Public Can Attend In Person at Helen Marshall Cultural Center at Queens Borough Hall or Watch Livestream
Members of the Public Interested in Speaking Can Register in Advance
Formal Comment Period for Proposed Final Plan to End July 26
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) today issued a reminder of next week’s public hearing for the Queens Bus Network Redesign Proposed Final Plan, which 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. The hearing will also be livestreamed on the MTA Live YouTube channel.
“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 last month, 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.”
"I was a public transit advocate for years before joining the Assembly, so it is and has been a priority of mine to ensure that my constituents and neighbors have the best possible bus service we can provide them with,” said Assembly Member Jessica González-Rojas. “I'm grateful to have been engaged in a multi-year comprehensive process of redesigning the Queens Bus Network and have engaged with the MTA and stakeholders in various meetings and several formats. I will continue to express the concerns brought to me by residents in the community and encourage Queens residents to continue to make their opinions and suggestions known as we enter this final phase of the project. When I return to Albany for the legislative session and a new State budget process, I will continue to advocate for the investments necessary to make the MTA the public transit system that our city needs and deserves.”
"Bus riders deserve more reliable service, and this proposal takes real steps to improve the frequency and speed of our buses,” said Assembly Member Zohran K. Mamdani. “I am particularly excited at the proposal of 30 express routes, which will radically improve bus riders’ experiences. I am grateful the MTA has considered the concerns of our constituents through this process and look forward to further discussion as we finalize the plan in 2024. Our priority must be to ensure high quality, safe and accessible transit, particularly for bus riders with no alternative to taking the bus."
“A dynamic and predictable bus network is essential to a well-functioning public transportation system that all New Yorkers deserve,” said Regional Plan Association Vice President for Transportation Tiffany-Ann Taylor. “This is especially true in Queens, where some parts of the borough have easy access to subways or the LIRR, but many do not. We applaud the MTA for taking this opportunity to refine the proposed plan based on borough-wide feedback to make it more accessible and equitable. We are excited about the MTA’s release of the Queens Bus Network Redesign Proposed Final Plan, and we look forward to engaging in the next steps of the process with the community so they may gain the greatest benefits from its implementation.”
“We’re excited to see a new and improved proposal for the Queens bus network that will prioritize fast, frequent, and reliable service,” said Transportation Alternatives Queens Organizer Laura Shepard. “Hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers rely on Queens buses every day to get to work, visit friends, attend medical appointments, and more, and we hope that the MTA and DOT will work together to make these trips faster and smoother with more dedicated bus lanes, busways, and quick connections.”
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 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/transparency/public-hearings/2024-qbnr-hearing
- Calling the Public Hearing Hotline at (646) 252-6777
- In person. Same-day registration will be available the day of the hearing. Registration begins at 5:00 p.m. and closes at 6:30 p.m.
- 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.