Espinal, Levin Call On MTA To Switch To Electric Buses In L Train Shutdown

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Council Members Stephen Levin (D-Brooklyn Heights, DUMBO, Williamsburg, Boerum Hill) and Rafael Espinal (D-Cypress Hills, Bushwick, City Line, Oceanhill-Brownsville, East New York) were joined by a coalition of transit and environmental advocates including the Sierra Club this week to officially unveil a Resolution calling on the MTA to commit to an electric bus fleet.

The resolution, “calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to commit to an expeditious transition to an electric bus fleet and to use electric buses as a robust part of its replacement service during the upcoming L train shutdown.”  

The resolution comes as the MTA readies to shutdown the L train shutdown in 2019 between Manhattan and Brooklyn in order to make Hurricane Sandy related repairs. The shutdown will see a loss of a clean mode of travel as subways do not emit carbon dioxide, while also, contributing to an increase in bus ridership.

City Councilman Rafael Espinal Jr.

“While the road to President Trump’s White House may be paved with coal, we want the road to Brooklyn to be green. Especially in the face of the federal administration’s denial of climate change, cities must take the lead and institute progressive, sustainable solutions to safeguard the health of our constituents and preserve the viability of our globe,” said Espinal.

“NYC has already committed to smart reductions of greenhouse gas emissions. The introduction of electric buses by the State would provide great support toward meeting these environmental goals and would be a prudent financial decision for NY in the long-term. A win for our economy, health, and the environment.”

Advocates for the plan said if the MTA were to switch over to an all electric bus fleet, the city would see an annual reduction of emissions of about 575,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide. While saving $100 in health care per resident per year.

City Councilman Stephen Levin

“The challenge of the L train shutdown is also an opportunity.Electric buses are just one of the missing puzzle pieces that will get us on the right track. No one solution will solve our problem – we must be willing to take a comprehensive approach to improve our community’s transportation network. Now is the time to harness creative solutions that make our community a cleaner and healthier place to live. By doing so we can emerge stronger and more connected than when we started,”said Levin.

The L train shutdown is expected to disrupt the commutes of over 200,000 commuters. Levin, Espinal and others are looking to use the shutdown as a means to “green” the city and improve the environment in an effort to curb climate change.

Converting to an entire fleet of all electric buses would result in an annual reduction of emissions in the city of about 575,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide, and would save $100 of health care savings per resident per year, they say.