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Q23 (New York City bus)

For additional information on the current bus services, see List of bus routes in Queens § Q23.

The Q23 bus route constitutes a public transit line in central Queens, New York City. The Q23 was formerly privately operated by the Triboro Coach Corporation, under a subsidized franchise with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT). The route is now operated by MTA Regional Bus Operations under the MTA Bus Company brand. The bus provides service between East Elmhurst in northwestern Queens to Forest Hills in central Queens, running mainly along 108th Street and providing access to the New York City Subway at the Forest Hills–71st Avenue station.

q23
108th Street−Ditmars Boulevard[1]
Forest Hills−Corona−East Elmhurst
A 2012 New Flyer C40LF (596) on the Q23 on 71st Avenue in Forest Hills, Queens.
Overview
SystemMTA Regional Bus Operations
OperatorMTA Bus Company
GarageCollege Point Depot
VehicleNew Flyer C40LF CNG
Orion VII NG HEV
New Flyer Xcelsior XD40
Began service1925
Route
LocaleQueens, New York, U.S.
Communities servedEast Elmhurst, Corona, Forest Hills
StartEast Elmhurst – 102nd Street and Ditmars Boulevard
ViaDitmars Boulevard, 108th Street, 69th Avenue
EndForest Hills – Union Turnpike and Trotting Course Lane (Crescent Apartments)
Length6.2 miles (10.0 km)
Service
OperatesAll times except late nights[2]
Annual patronage3,944,576 (2023)[3]
TransfersYes
TimetableQ23
← Q22  {{{system_nav}}}  Q24 →

Route description and service

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Northbound

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Two New Flyer C40LFs: one 2011 (215) at the former Forest Hills terminal at Forest View Crescent (top) and one 2012 (635) at the new layover area across Union Turnpike (bottom).

The northbound Q23 makes a winding loop in order to get onto 71st Avenue. It originates on Union Turnpike at Stop & Shop in Forest Hills, just east of the abandoned Rockaway Beach Branch of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR).[4] It then turns right at Woodhaven Boulevard, passing over the LIRR's Montauk Branch, before making another right at Metropolitan Avenue. The Q23 then turns left onto 71st Avenue. The northbound route is about 0.25 miles (0.40 km) away from the southbound route through this stretch. At Kessel Street, the Q23 turns left, then two blocks later, turns right onto 69th Avenue. Due to a height restriction between Austin and Burns Street, the Q23 cannot return to 71st Avenue until it crosses the LIRR's Main Line. To do that, the Q23 takes a circuitous route, turning left onto Burns Street, right onto Yellowstone Boulevard (traveling underneath the LIRR), right onto Austin Street, and left onto 71st Avenue. One block north at Queens Boulevard, the Q23 turns onto 108th Street, remaining on the street until 43rd Avenue, where it turns left.[4]

In Corona, the Q23 turns right from 43rd Avenue to National Street, then continues onto 103rd Street when National Street ends at Roosevelt Avenue. In East Elmhurst, the Q23 makes a series of successive turns that resembles a hook shape. It turns left from 103rd Street onto 32nd Avenue, then turns right onto 101st Street, right onto Astoria Boulevard, and left onto 29th Avenue. This hook-shaped path is due to the presence of a median on Astoria Boulevard that blocks through traffic from 103rd Street.[4] The Q23 then turns left at Ditmars Boulevard, then terminates a few blocks later at 102nd Street near LaGuardia Airport.[4]

Southbound

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The southbound Q23 originates at 102nd Street and Ditmars Boulevard near LaGuardia Airport.[4] The southbound route is straighter in East Elmhurst than the northbound route is. From Ditmars Boulevard, it turns right onto 29th Avenue, then left onto 102nd Street, which is a different street than the 102nd Street where the Q23 originated due to the area's street grid.[4] The Q23 continues south on 102nd Street until 37th Avenue, where it turns left. At 104th Street, it turns right, then the Q23 turns left again at 43rd Avenue and right at 108th Street, following the path of the northbound route until 69th Avenue in Forest Hills.[4] The Q23 turns left onto Loubet Street, then makes a right onto 71st Avenue, since Kessel Street is one-way northwest-bound. It goes straight onto 71st Avenue, before turning right onto Union Turnpike, where it terminates.[4]

History

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North Shore Bus Company

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Q23 service began in 1925 as a North Shore Bus Company route.[5][6] The route initially ran between Ditmars Boulevard and 29th Avenue in East Elmhurst and Otis Avenue and Corona Avenue in Corona.[7][8] Therefore, the route was known as the Corona–Ditmars Boulevard line.[9][10][11] An extension of the line along 108th Street to Queens Boulevard in Forest Hills was envisioned, but because 108th Street south of Otis Avenue was just being filled and graded, and as there were no adjacent streets for buses to run on, but was not initiated until later on.[12] On April 5, 1932, Chairman John Delaney of the Board of Transportation approved the extension of the Q23 to Queens Boulevard as part of a renewed contract, which had been proposed by Joseph V. McKee, the president of the Board of Alderman.[13][14][15] The route was extended on, and provided a connection with the Independent Subway System's IND Queens Boulevard Line at the Forest Hills–71st Avenue station. Once extended, the route became known as the Forest Hills–Ditmars Boulevard line.[16] The route was later extended further to Metropolitan Avenue, making the route 2.25 miles longer than it had originally been.

