patronage of the route. A majority of the people who started using the Q3 to get to the airport used to travel by car. 24-hour service was added on April 11, 2004. At the same time, service to all JFK terminals except Terminal 4 was replaced by AirTrain JFK. The route's JFK Terminus was moved to Terminal 5 on May 30, 2012, due to construction at Terminal 4. Q23 Service on the Q23 began in 1925, being operated by North Shore Bus Company. The route initially was called the Corona–Ditmars Boulevard line as it was not yet extended to Forest Hills. In 1932, Joseph V. McKee, the president of the Board of Alderman proposed several bus route extensions. One of the proposed extensions was to extend the Q23 a mile along 108th Street from Otis Avenue to Queens Boulevard. As part of new contracts, Chairman John Delaney of the Board of Transportation, put in the extensions as proposed by McKee. Once the route was extended to Forest Hills, it was then called the Forest Hills–Ditmars Boulevard line. In 1933, the North Shore Bus Company's certification for the route was contested by Brooklyn Manhattan Transit, as the route would have competed with its Junction Boulevard trolley Line. At hearings, the BMT testified that since bus line started running, the traffic on the trolley line had fallen off. On February 18, 1933, the franchise grant for the Q23 was granted to the North Shore Bus Company. On September 24, 1936, the franchise for the Q23 was awarded to the Triboro Coach Corporation. On October 29, 1936, local consent for ten years for ten years was secured from New York City. In 1937, the Q23's southern terminal was Continental Avenue (71st Avenue) and Metropolitan Avenue. When terminating, Metropolitan Avenue-bound buses would turn east on Loubet Street, and then south on 72nd Avenue, before terminating at Metropolitan Avenue. All night service and more frequent service during the day, after two years of pressure, was installed on the Q23 in September 1950. Between 1985 and 1988, the Q23 was extended to Union Turnpike. As part of the Queens Subway Options Study it was suggested that if the Queens Bypass would have run via the Lower Montauk Branch, the Q23 be extended to Woodhaven Boulevard to connect with the line. Between 2006 and 2007 the layover of the Q23 was changed. Previously it would run east on Loubet Street, and then south on 72nd Avenue before turning west on Metropolitan Avenue an finally Woodhaven Boulevard before terminating at the Crescent Appartments on Union Turnpike. The routing was changed so that after Loubet Street the Q23 would turn onto 71st Avenue and then onto Metropolitan Avenue avoiding 72nd Avenue entirely. In 200X, the MTA was considering extending the Q23 to LaGuardia Airport. Signs along the route showed this proposed extension, as well as bus destination signs. Q37 Originally operated by General Omnibus Company, service began in January 1939. On November 23, 1941, the Q37 was extended from Jamaica Avenue to Queens Boulevard in Kew Gardens. On January 9, 2006, the MTA Bus Company took over the operations of the Green Bus Line routes. In October 30, 2011, daily service via Aqueduct Racetrack was added, to serve the Resorts World Casino. Also on this date, the Q37 was rerouted to operate on 133rd Avenue, Lefferts Boulevard and 135th Avenue, in both directions. Service on 116th Street was discontinued. On February 24, 2013, Q37 buses stopped running via 150th Avenue. Instead, the bus route was changed, with buses running via South Conduit Avenue between 130th Street and 134th Street. The route was changed in order to avoid congestion at the Sanitation yard on 150th Street. An additional reason for the change was to allow buses to avoid making a turn onto South Conduit Avenue from 132nd Street, because there is no traffic light at this intersection and vehicles often pass at high speeds, often causing severe delays. Additionally, 132nd Street is a narrow residential block. Thanks again! |
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