By Alex Robinson
A Bus Rapid Transit service may soon be on its way to eastern Queens.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority and city Department of Transportation are set to introduce a potential new select bus service to one of two corridors connecting Jamaica and Flushing. The new system would alleviate the crawling bus service that transports more than 68,000 passengers down the corridors daily.
The MTA and DOT held the first of two public meetings Tuesday evening at York College to get feedback from commuters to figure out where the greatest need is.
The corridors under consideration both start in downtown Jamaica and travel through to Flushing. One route goes along Main Street and up to the Bronx and the other travels along Parsons and Kissena boulevards, ending in College Point.
“What we’re really aiming to do is ensure the speed and reliability of buses around this busy corridor; connect Jamaica and Flushing, which are two of the busiest business district outside of Manhattan; improve street safety and also maintain the character of these streets as we know them,” said Aaron Sugiura, the DOT project manager.
Trips between the two downtowns have been slow and long, prompting some commuters to take the subway through Manhattan rather than sit on the bus, DOT said. During peak hours, the average bus speed in the area is 5 to 10 miles per hour.
The new service would be 15 percent to 20 percent faster than the existing bus lines and would set the stage for a 10 percent increase in ridership, officials said. The service would include dedicated bus lanes, a fare collection system that would take place before commuters got on the bus and real time information for passengers.
DOT and MTA officials said they are currently collecting traffic and parking data to figure out where the select bus service should go.
The city has already built BRT lines that travel through every borough and is also considering a new line that would travel from the Rockaways through Woodhaven and up to Jackson Heights.
Two other transportation initiatives DOT has in the works for downtown Flushing are a congestion management system which will be able to control traffic signals in real time and a reconstruction of Main Street between 38th and 41st avenues to make it more conducive to pedestrian traffic.
The next meeting about the select bus service will take place at PS 244, at 137-20 Franklin Ave., in Flushing Tuesday at 6 p.m.
Officials said they expect to complete additional data collection and their analysis this fall and that a second round of public meetings will be held in the winter to announce which corridor will be chosen.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
