Five bus stops along the Q20 and Q60 bus routes in Astoria, Sunnyside, Woodside and Long Island City, will soon have countdown clocks installed over the next few weeks.
Councilmember Jimmy Van Bramer held a press conference in Sunnyside with the Queens DOT, Community Board 2 Chair Denise Keehan-Smith and seniors from Sunnyside Community Center.
Over the past two years, the councilman secured $500,000 in his participatory budget for countdown clocks — $200,000 from 2016-2017 and an additional $300,000 from 2017-2018.
The Department of Transportation (DOT) installed the first of the five countdown clocks at 39th Place and Queens Boulevard and another at the Roosevelt Avenue and 61st Street bus stop. Over the next few weeks, the DOT said that they will install the three remaining clocks at Woodside Avenue and 61st Street, Broadway and Steinway Street in Astoria, and Vernon Boulevard and 50th Avenue in LIC.
“I am pleased to see the bus countdown clocks we funded through participatory budgeting get installed. These first five clocks are part of the initial $200,000 allocation and I am excited that more are on the way,” Van Bramer said. “The new countdown clocks will surely make life and commuting easier for local residents who rely on the bus, especially seniors. Now that we see how convenient the clocks are, I am determined to get more installed throughout our district.”
Barbara Lee, a participatory budgeting transportation budget committee member, praised the efforts of all who were involved in the process to get the countdown clocks installed. Lee said that the process began in the assembly when someone highlighted the need for countdown clocks at bus stops.
“Now, thanks to all of the hard work from the budget delegates on the Transportation Committee and all of the community members who voted for the countdown clocks, riders on the Q32 and Q60 bus lines will know when the next bus will arrive,” Lee said.
