Forest Hills Commuters Decry MTA's Proposed Q23 Bus Redesign

FOREST HILLS, QUEENS — Forest Hills commuters are protesting the MTA's proposal to nix the Q23 bus route and replace it with two separate lines — part of the transit authority's plan to redesign the Queens bus map for the first time in a century.

The Q23 runs between East Elmhurst and Glendale, passing through Forest Hills to ferry riders to the 71st Avenue-Forest Hills subway station, a busy commuter hub where four subway lines intersect.

It is among the MTA's most popular bus lines, moving nearly 17,000 riders on an average weekday, according to agency data.

"It's crucial to my life," said Forest Hills resident Grace Pellicano, 77, who was among a dozen bus riders who showed up at Queens Borough Hall last week to protest the MTA's bus redesign proposal.

Under the MTA's proposal to redesign the Queens bus network, released Dec. 31, Q23 riders would be shifted to two different routes that would intersect at the 71st Avenue-Forest Hills E/F/M/R station: the QT87, which would run between Douglaston and Glendale, and the QT11, which would run between East Elmhurst and Fresh Meadows.

While the Q23 runs about every eight to 10 minutes during peak weekday hours, the redesign proposal calls for the QT87 to run every 18 to 30 minutes at those times, while the QT11 would run every six minutes.

Both routes would also make fewer stops, which MTA officials say is necessary to remedy declining bus ridership and slow bus speeds in the borough.

But that could pose a problem for Pellicano, who uses a walker to help her get around. She told Patch she relies on the Q23 to take her granddaughter to school at P.S. 144 and to go shopping for medical supplies on Metropolitan Avenue.

The Q23 stops right outside the elementary school, but the closest bus stop on the MTA's proposed replacement route, the QT87, is two avenues over. The Q23 stops at five different places along Metropolitan Avenue, while the proposed QT87 has just one.

MTA officials working on the redesign emphasize that their proposal is only a draft, and that it will go through revisions based on riders' feedback collected online and at a series of public outreach sessions.

“As we’ve said consistently, these are early proposals that were drafted as the result of extensive public input and careful study of changing ridership and development, and we want the public to weigh in as we continue to incorporate feedback into the next revision of the proposal," MTA spokesperson Shams Tarek said in an emailed statement to Patch.

Former City Council Member and Queens borough president candidate Elizabeth Crowley told Patch the MTA should keep the Q23 bus route as is.

She takes the line from her Glendale home to the 71st Avenue subway station, where she can transfer to an express train rather than resorting to the local trains that stop near her.

"Queens needs more transit," Crowley said.

Tarek, the MTA spokesperson, said the proposed redesign would make that type of transfer easier and quicker.

"Splitting the corridor into separate segments promises to make trips faster and more reliable for riders," Tarek said. "The proposal also seeks to move buses off of some narrow streets plagued with chronic double-parking and congestion, with the goal of further improving trip speeds and reliability."

Some riders remain unconvinced.

During a Jan. 30 meeting with other civic leaders, Forest Hills Civic and Community Association President Chris Collett said the MTA's proposal for the Q23 route is a major concern for his group's members — though he didn't get into specifics.

"That bus line was here when I was a little guy," Collett said. "It's part of why people decided to live in Forest Hills in the first place."