MTA Leaves Bayside Out Of Public Outreach On New Bus Map Proposal

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The MTA on Monday kicked off a series of more than a dozen public outreach sessions and workshops on its draft of an entirely new bus map for Queens, but none will take place in Bayside — a neighborhood outside the reach of the city's subway system.

City Council Member Paul Vallone, who said his office is receiving complaints about the MTA's proposed slashes to express bus service in northeast Queens, is now working with the transit authority to bring a public workshop to his district.

On the current schedule, the MTA workshop nearest to Bayside is Wednesday, Jan. 22 in the Queens Library at Flushing.

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"In Northeast Queens, where there is no subway access and limited public transportation options for commuters, the MTA should be increasing and improving bus service, not creating a more desolate transportation desert," Vallone said.

"I join my fellow electeds in urging the MTA to schedule a local public workshop for residents in Northeast Queens, who rely on our city's bus network every day, and offer them a seat at the table."

The @MTA has scheduled 8 workshops in #Queens to get feedback on @NYCTBus bus redesign. How is remotely possible that not one of the workshops is scheduled in communities most dependent on buses, namely #EasternQueens? We aren't on the subway map and now this. #Disappointing pic.twitter.com/WPjeEbdfxV
— Barry Grodenchik (@BarryGrodenchik) January 8, 2020

On Dec. 31, the MTA released a draft of its plan to completely redraw the network of 107 bus lines that move more than 714,000 weekday riders throughout Queens.

Agency officials are now collecting public feedback on the draft and will release a final version this spring. Additional events, such as community board meetings, may later be added to the lineup, according to the MTA.

"We are working with elected officials and local community boards to attend as many meetings as we are invited to," MTA spokesperson Amanda Kwan wrote in an emailed statement to Patch. "Bayside residents are welcomed to attend our events in nearby Flushing as more events are confirmed and added."