Bay Terrace Bus Redesign Meeting Postponed Due To Coronavirus

BAY TERRACE, QUEENS — MTA officials postponed an upcoming meeting in Bay Terrace about its bus network redesign due to a ban on large gatherings meant to limit the spread of COVID-19, the official name for the disease called by the new coronavirus.

The April 2 public workshop at the Bay Terrace Garden Jewish Center will be rescheduled, according to state Assembly Member Ed Braunstein.

"The MTA has promised to reschedule these forums and is not moving forward with the redesign until they are able to do so," Braunstein wrote in a Facebook post.

In the MTA's template letter notifying local officials about postponed workshops and presentations in their districts, MTA Chief Safety Officer Patrick Warren says the transit authority commits to rescheduling each one "when the public health risks have substantially decreased and to allow appropriate time to review feedback from attendees of rescheduled events before releasing the Proposed Final Plan," according to one such letter obtained by Patch.

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On Dec. 31, the MTA released its draft of an entirely redrawn bus map in Queens, in an effort to consolidate redundant routes and increase bus speeds and ridership.

The transit authority put together a calendar of public outreach sessions across the borough to gather feedback on its draft.

Last week, barely two months into the public engagement process, the MTA started postponing its upcoming outreach sessions in an effort to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.

Then Gov. Andrew Cuomo banned gatherings of more than 500 people, which forced officials to cancel or postpone even more events.

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