Q17 (New York City bus)

Add links
Route map:
This is a good article. Click here for more information.
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Queens.

q17
q17
Flushing−Fresh Meadows−Jamaica
Horace Harding Expressway, 188th Street, Hillside Avenue
EndJamaica – Archer Avenue and Merrick Boulevard
Length5.5 miles (8.9 km)[1]
Other routesQ25 127th St/Kissena/Parsons Blvds ; Q34 Willets Point/Kissena/Parsons Blvds
Q65 164th St/College Point Bl
Service
Operates24 hours[note 1][2]
Annual patronage3,435,967 (2022)[3]
TransfersYes
TimetableQ17
← 
Q16
  {{{system_nav}}} 
Q18
 →

The Q17

Long Island Expressway service road (Horace Harding Expressway) and 188th Street between two major bus-subway hubs in the neighborhoods of Jamaica and Flushing. It is one of the busiest local bus routes in Queens.[4] Operated by the North Shore Bus Company until 1947, the route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the New York City Transit
brand.

Route description and service

The Q17 begins at Archer Avenue and

Main Street subway station.[2][5] Terminating Q17 and Q27 buses proceed east along 39th Avenue, lay over on 138th Street, then return along 37th Avenue to pick up southbound passengers at Main Street and 38th Avenue.[4]

During weekday midday hours and weekday rush hours in the peak direction (AM to Flushing; PM to Jamaica), alternate southbound local service terminates at 188th Street and

Horace Harding Expressway in Fresh Meadows. During weekday rush hours, bi-directional limited-stop service is operated along the full route between Jamaica and Flushing.[2]

The original Q17 route ran along Homelawn Street,

Q31.[5][9][10]

History

1920s to 1970s

A Jamaica-bound Q17 Limited (front) and local (middle) departing Downtown Flushing.

The Q17 was originally operated by the Flushing Heights Bus Company, which began operating circa 1928.[11] In 1931, the New York City Board of Estimate was deciding which bus route franchises would be given to which private operators. Along with thirty other bus routes, the Q17 was tentatively assigned to the North Shore Bus Company, as part of Zone B (Flushing and Northern Queens).[12]

The North Shore Bus Company acquired the franchises to the Flushing Heights Bus routes on September 22, 1935, but the two companies did not merge.

Q44.[15]

On July 1, 1939, the Q17 became interlined with the

168th Street and Jamaica Avenue, three blocks east.[17] The route been running to the 165th Street Terminal since North Shore took the terminal over in mid-1939.[20] Beginning on June 8, 1942, due to restrictions on gasoline and tire usage during World War II, the service was truncated to 14th Avenue and 122nd Street in College Point.[6][21] Service north of 14th Avenue was restored on February 4, 1946.[18] The Q20 was separated from the Q17 during off-peak "base period" hours on January 27, 1947.[22] In March of that year, North Shore Bus would be taken over by the New York City Board of Transportation (later the New York City Transit Authority), making the bus routes city operated.[23][24][25] The joint Q17-20 service later became popular among students of St. John's University, and residents from Jamaica Estates and Flushing Heights (now Kew Gardens Hills) shopping in Downtown Flushing.[8][10][26]

On February 3, 1957, the Transit Authority separated the Q17 and Q20 services at all times.[8][26][27][28] On December 19, 1960, the Flushing Heights Civic and Improvement Association requested that the NYCTA restore the former Q17-20 service.[10]

1980s to present

On December 11, 1988, when the

Archer Avenue Line opened,[29][30][31] the Q17's southern terminal was moved one block east and south to Archer Avenue and Merrick Boulevard. Limited-stop service during peak hours began on September 8, 2003.[32] Limited-stop service was estimated to save riders traveling longer distances five minutes, and was provided by alternate Q17 trips. The locations of limited stops were made because they were in most case high volume transfer points, have high ridership and are spaced out to allow limited-stop service to run more quickly than local service. This change was announced in May 2003, and was presented to the NYC Transit Committee of the MTA Board on June 17, 2003.[33] In August 2014, the northern layover area of the Q17 and Q27 was shifted from Prince Street west of Main Street near St. George's Church, to 39th Avenue and 138th Street east of Main Street.[4]

In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.[34][35] As part of the redesign, the Q17 would have been eliminated, with several "intra-borough" routes providing service on the corridors used by the Q17.[36] The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,[37] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.[38] A revised plan was released in March 2022.[39] Under the new plan, the Q17 would become a "zone" route, with nonstop sections on Kissena Boulevard. The route would be extended north to College Point, taking over the routing of the Q25.[40] The southern terminus would be cut back to Union Turnpike in Fresh Meadows. Service between Jamaica and Union Turnpike would be provided by a new route, the Q75.[40][41] A final bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.[42][43] The Q17 would be converted into a limited-stop route with slightly fewer stops than the existing Q17 local service, but it would retain its full routing from Flushing to Jamaica.[44]

