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City to add more bus lanes in Jamaica

City to add more bus lanes in Jamaica
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By Ivan Pereira

The city is trying to relieve congestion in downtown Jamaica with more than a mile of new bus lanes, but City Councilman Leroy Comrie (D-St. Albans) said it could do more by putting commuter vans into the planning.

Last week the city Department of Transportation unveiled the findings of a nearly two-year study of the traffic in the area bounded north by Hillside Avenue, east by 181st Street, south by Liberty Avenue and west by 146th Street, where 47 Metropolitan Transportation Authority and Long Island buses operate daily.

The study found the bus routes have not only created undesirable layovers and long waits for passengers, but also added traffic for motorists as the lanes are filled with buses during rush hour.

To curb this problem, the DOT has proposed adding 1.4 miles of bus lanes to key streets in downtown Jamaica and making other changes to nearby streets.

Comrie, who attended a meeting at which the DOT laid out its plans May 17, said the area is frequently cluttered with traffic.

“It is a comprehensive situation where you have people who drop off someone at the subway, commercial drop off and commuter flow,” he said.

The bus lanes would be put in three regions in the neighborhood.

An offset bus lane, which is placed one lane outside of the curb, has been proposed for the eastbound side of Archer Avenue between Parsons and Merrick boulevards. Currently, there is a bus lane for both the eastbound and westbound sides of the avenue between 150th Street and Guy R. Brewer Boulevard, but the westbound bus lane will be removed from Guy R. Brewer Boulevard to 160th Street as part of the proposal.

A curbside bus lane on the westbound side of Jamaica Avenue between Parsons Boulevard and 168th Street will be changed to an offset bus lane and extended to Sutphin Boulevard.

The DOT also wants to add bus lanes to Merrick Boulevard between Hillside and Archer avenues and another on 165th Street between 89th and Hillside avenues. The lane would help drivers get into and out of the city bus terminal at Merrick Boulevard and 89th Avenue, which is constantly clogged with traffic.

In addition to the bus lane changes, the DOT also proposed making 91st Avenue between 146th Street and 144th Place a one-way, westbound road that would provide for additional space for trucks to unload their deliveries.

Comrie said he was impressed with the plan, but added that the DOT needed to also factor in the dozens of commuter vans that frequent the area during rush hours.

“We need to have pick-up and discharge access because they are not going away,” he said of the dollar vans.

DOT officials said they would be gathering more input from the community and provide more details about the plan in the future.

Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.