Republican Lucretia Regina-Potter and Democrat Pamela Harris are facing off in the Nov. 3 special election to replace former Assemblyman Alec Brook-Krasny for the vacant 46th Assembly district seat. The district includes Coney Island, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights and small slices of Brighton Beach and Bath Beach.
As their campaigns move into the homestretch, KCP is asking both candidates a weekly question pertinent to the district. Below is this week’s question and their unedited responses.
Kings County Politics: The mayor, the governor and the MTA came to an agreement over capital funding for mass transit. Yet within the 46th AD, public transportation is a patchwork of subway, bus and possible ferry service. Once elected, what kinds of capital public transportation projects and needs would you advocate for within your district?
Lucretia Regina-Potter: Commuting to work, school, and other activities is a problem for the residents of the 46 Assembly District. We have several subway lines in our area, each running in different parts of the district. If one of them is delayed, or taken out of service, this causes chaos for the residents in our neighborhoods. It would be nice to be able to build another subway line, however this is financially unattainable at this point in time, and as we discovered with the Second Avenue subway line, it will take decades to be completed. We need a more practical and financially attainable solution.
Adding to the Express Bus service which runs in parts of the district right now can help, but will not solve our shortage of transportation. In addition, a number of our residents cannot afford the increased fare of an Express Bus on a daily basis. As the Assemblywoman of the 46th Assembly District, I will be pushing to add a number of Select Bus Routes to our neighborhoods. This is a cheaper and more effective way to provide transportation to the residents of our district. These bus routes would stop at major subway hubs such as Coney Island, Atlantic Avenue and at Borough Hall in downtown Brooklyn. Wherever a Select Bus Route has been implemented in New York City, it has been very successful. A Select Bus Route reduces the number of stops made, and payment for the fare is made before you get on the bus. This will speed up commuting time for the same cost as a subway or regular bus ride. This obtainable short-term solution can be instituted relatively quickly compared to other solutions.
My long-term solution would be to build Light Rail Lines that would also stop at major subway hubs, and run into other parts of Brooklyn. Most of the world, and other major cities in the United States, have turned to Light Rail because it is about 1/10 the cost of building an underground subway line, and can be built in a matter of years and not decades.
Light Rail Lines for our community makes more sense for many reasons. If you really want to move people in different modes, Light Rail really becomes a high-capacity movement of people. The MTA is always hurting for capital money, and instead of spending tens of billions for one subway line, we will instead get a number of light rail routes instead. Brooklyn, and especially the 46th Assembly District, is changed because we are not as Manhattan-centric as we once were. Light Rail can improve the economic viability of neighborhoods in the 46th Assembly District. More businesses are moving out of Manhattan and into other parts of the city, especially into our community, due to the high cost of real estate. We need to have transportation that does not have to run through Manhattan all the time, and we need to start paying attention to economic growth in our own neighborhoods. Light Rail Lines will create more economic activity for the 46th Assembly District by making travel between destinations more convenient. This is a means of transportation that will ultimately lead to critical mass of being able to attract companies and residents and support many businesses while bringing everyone together at one location.
Pamela Harris: As a community, we are fortunate to be living in areas where public transit is available to us; however, it’s the state’s and city’s duty to ensure that those services are safe, reliable and efficient.
The recent agreement is good news for all our families who use the bus and subway system to get to work every day. However, our aging subway system and bus services need special attention and this funding is not enough.
Here in the 46th Assembly District, we are fighting for basic transportation needs that must be addressed as soon as possible, such as restoring bus services that were cut – X28 and X29 express buses.
In addition, we need safety measures such as elevators by the F line on Neptune Avenue, and proper maintenance of MetroCard dispensing machines; particularly at the 85th Street and 4th Avenue R line station which seems to always be in need of repair. These basics play a vital role in keeping our communities safe, prepare us in case of emergencies, and alleviate congestion.
If elected, I’ll make it my priority to ensure that the basics needs of our transportation commutes are met by ensuring the expansion of bus and subway services.
The MTA agreement also includes funds for repairs for Sandy damage. I’ll fight to ensure those funds get directed to our district
Additionally, I’ll push for an increase in operational funds for both local and express buses is set aside, and a full line review of express buses in Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Coney Island is put in place.
I think it’s imperative, especially during harsh winter weather, that our residents and seniors have access to reliable expanded transportation systems.