The North Shore Bus Company's certification for the route was contested by the Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation in 1933, as the BMT believed that the route would have competed with its Junction Boulevard trolley service. At hearings, the BMT testified that since bus line started running, the traffic on the trolley line had fallen off.[17][18][19] On December 2, 1932, the Board of Estimate approved the franchise applications for eight routes: seven for North Shore, including for the Q23, and one for Triboro Coach.[20] On February 18, 1933, the franchise grant for the Q23 was granted to the North Shore Bus Company.[10][21] In 1934, the North Shore Bus Company petitioned to extend the route along 37th Avenue.[22] The franchise grant was reawarded on January 25, 1935, and by the time of this grant, the route was extended from 2.7 to 6.4 miles (4.3 to 10.3 km).[23] This modification provided, among other things, for extending Route Q23, Forest Hills-Ditmars Boulevard, southerly from 108th Street and Otis Avenue to Metropolitan Avenue, a distance of approximately 2.25 miles in order that connection might be made with the Independent Subway System at Queens Boulevard.

Triboro Coach Corporation

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On September 24, 1936, the franchise for the Q23 was awarded to the Triboro Coach Corporation.[24] On October 29, 1936, local consent for ten years was secured from New York City.[25] Triboro Coach operation of the route began on January 3, 1938.[26]

In 1937,[27] the Q23's southern terminal was Continental Avenue (71st Avenue) and Metropolitan Avenue.[28] Metropolitan Avenue-bound buses would turn east on Loubet Street, and then south on 72nd Avenue, before terminating at Metropolitan Avenue.[29]

All night service and more frequent service during the day, after two years of pressure, was installed on the Q23 in September 1950.[30] In 1976, a proposed extension of the route to serve more of Forest Hills was discussed at a Queens Community Board 6 meeting.[31] In 1988, the Q23 was extended to Union Turnpike.[32][33] As part of the Queens Subway Options Study it was suggested that if the Queens Bypass would have run via the Lower Montauk Branch, the Q23 be extended to Woodhaven Boulevard to connect with the line.[34]

MTA Bus Company

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Two Orion VII OGs on the East Elmhurst-bound Q23 approaching 108th Street/52nd/Corona Avenues

On February 2, 2006, Triboro Coach ceased operations and the Q23, as well as all other routes operating under Triboro Coach, were picked up by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). Fare structures were converted to those of the MTA.[35][36] Between 2006 and 2007 the layover of the Q23 was changed. Previously it would run east on Loubet Street, and then south on 72nd Avenue before turning west on Metropolitan Avenue and finally Woodhaven Boulevard before terminating at the Crescent Apartments on Union Turnpike.[37] The routing was changed so that after Loubet Street the Q23 would turn onto 71st Avenue and then onto Metropolitan Avenue avoiding 72nd Avenue entirely.[38]

In the late 2000s, the MTA was considering extending the Q23 to LaGuardia Airport.[39] Signs along the route showed this proposed extension, as well as bus destination signs.

Prior to January 8, 2017, the Q23 was based out of the LaGuardia Depot. It was moved to the College Point Depot in exchange for the Q53 due to plans for the latter to become a Select Bus Service route. On September 23, 2017, the route of the Q23's terminal loop in Forest Hills was reversed. The new route runs southwest on Union Turnpike, north on Woodhaven Boulevard, and east on Metropolitan Avenue. The bus route's layover area is now on the north side of Union Turnpike.[40] The change took place in conjunction with Select Bus Service improvements to Woodhaven Boulevard, which resulted in the left turn from southbound Woodhaven Boulevard to eastbound Union Turnpike being banned. Queens Community Board 6 members had objected to some parts of the left-turn ban, citing that the loop served some stores and the Forest Park Crescents cooperative apartment development.[41][42]

