High-Tech Bus Study Slated For Borough

New high-tech bus transportation programs will be tested along six busy Queens bus routes beginning this fall by the New York Transit Authority and the City Transportation Department (DOT).
Armed with the latest bus designs, electronic transportation systems and traffic engineering techniques, the $2.9 million program will examine methods and equipment to improve the speed, reliability and service of New York City’s bus lines as part of its city-wide, 15-roadway Bus Rapid Transit Program (BRT).
The Queens segment of the massive city-wide study will be conducted along sections of six major bus corridors: Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, Hillside Avenue, Horace Harding Expressway, Main Street and Parsons/Kissena Boulevards and 164th Street, Merrick Boulevard and Union Turnpike.
By early 2007, implementation of these new bus system upgrades will be further narrowed to five city-wide bus corridors, each carrying over 15,000 passengers per day.
Some of the new programs to be tested include user-friendly bus stop design and signage, unique bus corridor pavement markings and new rush-hour and off-peak schedules and limited-stop express services.
Victor Ross is a freelance writer.