Redefining Queens Bus Network: Initial Wins Unveiled
**Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign Brings Targeted Improvements to City's Transit System**
In a bid to modernise and improve the city's bus network, the Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign is currently in active phased rollout and infrastructure improvement stages, with a focus on corridor-level bus priority and safety improvements.
The redesign, which is set to continue throughout 2024-2025, targets about 35,000 daily riders on key corridors such as Bay Parkway, Cropsey Avenue, and Linden Boulevard. These improvements are closely coordinated with Vision Zero safety priorities and include operational changes such as street closures to improve shuttle bus operations during transit disruptions.
In contrast, the Queens Bus Network Redesign has already begun major route and service changes, starting from June 2025. This redesign represents the first major update since the 1950s and affects 124 routes serving 800,000 daily riders. The Queens redesign features a broader scale change with a net increase in routes, new fare transfer policies offering a second free bus transfer within set time limits, and aims to reduce travel times dramatically for a larger ridership.
The Bronx redesign, while less specified in the available data, is part of a citywide improvement effort and plans to increase bus service across multiple boroughs, including the Bronx.
In the aftermath of the Bronx bus network redesign in summer 2022, local buses ran 4% faster on the 13 remapped routes, while overall speeds increased 2% on weekdays and 3% on weekends. Hundreds of volunteer ambassadors, mostly MTA employees, are helping to educate and direct Queens riders, and the route lookup tool on the MTA website has been significantly improved for the Brooklyn redesign.
One of the notable changes in Brooklyn is the introduction of the Q90 bus route, which provides a more direct ride from Flushing to LaGuardia Airport. Bus operators have trained extensively and switched to new routes seamlessly. Many bus lines in Brooklyn still follow old trolley routes.
The Proposed Final Plan for Brooklyn's bus network redesign will be released later this year. Riders in Brooklyn and Manhattan can expect the same level of customer service as in previous redesigns. Improved signage at Guide-A-Ride canisters on bus stop poles in Brooklyn will include localised information based on feedback from Staten Islanders and Bronxites. The Brooklyn redesign will be finely tuned before it goes live, learning from previous redesigns in Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.
Demetrius Crichlow, the MTA New York City Transit president, has overseen these redesigns, which aim to give New Yorkers more time in their day. The redesigns are going smoothly due to effective planning and a large communication effort. The Draft Plan for the Brooklyn bus network redesign has been published on the MTA website for public review. The Queens Bus Network Redesign is currently in its first phase.
- The Brooklyn Bus Network Redesign, aiming to enhance the city's transit system, is focusing on corridor-level bus priority and safety improvements, also aligning with Vision Zero safety priorities, which is a significant development in the transportation industry.
- To finance these infrastructure upgrades and improvements in public-transit, the redesigns in various boroughs, including Brooklyn, are backed by funding and support from the finance sector, ensuring that the revamped bus networks can provide New Yorkers with an efficient and modern transportation service.
