{"id":195648,"date":"2026-04-13T17:07:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:07:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/195648\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T17:07:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T17:07:10","slug":"local-seniors-rally-against-proposed-relocation-of-bus-stop-on-queens-boulevard-in-sunnyside-qns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/195648\/","title":{"rendered":"Local seniors rally against proposed relocation of bus stop on Queens Boulevard in Sunnyside \u2013 QNS"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\"Sunnyside\t\t\t<\/p>\n

Sunnyside Community Services rallied at the site of a Q32\/Q60 bus stop at Queens Boulevard and 39th Place Friday, April 10. <\/p>\n

Photo by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Over 100 seniors and local residents gathered in Sunnyside<\/a> Friday, April 10, to rally against the planned relocation of a west-bound bus stop on Queens Boulevard and 39th Place , which protesters said would force seniors with limited mobility to cross a busy street in order to reach the stop in the future.<\/p>\n

The current stop for the Q32 and Q60 buses, which is located outside the Sunnyside Community Services<\/a> (SCS) pre-K entrance at 39-01 Queens Blvd., is set to be moved one block away across the other side of 39th Street, a busy two-way street which advocates say poses a danger to local seniors and young children who use SCS.<\/p>\n

\"PhotoPhoto by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

The Department of Transportation (DOT) is planning the redesign in coordination with the MTA after the MTA implemented the Queens Bus Network Redesign in 2025. That redesign called for bus stop changes along Queens Boulevard.<\/p>\n

The DOT said the redesign aims to make it safer for people to wait for the bus while also helping buses to operate more smoothly without pulling in and out traffic. The DOT plans to build concrete \u201cbus boarding islands\u201d at the new location, which separate buses from cyclists.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project will build concrete islands where people can wait for the bus more safely,\u201d a DOT spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cThese islands also help buses stop more smoothly without having to pull in and out of traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

The current bus stop forces cyclists into traffic as well as forcing buses to merge into traffic after making a stop, according to the DOT.\n<\/p>\n

A manhole located near the current stop is preventing the construction of a bus boarding island outside SCS because the DOT cannot relocate private utilities using in-house resources, the agency said at a resent CB2 presentation.<\/p>\n

The agency will also shorten the crossing on 39th Street by 8 feet in order to address concerns about local residents with mobility issues crossing the busy road.\n<\/p>\n

\u201cWe share the community\u2019s commitment to safer crossings, and that is why this upgrade will also add a concrete curb extension to shorten the crossing at 39th Street and reorganize traffic lanes to slow vehicles heading toward Queens Boulevard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Still, elected officials, SCS members and local seniors gathered at the bus stop on April 10 to voice concerns about the relocation.
\n\"PhotoPhoto by Shane O\u2019Brien\n<\/p>\n

SCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill described the proposed relocation as \u201cvery unsafe,\u201d stating that 39th Street is a major thoroughfare for traffic between Queens Boulevard and Northern Boulevard.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe parents with young children and the roughly 200 seniors who come here Monday through Friday would have to navigate 39th Street, Zangwill said. \u201cWe consider that really unsafe. We have older people who are in wheelchairs or have hearing impairments and we are so concerned that they would have to navigate a major thoroughfare with trucks and cars and lots of traffic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"SCSSCS Executive Director Judy Zangwill. Photo by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Zangwill added that many SCS members use the bus stop to access the center, stating that a number of seniors use the bus to travel to SCS from Jackson Heights.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey don\u2019t want to take the train because not every train has an elevator,\u201d Zangwill said.\u201dSo the bus is a really good alternative\u2026 this one drops them right outside the door.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"PhotoPhoto by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n

Zangwill said SCS and other local organizations had offered to raise capital to address the manhole at the current bus stop. She said SCS met with the MTA and the DOT but does not believe the agencies have changed their stance.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think we felt like there was much movement,\u201d she said. \u201cFrankly, they really aren\u2019t characterizing this as a safety issue.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

State Sen. Michael Gianaris described plans to relocate the bus stop across 39th Street as dangerous and vowed to ensure that the MTA \u201clet\u2019s go\u201d of those plans.
\n\"StateState Sen. Michael Gianaris. Photo by Shane O\u2019Brien\n<\/p>\n

\u201cGod forbid they move it and something happens,\u201d Gianaris said at the rally. \u201cWe\u2019re going to fight, and we\u2019re going to make sure that this stop, which has been here for so many years, that the community relies on, is going to stay in this location.\u201d<\/p>\n

The MTA previously moved the bus stop in 2008, which Zangwill and SCS say caused \u201cwidespread outrage.\u201d The stop was moved back to its current location in 2011 after local resident and SCS member Gertrude McDonald organized a petition opposing the move. The petition received over 300 signatures.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re gonna make sure the MTA backs off again, and hopefully this time, they forget about ever bringing this idea back,\u201d Gianaris said to a chorus of cheers.
\n\"PhotoPhoto by Shane O\u2019Brien\n<\/p>\n

Deputy Queens Borough President for External Affairs and Special Initiatives Michael Mallon said the new bus stop location was \u201cbad placement\u201d and said the new location would be a \u201ctragedy waiting to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is the difference between save access and a real hazard,\u201d Mallon said. \u201cMoving the stop across 39th Street, a corridor heavily used by trucks, that\u2019s what we\u2019re asking seniors and young children to navigate. That\u2019s a terrible idea. It\u2019s bad design. This is a tragedy waiting to happen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ProtestersProtesters marched to SCS after Friday\u2019s rally. Photo by Shane O\u2019Brien<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Sunnyside Community Services rallied at the site of a Q32\/Q60 bus stop at Queens Boulevard and 39th Place…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":195649,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[44541,6157,78021,40774,19469,141,9,24,63,122,124,123,42938,78022],"class_list":{"0":"post-195648","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-bus-stop","9":"tag-dot","10":"tag-judy-zangwill","11":"tag-michael-gianaris","12":"tag-michael-mallon","13":"tag-mta","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-queens","18":"tag-queens-headlines","19":"tag-queens-news","20":"tag-street-redesign","21":"tag-sunnyside-community-services"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195648","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=195648"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/195648\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/195649"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=195648"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=195648"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=195648"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}