Bus redesign

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In December 2019, the MTA released a draft redesign of the Queens bus network.[43][44] As part of the redesign, the Q23 would have been replaced by a high-density "intra-borough" route, the QT11, running along 108th Street, Queens Boulevard, Union Turnpike, and 188th Street to Fresh Meadows. The QT11 would still originate in East Elmhurst but would continue along 108th Street between Ditmars and Queens Boulevards. The existing routings in Corona and Forest Hills would have been replaced by two "neighborhood" bus routes, the QT82 and QT87 respectively.[45] The redesign was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City in 2020,[46] and the original draft plan was dropped due to negative feedback.[47] At the time, the Q23 was one of the slowest bus routes in New York City due to its serpentine path. From 2018 to 2022, it consistently traveled slower than 8 miles per hour (13 km/h), the average speed of New York City bus routes.[48]

A revised plan was released in March 2022.[49] As part of the new plan, the Q23 would become a "limited-stop" route and run overnight, following the routing of the QT11; it would supplement the Q46 and a new Q48 service, which would run nonstop on Union Turnpike west of 188th Street. The Corona and Forest Hills sections would be respectively replaced by two new "local" routes, the Q14 and Q73.[50] A final bus-redesign plan was released in December 2023.[51][52] The Q23 was to be truncated to the 103rd Street–Corona Plaza station at its north end, but its south end would remain unchanged. A new Q14 service would take over the segment north of Corona Plaza.[53]

