Southern Brooklyn lawmakers said yesterday while the recent agreement between Governor Andrew Cuomo, Mayor Bill de Blasio, and MTA chairman Tom Prendergast on the funding for the MTA Capital Program is well and good, they need to show more love to their end of the borough.
In a joint statement, City Council Member and Brooklyn Delegation co-chair Mark Treyger, Congressman Hakeem Jeffries, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, State Senator Diane Savino, Assembly Member William Colton, Council Member David Greenfield, and Council Member Chaim Deutsch said the time has come to restore the transportation options that their communities lost during the 2010 cuts.
“That starts with the restoration of express bus service. The 2010 cuts eliminated Saturday service on Bath Beach’s and Coney Island’s x28 line, and this is a transit service that this community cannot afford to be without. Saturday is the busiest day of the week in Coney Island, and the neighborhood is transforming into a year-round community. Working families and small businesses suffer without this transit option.
“Working families were also affected when the 2010 reduction plan completely cut the x29 express bus. The x29 line served the Warbasse Houses, Trump Village, Luna Park, Brightwater Towers, and the other apartment complexes in Coney Island, West Brighton and Brighton Beach. The neighborhood’s population continues to grow, and there’s news of a new high-rise development on the way. Express buses reduce congestion on regular buses and subways, as well as on highways. They also provide some New Yorkers with invaluable commute-cutting opportunities so they can spend more time at home with their families.
“The need for more express service applies to the subways, as well. The ridership on the F-train continues to grow, yet service has not improved. The platforms are crowded, and so are the train cars, while the commute is cumbersome. We are calling for the return of an express train on the F-Line. The middle track is still there. What we need now is the will from government leaders to make it happen.
“In addition, our most vulnerable residents need an elevator at the Neptune Avenue station on the F-train. This station, which is located within a mandatory evacuation zone, is used by a high number of seniors and disabled people, which is evident by its NORC status. How can they evacuate in the event of an emergency if steps prevent them from using public transportation?
“Travel for seniors in Bath Beach also became bothersome when B82 service was cut. The community’s older population sometimes waits between thirty and sixty minutes for bus service because half of the B82 buses stop at 25th Avenue and head back.
“The community would also be better served with an increase in service for the B1, which transports students from all over Southern Brooklyn to and from Kingsborough Community College. The overcrowding on the B1 during peak travel times creates unsafe conditions.
“We were successful in getting full B64 service restored with the help of the Transport Workers Union and local stakeholders, and with that same coalition, we were able to get improvements to stations throughout the N-line. We are working to ensure that those services remain in the budget. But now is the time to restore everything else our residents lost five years ago. We are not asking for luxury, we are simply asking for the return of services that we already had. It is our opinion that southern Brooklyn has been unfairly targeted by the MTA based on the sheer volume of cuts made that disproportionately impact us. Southern Brooklyn was also shut out of the mayor’s initial ferry plan. Taxpayers here are being asked to pay more money on top of previous fare hikes, and we are insisting on our fair share. We deserve more transportation options, too.”
