Formal Comment Period for Proposed Final Plan to End July 26
Proposed Plan to Invest in Queens Bus Network for More Reliable, Equitable, and Faster Bus Service
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today announced that the public hearing for the Queens Bus Network Redesign Proposed Final Plan will be held on Wednesday, July 24 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall and livestreamed on the MTA Live YouTube channel. In support of the release of the Proposed Final Plan in December 2023 for faster and better bus service, the project team participated in over 70 engagements to collect feedback from Queens bus riders and stakeholders through online and in-person feedback collection. The MTA hosted 23 in-person outreach events like open houses, pop-ups, and Mobile Sales pop-ups, 22 community board presentations, and 28 briefings with elected officials, labor partners, and community stakeholders. This latest round of outreach supplements the scores of outreach events (in-person and virtual) that were held throughout the preceding phases of the project.
“The Queens Bus Network Redesign is the largest bus network redesign project in the United States, with slated improvements for the borough’s nearly 800,000 bus riders,” said New York City Transit Interim President Demetrius Crichlow. “The feedback gathered from everyday bus riders is integral in producing a modern bus network that delivers the service improvements Queens communities deserve, and when supplemented with other initiatives like automated camera enforcement, which we activated along a few Queens routes this past week, faster and safer bus service is well underway.”
“Getting to where we are now is a tremendous accomplishment, and it would not have been possible without the amazing support, and collaboration we got from stakeholders and the community,” said NYC Transit Senior Vice President of Buses Frank Annicaro.“The public hearing is the last major milestone before we present the Proposed Final Plan Addendum to the MTA Board for a vote. We strongly encourage everyone to look at the proposed changes and submit their comments.”
The Proposed Final Plan balanced the feedback received from all stakeholders, while applying network redesign strategies to improve the bus network such as balancing bus stops, expanding connectivity, simplifying service, and in partnership with New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), identifying streets where future bus priority treatments would have the greatest impact for Queens bus riders – proposing an adaptable framework to meet travel patterns of current and future bus customers.
How to Register for the Public Hearing or Comment on the Plan
The formal comment period for the Proposed Final Plan will conclude Friday, July 26. Members of the public who wish to speak at the hearing in person, remotely via Zoom, or telephone, are required to register in advance by:
- Registering online at https://new.mta.info/2024-qbnr-hearing
- Calling the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777 to register (opens Monday, June 24)
- In person. Same-day registration will be available the day of the hearing. Registration begins at 5:00 p.m. and closes at 6:30pm.
Speakers will be provided two minutes to speak.
Comments may also be submitted online or via mail to: MTA Government & Community Relations, 2 Broadway, D16.94, New York, NY 10004. All written statements must be submitted by 8:00 p.m. on Friday, July 26. Comments received after that date and time will be reviewed, but will not be included in the official hearing record.
American Sign Language and CART Captioning Services will be available. For more information, see https://new.mta.info/2024-qbnr-hearing.
The project team will review all comments and make final adjustments to the plan, which will be reflected in the Proposed Final Plan Addendum. Lastly, the plan will be presented to the MTA Board for a vote at a later date to be announced.
Learn More About the Proposed Bus Service Enhancements
The public is encouraged to visit the Queens Bus Network Redesign project webpage and see individual route profiles to learn more about their bus route and of any proposed changes. The route profiles provide a helpful summary of proposed changes, frequencies, and a map clearly outlining the new and existing routings, and portions where service is either discontinued, shortened or extended.
For a more tailored learning experience, the MTA launched the Future Trip Planner in December 2023, which allows customers to input a start and end location and see an overview of their trip with the bus route changes in effect. Comments can be submitted via the online form and on the interactive Remix map, both found on the project webpage.