Update, 6:59 p.m.: According to Glen Oaks Village president Bob Friedrich, Wednesday's meeting on a possible restoration of the Q79 will not be open to the public. Friedrich said he planned to hold a public meeting on the issue sometime in the future.
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A coalition of eastern Queens civic organizations will be meeting on Wednesday evening to discuss plans to restore service to the Q79 Little Neck bus route.
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City Council Transportation Chair, James Vacca D-Bronx, met with Bob Friedrich President of Glen Oaks Village civic and vowed to get the community proposal approved by the MTA - if and only if the coalition can present a plan to restore service by merging adjacent bus routes.
The Q79, which dropped off its last passenger in June 2010, was the only bus route providing riders with a north-south route from Little Neck station to Jericho Turnpike.
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Plans to replace the Q 79 with a private van service pilot program had also failed.
Straphangers are outraged.
Martin Scheise, a resident of Little Neck who travels with a walker, lives on Little Neck Parkway. A recent hip surgery has limited his mobility, and he used to rely on the Q79 line to travel to Northern Boulevard to go shopping.
“What am I going to do, we have no bus, we have no vans, we have no options,” he bellowed.
Without an approved route, he and many other residents will be stuck at home until the coalition can provide Council Member Vacca with an approved plan.
Bob Friedrich, President of Glen Oaks Village can be reached at 917-604-4273.