Notes

  1. ^ Q17 Limited only operates bi-directionally during weekday rush hours

References

  1. ^ "54 Bus Routes Win Approval By City". The New York Times. January 28, 1931. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
  2. ^ a b c MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Q17 bus schedule" (PDF).
  3. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2022". mta.info. August 3, 2023. Retrieved March 29, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting July 2014" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. July 28, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 4, 2016. Retrieved October 29, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. August 2022. Retrieved September 29, 2022.
  6. ^ a b c d "For the Convenience of A, B and C Car Owners" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. December 22, 1942. p. 7. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  7. ^ North Shore Bus Company (July 29, 1942). "For the Convenience of Queens Bus Riders" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. p. 4. Retrieved February 21, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c Mooney Jr., Joseph W. (February 1, 1957). "New Bus Schedules Will Force Some Riders to Transfer Twice" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 6. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  9. ^ "1975 Queens Bus Map". wardmaps.com. New York City Transit Authority. 1975. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  10. ^ a b c "TA Gets Plea To Reinstate Bus Route" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. December 19, 1960. p. 5. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  11. ^ Annual report. New York State Transit Commission. 1933. p. 515. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  12. ^ "Pick Tentative Bus Operators; Queens Objects". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. June 19, 1931. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  13. ^ "North Shore Company Takes Over Rival's Routes". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. September 24, 1935. Retrieved January 3, 2016.
  14. ^ Sixteenth Annual Report For the Calendar Year 1936. Department of Public Service Metropolitan Division Transit Commission. 1937. p. 535.
  15. ^ "Harvey Sees New Bus Route As Spur to Queens Shopping: Ceremonies Mark Opening of Jamaica-Flushing Transit Line" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Section Two. Fultonhistory.com. March 23, 1938. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  16. ^ "College Point Buses Ready" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. June 30, 1939. p. 26. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Estates Buses Abandon Jamaica Terminal Stop" (PDF). Long Island Daily Press. Fultonhistory.com. December 16, 1940. p. 1. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  18. ^ a b North Shore Bus Company (February 1, 1946). "To Our Riders" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 20. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  19. ^ Q17/20 Rollsign
  20. ^ "North Shore Buses Start From Terminal Today" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. June 25, 1939. p. 3. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  21. ^ "Bus Schedules Revised to Save Gas and Tires: Transit Commission Order Goes Into Effect June 8 on Queens Routes" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. May 27, 1942. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  22. ^ North Shore Bus Company (January 24, 1947). "Notice of Change in Bus Schedules" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 11. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  23. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved March 27, 2016.
  24. ISBN 978-0-8232-6190-1
    .
  25. ^ "120-Passenger Vehicles Added For Next Week: 10 City Lines Will HAve All New Equipment by Wednesday" (PDF). Fultonhistory.com. Long Island Star-Journal. December 31, 1948. p. 2. Retrieved January 9, 2016.
  26. ^ a b Mooney Jr., Joseph W. (February 1, 1957). "New Bus Schedules Will Force Some Riders to Transfer Twice" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  27. ^ "College Point Backs Move to Curb TA" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. January 14, 1957. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  28. ^ Mooney, Jr., Joseph W. (February 2, 1957). "Bus Cuts Begin at Midnight And Bayside Hills Won'y Like 'Em" (PDF). Long Island Star-Journal. Fultonhistory.com. p. 1. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  29. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved July 7, 2020.
  30. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  31. ISSN 0362-4331
    . Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  32. ^ Woodberry, Warren Jr. (September 8, 2003). "TA Shifts Gears On Six Bus Routes". New York Daily News. Retrieved December 16, 2015.
  33. ^ Tendler, Lois H. (May 30, 2003). "Proposed Q17 Service Change". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  34. ^ Acevedo, Angélica (December 17, 2019). "MTA gives 'sneak peek' of transformative Queens bus network redesign plan". QNS.com. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  35. ^ "MTA Unveils Draft Proposal to Redesign Bus Network in Queens". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  36. ^ "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  37. ^ "Queens bus network redesign remains on hold amid COVID-19 pandemic: MTA". QNS.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved July 5, 2020.
  38. ^ Duggan, Kevin (December 15, 2021). "MTA to release 'totally redone' Queens bus network redesign draft in early 2022". amNewYork. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  39. ^ Duggan, Kevin (March 29, 2022). "FIRST ON amNY: MTA reveals new Queens bus redesign draft plan". amNewYork. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  40. ^ a b "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  41. ^ Rose, Naeisha (June 16, 2022). "Bus line extensions, eliminations proposed". Queens Chronicle. Retrieved June 16, 2022.
  42. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (December 12, 2023). "MTA unveils final proposal for Queens bus network redesign". amNewYork. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  43. ^ Shkurhan, Iryna (December 13, 2023). "MTA unveils final plan to overhaul Queens bus network for the first time in decades". QNS.com. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  44. ^ "Final Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2020.

External links

KML file (edit • help)
Template:Attached KML/Q17 (New York City bus)
KML is not from Wikidata
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Q17_(New_York_City_bus)&oldid=1216204828"