u/Aphrodildo

I posted a Q78 idea yesterday and received overwhelming feedback that it needs to go further. So I decided to be a little more ambitious...

Besides the objectives mentioned in my previous post, this route offers:

1. At most a 2-seat ride to QCC/eastern Queens for the majority of the Bronx

2. A 1-seat ride from Throgs Neck/Westchester Sq to Fordham

3. Bus service along Bronxdale Ave, which is currently a transit desert

4. An attractive alternative to the costly QM5/6/8/35/36 by connecting the Douglaston/Little Neck/Glen Oaks co-ops and LIJ Northwell to the Bayside LIRR. This is currently a 3-seat or very long 2-seat ride.

I knew it would have been easier to replicate the BX40/42 or Q27 in my extensions, but I wanted to create connections that currently don't exist. Lmk what y'all think!

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.

As we know, the Q26 swapped its northern terminal with the Q65 in the QBNR. With that, frequencies on the Q26 have roughly doubled during peak hours and weekend/off-peak service was introduced. Although its role as a Q27 local has boosted ridership along its old route, the Q26 south of Flushing, especially east of 162nd Street, appears to be carrying air most of the time.

I think it was a missed opportunity to not send the Q26 the extra mile to Windsor Park, a co-op community with ~5000 residents. It's currently only served by the Q88 with the Q27 being a 15-20 minute walk away from its furthest point. Given the Q17's popularity with the Fresh Meadows co-ops, I have no doubt that this Q26 extension would be an easy win for the MTA.

Was randomly thinking of Miss Brandy and searched her up on YouTube only to see that her music video has amassed 8M+ views! I find this so impressive for a video made less than a year ago and done by a non-US drag race queen. Even the main pop girls are struggling to get these numbers.

Adding a College Point stop to the Soundview line seems like a no-brainer. College Point is a high-density neighborhood without rail access and there's ample room in MacNeil Park for a dock. There is also a connection to the highly used Q25 and potential for Q20, Q26, and Q76 extensions. What is currently a 90 minute commute to midtown east could easily become 30 minutes. Plus, this could help alleviate crowding on the 7. So why are there no plans for this?

Edit: Stops in Whitestone/Beechhurst and Fort Totten would be highly impactful as well.