|
Posted by
Gold_12th
on Fri Sep 12 13:58:40 2014
edf40wrjww2msgDetailB:detailStr fiogf49gjkf0d
Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Laurelton) was very direct on Sept. 5 in addressing the startup of the new Q114 Limited bus line.
“This is a victory for Southeast Queens,” he said.
The new line, which officially replaced the Q113 Local line on Aug. 31, had its formal ribbon cutting complete with elected officials and others from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority at the Parsons Boulevard-Archer Avenue transit hub.
“Historically, the neighborhoods of Southeast Queens and the Rockaways have lacked access to reliable transportation,” Richards said.
The councilman said he applauded the MTA’s decision to restructure the route, and that the Council would continue to press for more public transit alternatives for the region.
It will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week between Parsons Boulevard at 88th Street in Jamaica and Seagirt at Boulevard at Beach 20th Street in Far Rockaway.
The key, according to Richards is a reduction of bus stops in both direction,s that the councilman said could cut the duration of a trip in half.
The Q113, running through Nassau County, had 77 stops on the route traveling to Jamaica; the Q114 has 50.
Riders taking the old route to the Rockaways from Jamaica had to deal with 67 stops. The Q114 has only 44.
It will travel along the Guy R. Brewer Boulevard corridor and 147th Avenue.
Richards said he expects vastly improved service, especially in Rosedale and the Rockaways.
During overnight hours it will make all local stops, with the buses specially marked during those hours.
Richards, who has been pushing for far more efficient transportation in Southeast Queens, said residents in his district were looking for a faster trip between Jamaica and the Rockaways than the MTA was providing with the Q113.
The MTA took a look, and the result was the Q114.
“It has 27 fewer stops than the Q113,” Richards said.
Mark Holmes, director of operation planning for the MTA Bus Company, said riders whose stops along the old Q113 line are not included in the new route still will be served at the same stops by the Q111.
State Sen. James Sanders Jr. (D-South Ozone Park), bantering with some of the MTA bus drivers on hand after the ribbon cutting, also greeted the new line with enthusiasm.
“I’d be willing to drive this bus myself if that’s what it took to improve the service for my constituents in these communities,” he said.
http://www.qchron.com/editions/eastern/mta-launches-new-jamaica-bus-route/article_880a1924-30ee-5194-869e-663c7901ca73.html
|
