MEDIA ADVISORY:
The Queens Public Transit Committee (QPTC)
is presenting a movement and petition
AGAINST the application of SBS (Select Bus Service) on Woodhaven Blvd
DATE: June 21, 2015
The
QPTC will be at the Bayswater meeting on Monday and will be available
for comment at that time. The Bayswater Civic Association invited the
QPTC to present a public
presentation on our group and our ideas including QueensRail, ferry,
subway, bus and roadway service
on Monday,
June 22, 2015 at 8:00
pm.
Location:
Bayswater Jewish Center
Howard Beach /Lindenwood Civic
Association at
St. Helen's School basement
157 Avenue
and 83 Street in Howard Beach.
Visitors to our site are encouraged to print the petition, sign, scan and email it to
QPTC Chairman Philip McManus who is available for comment and interviews by the media at:
Please RSVP in advance with Philip McManus.
__________________________________________________
We, the users
of Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevards, oppose the introduction of Select Bus
Service (SBS), sometimes called Bus Rapid Transit, for the following reasons:
·
SBS was pre-determined
by the city and the Department of Transportation as the solution to traffic and
transportation problems. Funds were allocated for SBS prior to the first
Community Meeting where it was presented merely as an "alternative." There
has been no meaningful community participation!
·
Meetings and workshops were then held
in which only the positive aspects of the plan were presented. One had
to closely inspect the diagrams at the workshops to ascertain some of the
negatives. Others were never disclosed.
SBS
is Bad for Drivers:
·
On the northern portion of Woodhaven,
two of the eight thru lanes will become local lanes only, separated by new
islands, which will narrow the lanes making it difficult to pass large
trucks and buses.
·
Two lanes will become bus lanes at all
times. Right and left turn lanes will be eliminated slowing traffic.
·
This means that at major
intersections such as Metropolitan Avenue, Myrtle Avenue, Jamaica Avenue,
and Rockaway Boulevard, 10 travel lanes will be reduced to 4 lanes for cars
and trucks at all times. That's a
60 percent reduction in the capacity for traffic to enter and go through
major intersections.
·
23 left turn movements on Woodhaven
will be banned, in addition to the 60 that are already banned. You will
be able to turn left about once every mile and probably not until the third
turning cycle.
·
All left turn lanes on Cross Bay
will be eliminated, forcing you to change lanes to go straight, slowing
traffic.
·
Bus stops will be lengthened eliminating
many parking spaces.
·
At Metropolitan Avenue all left
turn traffic will be redirected to the narrow residential Trotting
Course Lane, which will be become a two-way street and will have to
accommodate large trucks.
·
Emergency
response times will
increase since emergency vehicles will get stuck behind buses picking up
passengers at bus stops. They will have to cross to clogged lanes of traffic
before being able to jump the divider into the opposing traffic lane. New trees
will prevent them from easily crossing into the service roads.
·
The
new lower speed limit of 30 mph has already gone into effect on
Woodhaven. It will increase travel times and expenses since speed cameras will
issue large fines. Police officers with radar guns will be able to issue
summonses to vehicles traveling at just 32 or 35 mph. The speed limit on the
bridges may also be reduced.
·
Travel
times will double
with heavy traffic at all times instead of only during rush hours while bus
lanes will be largely unused. Your
average speed will be reduced to 10 or 15 mph.
SBS
is Bad for Bus Passengers:
·
Promises
of faster passenger travel are a myth. During the off-peak hours when there are few buses on the
road and traffic currently moves rather quickly, bus travel times will
increase. There isn’t a shred of evidence that travel times will be improved by
35% as alleged.
·
A lower speed limit will mean buses
will have to travel more slowly which will increase
operating costs.
·
Longer buses will mean fewer buses
since service levels are based on crowding levels.
·
Local Bus Service will be reduced as
riders shift to Select Bus Service (SBS).
·
It will be impossible for express
and SBS buses to pass local buses at most bus stops during the rush hour.
·
Fewer bus stops in Broad Channel and
the Rockaways will result in longer walks to bus stops and
will overcrowd beaches near remaining bus stops. Boardwalk businesses near
Beach 105 Street will be harmed.
·
Current SBS routes exhibit major
problems that the MTA is keeping secret, such as
broken fare machines that are not repaired in a month's time and passengers
receiving fines in excess of $100 although the bus driver tells them they can
board the bus. Pavement markings are not maintained and wear out after only one
year.
·
Ridership is down on in the past year
on most SBS routes or fewer riders are paying their
fare.
How Deception is Being Used to Promote
SBS:
·
None of the questions
or requests for data from the public has been answered.
·
One had to attend all four workshops
to learn where all 23 left turning movements will be banned. DOT has not
kept its promise to list on their website the locations where turns will be
banned. Neither is there a list available of which bus stops will be
removed.
·
The width of Woodhaven Boulevard was
exaggerated to falsely give the impression that lanes can be removed without
any negative impacts.
·
All publicity for the meetings was
geared to bus riders, keeping drivers in the dark regarding proposed
plans.
·
Two new bus stops will be added in
Ozone Park and the Q52 will be extended to Far Rockaway. Both changes will
increase ridership and can be accomplished now without waiting for SBS. However,
by delaying these changes, the increased ridership will be attributed to SBS
making it appear to be a success.
Why
You Should Sign This Petition
·
The same powerful groups who support
QueensWay (to rob us of repurposing the abandoned
Rockaway Line also known as QueensRail) support SBS. It is a cunning
plan to take away our time, freedom, and prosperity.
·
QueensRail would greatly speed travel times
as well as spur economic development. Yet it wasn't even included in the study
of the Woodhaven Corridor.
·
Faster
bus and car travel times have been promised by reducing road capacity for cars
and trucks and lowering speed limits. There has not been a shred of proof
how this will be accomplished. Where is the data from the traffic and
transit forecasting models? Why isn’t it being shared? We have not been dealt with honestly.
·
The
project cost increased from a $20 million initial cost to $231
million plus ongoing costs of at least $2 million per year. No one has
explained how the additional monies will be spent or how spending ten times as
much will increase the benefit tenfold. This is your tax money, not “free”
federal money.
·
SBS
costs more to operate than traditional Local and Limited Service, primarily because of the high cost
to guard against fare evasion, yet provides limited benefits and many
disadvantages such as longer walks to bus stops. The B44 SBS has been such a
failure that no first year assessment has been made public due to the fear of
jeopardizing planned new routes. Paid ridership is down by 8% in the first year
of operation.
·
Queens
Rail has been dismissed as too expensive when it could be built for not much more than what
Queensway and Bus Rapid Transit would cost together. Contrary to claims, Queens Rail (the restoration of rail service to the Rockaway Beach
Line) has NOT been extensively studied, openly, and fairly in
comparison to the SBS: not like SBS/BRT, light rail, and subway in the
Second Avenue Subway study. In short, Queens
Rail has gotten the short shrift. What's fair and good for Manhattan should be fair
and good for Queens.
I am
signing this petition because we deserve to have Queens united through better
transportation, not divided by a plan that greatly hurts drivers and
businesses, while providing minimum if any benefits to bus riders.
Signed: ________________________________________ Date: ___/___/2015
