Q100

"“Q100” was shot by Salvador Espinoza during 2016, the bus line that originates in his hometown neighborhood of Long Island City. The Q100, which is operated by the MTA, is the only method of public transportation to and from Riker’s Island. Beginning its route at Queens Plaza, the 100 runs along 21st Street through the Queensbridge, Ravenswood & Astoria neighborhoods before making its way across the so-called “Bridge of Pain” to the Perry Center on Riker’s Island. Riker’s Island situated across from the LaGuardia airport runways on the East River between Hunts Point and Astoria has not been without controversy in its 84 year history. Widely recognized as one of the worst jails in the country, it has been in the national spotlight recently for its frequent instances of abuse and corruption. Espinoza’s motivation to shoot the Q100 route was to show how incarceration just doesn’t affect just the inmates but their loved ones on the outside. Most of these inmate’s loved ones can be seen Thursdays through Sundays waiting to board the Q100. Espinoza adds, “As I would walk past the lines waiting to board the bus, I’d wonder about the mostly women and children who would start their journeys to visit their loved ones on an island just across the east river that is not thought about much by the average New Yorker.” 

Posted with Permission from Photographer Salvador Espinoza

​

New York City now offers free transportation to and from Rikers from locations in Harlem and Brooklyn. Visit HERE to learn more.