While praising the “success” of Phase 1 of the Queens Bus Network Redesign after only one week, Metropolitan Transportation Authority New York City Transit President Demetrius Crislow, in a recent op-ed for Op-Ed for AMNY, stated that the MTA intends to release its proposed final redesign of the Brooklyn bus network later this year. That would be followed by minor tweaking and implementation.
This is totally unacceptable, given the vast criticism of the first draft issued over two years ago. Rather than a proposed final, the MTA must issue a second draft going back to the drawing boards as they were required to do for Queens.
The process left a lot to be desired. Fewer than 1% of Brooklyn bus riders attended any of the events only publicized on the MTA website, and not on the buses or at bus shelters. Brooklyn deserves a first-rate bus system, not one that misses the mark. New bus routes such as a local route through the Hugh Carey Tunnel, and from Sheepshead Bay Station to the Rockaways must be considered. That second route would cut commute times from up to two hours to only 30 minutes and eliminate the current double fare and three buses that are required. Isn’t that the purpose of a network redesign?
Instead, the MTA is considering reducing Flatbush Avenue bus service north of Empire Boulevard by 33% with the addition of a B40 route, and up to 50% if the route is converted to articulated buses. At the same time, the Department of Transportation will be adding exclusive bus lanes north of Grand Army Plaza. How does this make any sense when the MTA’s own Existing Conditions Report stated that Downtown Brooklyn is the fastest growing part of the borough?
Flipping the southern terminals of the B49 and B68 routes would end one-bus access to dozens of restaurants, religious institutions, banks and small businesses for B49 riders, turning a 10-minute trip into a 45-minute trip. These are just two of the many problems with the current plan.
The elimination of over 1,000 bus stops would be a hardship to anyone with a walking disability and would increase travel times, rather than decrease them as the MTA asserts.The MTA is ignoring a petition that has been signed by nearly 3,300 riders, while claiming they are listening.
Elected officials in Brooklyn and members of Community Boards need to contact the MTA and ask for a second draft of the Brooklyn bus system plan. Due to widespread opposition to the first draft, issuing a proposed final plan at this time is inadvisable.
Allan Rosen, a Brooklyn resident, is a former Director of Bus Planning for the MTA. Now retired, he has over 30 years of experience in transportation. He is also vice-chair of the grassroots consumer group, Passengers United. (PassengersUnited.org) He can be reached on X @BrooklynBus.
