By John C. O'Connell
According to information due to be released by L.I. Bus on June 17, Saturday and off-peak weekday service on the N3 will be replaced by a new N8 route. During rush hours, 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to 6 p.m., the N3 will continue to operate.
While Valley Stream riders won't be able to get to or from downtown Valley Stream on the N3 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays or on Saturdays, Elmont residents will now have an easier way to get to Green Acres. The new N8 will run from Franklin Square along Dutch Broadway and down Hook Creek Boulevard to the mall.
Weekday service on the N8 will operate every 60 to 75 minutes and every 45 minutes during off-peak hours, according to L.I. Bus. The N8 will run every 45 minutes on Saturday between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
There is no bus service on Sundays.
"Where the N8 runs won't help the people who want to get down to Rockaway Avenue," said Joan Sallows, a Valley Stream resident of 47 years whose husband takes the N3. "It's definitely true that the N3 is underutilized, but for those people who use it it's a lifeline."
Sallows said the proposed route for a bus to run along Dutch Broadway doesn't serve the N3 customers she knows. "People use the N3 to get down to the heart of the village during the day to shop and for doctors' appointments, to go to the post office, the railroad, even to the 12:10 Mass at Holy Name of Mary," she said. "And now they won't be able to. They'll have to pay for a cab, which many can't really afford, or just not go."
Sallows said there's been a bus serving this route since as far back as 1956. She doesn't understand why all midday and Saturday service has to be eliminated. She wishes L.I. Bus would be more considerate of the people who depend on the N3 and run at least a few buses between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. for those who need to get to places on the N3 route, not the new N8 route.
The Valley Stream Chamber of Commerce agrees. "We certainly support any effort to stop this reduction in service from happening," said Bruce Abate, the chamber's executive director. "This is going to hurt the people who need to travel through the village north to south, and will especially hurt seniors and young people who need this facility."
But there doesn't seem to be any room for maneuvering on the issue. "These are the service changes we're making," said L.I. Bus spokeswoman Jane Pearlson on Tuesday.