References

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  1. ^ Triboro Coach (June 8, 1943). "TRIBORO COACH CORP. ANNOUNCES 20% EMERGENCY CURTAILMENT IN BUS SERVICE Effective Monday. June 7. 1943". Long Island Star-Journal. Retrieved March 4, 2016 – via Fultonhistory.com.
  2. ^ MTA Regional Bus Operations. "Q23 bus schedule".
  3. ^ "Subway and bus ridership for 2023". mta.info. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-06-17. Retrieved 2018-02-19.
  5. ^ "NEW YORK CITY TRANSIT ROUTES". www.chicagorailfan.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2016.
  6. ^ "Committee Report Names Bus Operators For 3 Zones In Queens" (PDF). North Shore Daily Journal. January 10, 1936. p. 7. Retrieved July 30, 2017.
  7. ^ The Chase National Bank of the City of New York, Successor by Consolidation to The Equitable Trust Company of New york, as Trustee, Under a Deed of Trust Entered Into Between John D. Rockefeller and The Equitable Trust Company of New York, as Trustee, Dates July 3, 1917 Against Chicago Title and Trust Company, as Executor of the Last Will and Testament of Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Deceased, et al.
  8. ^ "Bus Routes Over Which Companies Are Battling". Long Island Daily Press. July 15, 1931. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  9. ^ "FRANCHISE HEARING MOTOR OMNIBUS LINES BOROUGH OF QUEENS Board of Estimate and Apportionment City of New York". Long Island Daily Press. November 12, 1934. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  10. ^ a b Annual Report. J.B. Lyon Company. January 1, 1936.
  11. ^ The Chase National Bank of the City of New York, Successor by Consolidation to The Equitable Trust Company of New york, as Trustee, Under a Deed of Trust Entered Into Between John D. Rockefeller and The Equitable Trust Company of New York, as Trustee, Dates July 3, 1917 Against Chicago Title and Trust Company, as Executor of the Last Will and Testament of Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Deceased, et al. p. 338.
  12. ^ Proceedings of the Board of Transportation of the City of New York. New York City Board of Transportation. April 5, 1932. p. 691.
  13. ^ "BOARD DELAYS BUS ACTION FOR WEEK FOR CONTRACT STUD". Long Island City Daily Star. April 6, 1932. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  14. ^ "AGREES TO REVISE QUEENS BUS GRANTS; Estimate Board in Accord on Changes to Meet Objections of McKee and Berry. SEVEN ROUTES MODIFIED Delaney Report Also Provides That Profits Be Divided With City After Dec. 31, 1934" (PDF). the New York Times. April 6, 1932. Retrieved March 6, 2016.
  15. ^ "Queens Buses are Extended; McKee Victory". Brooklyn Daily Eagle. April 5, 1932. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  16. ^ "1939-1940 Triboro Coach Map". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  17. ^ "HEARINGS CLOSED BY TRANSIT BODY ON BUS ROUTES Objections Raised to Route Q-23 By Counsel of B.M.T." Long Island City Daily Star. March 15, 1933. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  18. ^ "B.M.T. TO FIGHT BUS ROUTE GRANT TO RAUCHWERGER Hearing Adjourned to Permit Data on Corona-Ditmars Boulevard Line". Long Island City Daily Star. March 14, 1933. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  19. ^ "B.M.T. PROTESTS APPLICATIONS OF BUS COMPANY". Long Island City Daily Star. March 9, 1933. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  20. ^ "BOARD ACTS FAVORABLY ON PERMITS North Shore Gets Seven Routes, Triboro Coach' the Eighth". Long Island City Daily Star. December 3, 1932. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  21. ^ "SCALONE ELECTED HEAD OF CORONA CIVIC ASSOCIATION". Long Island Daily-Star. March 13, 1933. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  22. ^ "DELAY SEEN IN FRANCHISE FOR BEE LINE". Long Island Daily Press. October 18, 1934. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  23. ^ The Chase National Bank of the City of New York, Successor by Consolidation to The Equitable Trust Company of New york, as Trustee, Under a Deed of Trust Entered Into Between John D. Rockefeller and The Equitable Trust Company of New York, as Trustee, Dates July 3, 1917 Against Chicago Title and Trust Company, as Executor of the Last Will and Testament of Edith Rockefeller McCormick, Deceased, et al. p. 724.
  24. ^ "Franchises Awarded for Thirty-Four Bus Routes". Long Island Daily Press. September 25, 1936. Archived from the original on March 28, 2022. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  25. ^ Annual Report of the Public Service Commission. The Commission. January 1, 1943. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  26. ^ "Triboro Coach". Motor Coach Age (July – September 1998). 1998.
  27. ^ "Notice of Public Hearings FRANCHISE MATTERS". Long Island Daily Press. June 16, 1937. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  28. ^ "MOTHERS FIGHT BUS CHANGE IN WOODSIDE AREA Danger to Children Seen in Proposed Shift of Q-24 Route". Long Island City Star-Journal. September 18, 1946. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  29. ^ "1939-1940 Triboro Coach Map". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 7, 2016.
  30. ^ "Civic Victory". Long Island Star-Journal. September 10, 1950. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 6, 2016 – via Fulton History.
  31. ^ "Community Planning and School Boards". New York Daily News. December 13, 1976. Retrieved February 25, 2024.
  32. ^ "November 1993 Queens Bus Map". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  33. ^ "1988 Queens Bus Map". Flickr - Photo Sharing!. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
  34. ^ Queens Subway Options Study, New York: Environmental Impact Statement. January 1, 1992. Archived from the original on December 16, 2023. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  35. ^ Silverman, Norman (July 26, 2010). "The Merger of 7 Private Bus Companies into MTA Bus" (PDF). apta.com. American Public Transportation Association, Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 16, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2015.
  36. ^ See:
  37. ^ "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. May 2006. Archived from the original on February 27, 2007. Retrieved March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  38. ^ "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 2007. Archived from the original on April 16, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  39. ^ "New York City Department of Transportation Bus Ridership Survey and Route Analysis" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. p. 37. Archived (PDF) from the original on October 16, 2015. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  40. ^ "Permanent Route and Bus Stop Changes in Forest Hills". web.mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. September 3, 2017. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  41. ^ Kern-Jedrychowska, Ewa (2017-08-25). "Q23 Route Changes Near Trader Joe's Take Effect Sept. 3, MTA Says". DNAinfo New York. Archived from the original on 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  42. ^ Pozarycki, Robert (2017-09-02). "Major change in bus route running through Forest Hills and Glendale starts this Sunday – QNS.com". QNS.com. Archived from the original on 2021-06-05. Retrieved 2021-06-05.
  43. ^ Acevedo, Angélica (December 17, 2019). "MTA gives 'sneak peek' of transformative Queens bus network redesign plan". QNS.com. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  44. ^ "MTA Unveils Draft Proposal to Redesign Bus Network in Queens". Spectrum News NY1 | New York City. December 31, 2019. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  45. ^ "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. December 2019. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  46. ^ "Queens bus network redesign remains on hold amid COVID-19 pandemic: MTA". QNS.com. Archived from the original on July 5, 2020. Retrieved 2020-07-05.
  47. ^ Duggan, Kevin (December 15, 2021). "MTA to release 'totally redone' Queens bus network redesign draft in early 2022". amNewYork. Archived from the original on January 21, 2022. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
  48. ^ Ley, Ana; Alvarado, Jose A. Jr. (2022-05-31). "When the Only Way to Get to Work Is This Slow Bus". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on 2022-06-16. Retrieved 2022-06-16.
  49. ^ Duggan, Kevin (March 29, 2022). "FIRST ON amNY: MTA reveals new Queens bus redesign draft plan". amNewYork. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved March 29, 2022.
  50. ^ "Draft Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. March 2022. Archived from the original on March 29, 2022. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  51. ^ Brachfeld, Ben (December 12, 2023). "MTA unveils final proposal for Queens bus network redesign". amNewYork. Archived from the original on December 13, 2023. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  52. ^ Shkurhan, Iryna (December 13, 2023). "MTA unveils final plan to overhaul Queens bus network for the first time in decades". QNS.com. Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  53. ^ "Final Plan, Queens Bus Network Redesign". Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Dec 2023. Archived from the original on December 12, 2023. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
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