[RP TownTalk] Queensbury Buses

[Jonah Blaustein]

Have any traffic studies been done in the past few years focusing on  
the RR crossing at Queensbury? Navigating this intersection is often  
the most exciting thing I do all week especially after the traffic  
builds up waiting for a train. I have been a pedestrian there too, and  
it is not a user friendly intersection either by foot or by car. And I  
haven't even attempted to make a left turn across the tracks from Dumms  
Corner. How will this intersection be when the town center is filled  
and new codominiums are built?

I am all for public transportation. Removing bus lines will only add  
more cars to already congested roads. I heard that WMATA has some new  
diesel-electric hybrid busses which probably cause less pollution.  
Smaller busses sounds like a good idea for certain routes.

Another concern is that many of the people who rely on public  
transportation the most may have little time for email list serves and  
going to meetings.

Jonah Blaustein


On Monday, April 24, 2006, at 03:03  AM, Rob Oppenheim wrote:

> There are about 130 bus trips/day traveling on Queensbury
> (and on a piece of Lafayette and along Riverdale Rd).
> That seems like a lot of buses.
>  
> While I am not convinced that the buses should be moved off of  
> Queensbury
> (or find lighter buses etc), I am open to the idea.
>  
> Are these buses benefiting towns people? How many? Could it benefit us  
> just as well on
> E-W Highway (and maybe down Taylor to continue on Riverdale Rd past  
> the apartments)?
> Is the noise, pollution, torn up streets and higher maintenance costs  
> worth it?
>  
> The road surface at the corner of Queensbury and Lafayette is in bad  
> shape.
> Supposedly due to the buses. Indeed most of Queensbury and especially
> the railroad crossing is in bad shape.
>  
> The resulting bumpy streets reduces our quality of life and costs us  
> money to
> maintain our cars, and the maintenance of Queensbury costs the town  
> money.
>  
> Anyone who has sat behind a bus knows that they spew out a lot of  
> pollution
> and kick up dirt and grit and loud noises too. This has to be a  
> constant
> irritation to people who live nearby. I hope that some more of them  
> will
> chime in on this topic. Maybe they do not mind it. If Queensbury is  
> ever to
> get traffic calming devices (turn abouts, curves, speed humps,  
> narrowed lanes)
> then I would think that the buses would have to be moved off.
>  
> FYI, there are 2 sets of buses that I know about that use Queensbury  
> (I am
> pretty ignorant when it comes to buses, there may be others):
>  
> 1) "The Bus" is operated by PG County and has Route 14 on these  
> streets.
> It makes about 40 trips/day. Schedules available at
> http://www.goprincegeorgescounty.com/Government/AgencyIndex/DPW&T/ 
> Transit/thebus.asp?nivel=foldmenu(2)
>  
> 2) "Metro Buses" operated by Washington Metro Area Transit Authority
> has Route F4 which makes about 93 trips/day on these streets.
> Schedule available at http://www.wmata.com/
>  
> Are there others?
>  
> -Rob
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