Bayside Gets Workshop On Queens Bus Map Redesign Following Outcry

BAYSIDE, QUEENS — The MTA has added a public workshop in Bayside to brief residents and collect feedback on its Queens bus map redesign, after weathering criticism for not including the neighborhood in its initial calendar of outreach sessions.

The Bayside workshop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 20 at Korean Community Services.

On Jan. 13, the MTA kicked off a series of more than a dozen public outreach sessions and workshops on its proposal for an entirely new bus map for Queens — but the only session in northeast Queens listed on that calendar was in Flushing, sparking an outcry from the region's elected officials and residents.

Northeast Queens has no subway access, leaving the neighborhood especially reliant on bus service.

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In response to the outcry, MTA officials emphasized that the public outreach schedule was only preliminary and that they would add more meetings to the list as they were able to confirm additional opportunities.

The MTA also added a workshop in Bellerose, scheduled for 7 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Cross Island YMCA.

The transit authority released its draft of a brand-new Queens bus map on Dec. 31. Stakeholders and residents can now weigh in on the new routes, and the MTA will incorporate the feedback into a new draft due out by this summer.

There is no set date when the MTA will implement the new map, according to Acting MTA Bus President Craig Cipriano.

Click here for more information on the bus redesign plan.