The MTA just announced it will delay completion of the bus network redesign for five years, originally scheduled for completion this year, but put on hold due to Covid.

However, the MTA is continuing to destroy the bus system by making stupid decisions that will lead to lower ridership. Take DOT's program to eliminate half the bus stops in Jackson Heights on the Q66 which violates two of the MTA's own guidelines regarding bus stop spacing and maximum walks to a local bus route.

The current standard is bus stops every 750 feet and maximum walks to a local bus stop of a quarter-mile. The Q66 along Northern Blvd stops every 500 feet. Rather than rearranging stops to have it meet the standard of every 750 feet, DOT with the MTA's approval is simply removing every other bus stop increasing the distance to every 1,000 feet.

Since Northern Blvd has no parallel bus routes, the maximum walk already exceeds the standard of a quarter-mile. Adding another 500 feet for some, will increase the maximum walk to over 2,000 feet or about 5/8 of a mile, over twice what the standard calls for.

Bus stops 1,000 feet apart might be justified if there were parallel bus routes along 30th and 35th Avenue, but there aren't any. Also, DOT claims bus speeds will improve. Buses already average 11 mph which is pretty good when the speed limit is 25 mph and not slower than your typical local bus route. Is it worth inconveniencing riders and violating your own guidelines to increase the average speed by a mile or two per hour at the most? Remember that buses skip stops anyway when no one gets on or off. DOT and the MTA are making this decision without even examining bus stop usage or considering rider demographics.

They will continue this practice all over the city to the detriment of bus riders although the redesign is being delayed Please share and sign this petition.