T.A. Calls for Q35 Bike Racks During Bridge Closure

The MTA plans a shuttle bus for cyclists and pedestrians from March to November during the Marine Parkway Bridge reconstruction. Sounds good, but shuttle bus service will be suspended the rest of the year in 1999-2002, leaving the bridge inaccessible to walkers and cyclists in the winter months.

There is an alternative: T.A. has called for bicycle racks on the existing Q35 bus, which traverses the bridge year-round.

Recreational cyclists and pedestrians need uninterrupted access to the Marine Parkway Bridge. It connects the Marine Park bikeway, the Shore Parkway Greenway and is the only link between the Riis Park and Floyd Bennett sections of Gateway National Park. This critical link must be maintained during construction. The bicycle racks, such as the ones used on the QBx1 bus over the Whitestone Bridge, would fill the gap in shuttle bus service. At only $600 each, the devices are a cost-effective way to get cyclists across the bridge.

Let MTA Bridges and Tunnels know that it can best serve all Marine Parkway Bridge users with racks on the Q35 bus.

Write to :
Michael Ascher
President, MTA Bridges and Tunnels
10 Columbus Circle
New York, NY 10019

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