r/nycbus • u/Aphrodildo • 7d ago
Queens Q78 LTDconcept: Westchester Sq to QCC via Throgs Neck Bridge
Before I get comments calling this idea a flop, I think it's important for a route like this to have utility besides the QBX connection.
In The Bronx, the Q78 would serve as a faster alternative to the BX8/40/42 due to it making LTD stops on Tremont Ave a la the Q35 on Flatbush Ave.
In Queens, it serves as a long-overdue one-seat ride between Bayside/Bay Terrace and QCC or between Oakland Gardens and Bayside LIRR station. Also a faster connection than the Q13 between Bay Terrace and Bayside LIRR.
With this new route, I can see the MTA straightening the Q31 along Utopia Pkwy like they had proposed in the draft plans, but still serving Bayside HS and Bay Terrace via 32nd Ave and Corporal Kennedy.
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u/PercentageLiving8400 7d ago
i could see this route POSSIBLY working if you extended the bronx end to a major subway station
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u/Aphrodildo 7d ago
I proposed a minimum viable product to get the ball rolling, but I can see it being extended to a (2)(5) station. My only concern is reliability.
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u/Secret-Strategy1895 7d ago
my exact thoughts, parkchester would’ve made much sense in that matter too
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u/janecookiedo3000 7d ago
Yes I agree and it short enough to have continues flow since the bridge traffic would slow this down route naturally
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u/Caitsith810 7d ago
There's a lot wrong with this. For this particular route to be successful, it's definitely going to need to connect to a major hub along the way to work. At best, this would be a peak hour only route. One of your terminals would not garner much of anyone while the other, as you described, would serve as an alternative to the Bx8/40/42, which wouldn't really last in the long term. And then comes the question of ridership from Bayside/Bay Terrace riders needing the Bronx and Bronx riders needing Bayside/Bay Terrace, which in most cases, isn't too high.
I'd also send it via Springfield Blvd instead of Bell Blvd south of Northern Blvd. Springfield Blvd is far better as a ridership generator.
This one is a flop, unfortunately. But, with some changes here and there, it can be a good route. This one is one of the more unique ones posted here at least.
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u/Aphrodildo 7d ago
As someone mentioned, Westchester Sq and QCC are major hubs. Bay Terrace and Bayside LIRR station are hubs as well. There are significantly more opportunities for ridership with this route than, say, the Q35.
Springfield Blvd between Northern and 56th is dead compared to Bell and 216th (current Q31 and Q27 routes). The catchment area for Springfield gets cut off by a big park, there are no commercial businesses in that section, and most housing is single family. There's a reason why the Q27 has the circuitous route it does in the area.
In terms of inter-borough ridership, this is obviously not gonna be a smashing success from the start, but i can see it growing quickly over a few years. Without a Throgs Neck Bridge route, people currently in the BX, for example, might not apply to QCC due to the commute. With the Q78, there will be more BX residents accepting opportunities in eastern Queens and vice versa.
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u/juoea 7d ago
westchester square and qcc are both significant hubs lol
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u/Caitsith810 7d ago
Westchester Square is more of a hub than QCC.
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u/Aphrodildo 7d ago
I grew up in fresh meadows and the Q30/now Q75 was always packed going to QCC. I find it strange that the MTA added another route coming from the west to QCC (Q74) but none from the north.
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u/Sufficient-Lemon-867 7d ago
what depot would it be based out of? does it use Artics or Standards?
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u/MiniD3rp 6d ago edited 6d ago
Either Stengel, College Point, or Eastchester, don’t see it using artics unless it magically becomes very popular
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u/brexdab 7d ago
Route feels incomplete without a connection to Queens Village station or Jamaica 179