8 THE QUEENS COURIER • NOVEMBER 16, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
City touts newest and longest SBS route
BY ANTHONY GIUDICE
agiudice@qns.com
@A_GiudiceReport
Mayor Bill de Blasio joined city agencies
Jamaica Hospital responded to Puerto Rico’s call for help
BY SUZANNE MONTEVERDI
smonteverdi@qns.com / @smont76
Queens-based medical providers
stepped up big time to bring their knowledge
and services directly to Puerto Rico
in its time of need.
A 20-member group of volunteers from
Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and
Flushing Hospital Medical Center spent
16 days on the island in the wake of devastation
caused by Hurricane Maria. Th e
largely bilingual group included physicians,
physician assistants, nurse practitioners,
registered nurses, emergency
medical technicians and administrators.
Th e team provided medical assistance
to hundreds of individuals each day in the
cities of San Juan and Manati by supplementing
staffi ng for the ongoing Disaster
Medical Assistance Team (DMAT) missions
and providing assistance to Federal
Medical Shelters and the United States
Naval Ship Comfort.
Members of the group were also deployed
to provide door-to-door services to residents
living in Adjuardo. Th e group provided
services from Oct. 24 through Nov. 8.
Paramedic Frank Filloramo, a Howard
Beach native, said the country’s urgent
need for medical services, as well as clean
water, was apparent.
“Th e whole island was aff ected — whether
power-wise, the lack of water — it’s very
sad for the people, and for us to see,” he said.
Filloramo said he was tasked largely
with providing services in a triage area, as
well as fi eld services. He went on numerous
ambulance runs to more remote areas
to make sure services were best provided
to those who needed them most.
Th e group saw about 500 patients a day,
the Queens native said.
“Th is is really my fi rst love: I like helping
people,” Filloramo said. “And this was a way
to help more … You could see it in patients’
faces that they were so thankful.”
All participants were honored at a celebration
at Jamaica Hospital on Nov. 10.
Th e two hospitals are part of the
MediSys Health Network, which has
deployed volunteers to provide disaster
relief in Far Rockaway for Superstorm
Sandy, Lower Manhattan aft er the 9/11
attacks and other crises.
“It has always been our mission to provide
relief to those in need,” said Bruce J.
Flanz, president and chief executive offi -
cer of the MediSys Health Network. “We
believe our experience in responding to
disasters and exporting our talents where
they can be utilized is something that we
are proud to do and will continue to off er
whenever it is needed.”
on Monday in praising the launch
of New York City’s newest Select Bus
Service (SBS) route along Woodhaven
and Cross Bay boulevards, as the Q52 and
Q53 buses became the latest routes to be
included in the project.
Th e Woodhaven/Cross Bay SBS route
is the 15th of its kind in the city, and at
14.7 miles in length, is the longest corridor
to off er customers SBS.
Th is SBS route also brings transformational
Vision Zero safety improvements
to one of the city’s widest and highest
crash streets.
“Woodhaven and Cross Bay Boulevard
are critical roads in Queens — and from
the Rockaways to Elmhurst, residents
deserve this fi rst-class service,” de Blasio
said in a statement. “We are committed
to expanding Select Bus Service even
further, as we know it not only brings
increased reliability and reduced travel
time for bus riders, the dramatic street
improvements of SBS will also make our
streets safer for pedestrians and motorists.
Here in Queens, along a street that
has been a Vision Zero Priority Corridor
with far too many tragic crashes, we
expect these changes to make a big difference.”
Th e New York City Department of
Transportation (DOT) partnered with
the MTA to bring the more than 40,000
daily bus riders along the new SBS route
from the communities of Elmhurst, Rego
Park, Middle Village, Woodhaven, Ozone
Park, Howard Beach, Broad Channel,
Rockaway Park and Arverne faster and
more reliable bus service.
Across New York City, SBS has delivered
between 10 to 30 percent increases
in bus speeds and resulted in a 10 percent
increase in ridership along these
lines, and experts believe this route will
see similar numbers.
With more than 3,000 traffi c-related
injuries and 24 fatalities on Woodhaven
and Cross Bay boulevards between 2011
and 2015, DOT and the MTA began outreach
for the SBS route in 2014, creating
the design concept to deal with community
issues including: unreliable and slow
bus service; long pedestrian crossings
across as many as 10 lanes of traffi c; varying
road widths and confi gurations along
the corridor; congestion; and the need for
transit improvements for customers.
Th e Woodhaven/Cross Bay corridor
contains eight Vision Zero Priority
intersections — including Woodhaven
Boulevard and Union Turnpike — and in
all, more than 30 intersections are being
upgraded for better pedestrian safety and
traffi c fl ow.
Automated camera enforcement will
be in eff ect to make sure motorists are
adhering to the “Bus Lane Only” routes.
Bus lanes will be in eff ect curbside in residential
areas from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on
Monday through Friday, and curbside
along Cross Bay Boulevard from 7 to 10
a.m. and 4 to 7 p.m. Monday through
Saturday. Bus lanes off set from parking
lane or in the main road will be in eff ect
24 hours, seven days a week, and curbside
parking will be preserved.
New signage along each bus route will
indicate the hours when bus lanes are
operable, and during which they are camera
enforced.
Motorists found to be driving in the
new red bus lanes along the Q52/Q53
route will be issued mailed warnings
starting Sunday, Nov. 19. Th e warning
period lasts for 60 days, aft er which violations
will be issued.
Once in full eff ect in January 2018,
bus lane violations will result in a Notice
of Liability, which includes a photo of
the violation and a fi ne between $115
and $150, mailed directly to the vehicle
registrant’s address. Since violations are
issued against the vehicle, not the driver,
points are not deducted from motorists’
licenses.
Photo courtesy of NYC DOT
The Woodhaven and Cross Bay boulevard Select Bus Service has offi cially launched.
Photos courtesy of Jamaica Hospital
The team assembles in Puerto Rico
12/31/17 12/31/17
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