Queens, NY–Following pronouncements that previously cut transportation services in westernQueens would not be restored, Senator Michael Gianaris is calling on the MetropolitanTransportation Authority (MTA) to expand Q103 bus line hours of operation. He sent a letter toMTA Chairman Joe Lhota requesting a review of the Q103 for possible expansion to night andweekend service.
The Q103 is currently only operational on weekdays, with service terminating shortly before 7 pm. Ittravels between Astoria and Hunter’s Point in Long Island City, along which a burgeoning artscorridor in western Queens has been established. The bus is already well-utilized and demand forincreased service hours will only grow as this arts corridor further develops and the communityprepares for construction of the Cornell-Technion Applied Sciences Campus on Roosevelt Island.The only bridge connecting to Roosevelt Island empties directly onto the Q103 route between Astoria and Long Island City.
“Western Queens has experienced a population and development boom, and it is important that masstransit keeps pace with that growth,” Senator Gianaris said. “The emergence of our LIC artscommunity and the opening of the Cornell-Technion Campus on Roosevelt Island make an expandedQ103 service a necessity.”
In July, Senator Gianaris also called on the MTA to include the W subway and the QM22 bus on itslist of service restorations. Senator Gianaris believes Queens is in need of more transportationoptions, particularly as previously cut services are not restored.
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