Recently I attended the Woodhaven Bus Riders Gathering hosted by the Riders Alliance where we talked about how to improve safety, bus service and congestion on Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevards. There were a broad range of people from communities along Woodhaven Boulevard in attendance—bus riders, drivers, business owners, bikers and, of course, pedestrians. Everybody uses the street in different ways, but the one thing we could all agree on is that Woodhaven Boulevard is unsafe and congested and something needs to change.
As a bus rider myself from Woodhaven, I know too well the plight of bus riders. Due to traffic, it takes more than an hour to get to Queens College where I go to school, and even longer to get to Far Rockaway, where I used to work. If I miss the bus, I’m often stranded alone—which can be really dangerous in the evening especially as a young woman. And because the buses are unreliable and overcrowded, I have to leave a half hour earlier so that I don’t miss my bus, just adding more time to my already long commute. For a lot of us, buses are our only option. We need a comprehensive solution that protects everyone. As bus riders and community members, we deserve better!
Emily December
Bus rider from Woodhaven, Queens
