Brad Lander Op-Ed on PPW Bike Lane

When I ran for City Council one of my goals was to provide a strong voice for transit and livable streets issues.  As it happens, the ultimate winner of the race Brad Lander is doing a pretty damn good job of it.

Here's an excerpt from his Op-Ed in support of the Prospect Park West Bike Lanes from this week's edition of the Brooklyn Paper:

Yes, there has been controversy. But it’s time to accept the facts: Extensive data show the project is a success. The community board asked for it. The vast majority of neighborhood residents support it. The Department of Transportation is proposing a few modifications to make it work even better. Prospect Park West is safer for pedestrians, cyclists, and even drivers.

Let me make one final effort to make the case clear: Community Board 6 asked for this project to calm traffic and provide a safer place to bike (in both directions). The Department of Transportation presented the project to the community numerous times, to hundreds of people, before it was ever implemented, and made changes in response to feedback before laying down any paint last summer.

The Department of Transportation released a six-month report in January, with 67 pages of raw data. Speeding is down. Accidents are down. Injuries are down. Riding on the sidewalk is down. Cycling is up. Overall, commuters using Prospect Park West are up. It takes about the same amount of time to drive down the street, and fears that Prospect Park West would be constantly gridlocked have simply not proven true.

It's sound, well-reasoned and grounded in basic, verifiable facts.  The shrill opponents of the bike lanes could take a few lessons from Mr. Lander.

CGNA Meeting Tonight

7:00pm - 9:00pm, Rain or Shine
Hannah Senesh Community Day School
342 Smith Street between 1st and 2nd Places

AGENDA
Introduction and Welcome

Report from 76th Precinct Community Affairs Officers:
Det. Paul Grudzinski and Officer Vincent Marrone

Elected Officials, representatives:
Jonah Blumstein, Liaison, CCmember Brad Lander; Tamar Smith, State Assemblywoman Joan Millman; Alex DeLisi, Sen. Dan Squadron; Dan Wiley, Rep. N. Velasquez; Luke DePalma, BP Marty Markowitz.
Introduce: P. Rheaume and Veronica Aveis, Cong. Yvette Clarke

SPEAKERS:
City Councilmember Brad Lander:  State of the Borough updates and plans.

Mr. Isaac Fischmann, developer 333 Carroll St.:  Update on plans for the 333 building

CGNA Committee Reports
Health & Hospitals: Colleen Giunta
Land Use/Landmarks: Glenn Kelly and John Hatheway
Parks: Barbara Brookhart (BBP)
Transportation: Gary Reilly

Everyone welcome!

NEXT MEETING: Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011._,_.___

The CGNA listserv is an all volunteer community forum serving Carroll Gardens. Everyone from the neighborhood - renters, owners, business owners and others who work here - are welcome.

The CGNA meets at the Hannah Senesh Community Day School, 342 Smith St (1st & 2nd Pl) on the Fourth Wednesday of each month (except for school holidays in *February and *April).

The 2011 calendar: Wednesday, *Feb. 16, Mar. 23,* Apr. 13, May 25, June 22.

Petition to Temporarily Extend B68 Bus Route During Culver Viaduct Work-Related Station Closures

Councilman Lander has a petition up asking the MTA to temporarily extend the B68 to 9th Street and 8th Avenue to alleviate the impacts of the Culver Viaduct reconstruction.  From Lander's email:

MTA representatives (including Thomas Pendergast, President of New York City Transit) told us that they believe that “backriding” (i.e. taking the train south) to Church Avenue, and then switching to the northbound trains, will be the fastest option for F/G riders.  That may be true for some, but I strongly believe that extending service on existing bus routes would be quicker for many others who will be extremely inconvenienced by the station closures, and is the right thing for the MTA to do. 

One great suggestion I have heard from many of you is to extend the B68 bus (which runs along Prospect Park Southwest and Coney Island Avenue) past its usual terminus at Bartel Pritchard Square (at the 15th St/PPSW Station), to 9th St and 8th Ave, where riders could pick up the F train. This would make for an easier commute into Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn for many in Windsor Terrace and Kensington. MTA officials agreed to take another look at this idea. 

So I have set up a petition, and my staff and I will be out on Tuesday morning, together with the Straphangers Campaign, at the 15th Street and Ft. Hamilton stations gathering signatures. Please stop by on your way in, or sign the petition online.

The MTA did agree to a few small modifications, including:

Monitor the B61 bus and increase service if necessary

Add a stop on the B35 Limited (express) bus at Church Avenue and Ocean Parkway/E. 7th Street

Ask the NYC DOT to add bike parking at the Church Ave and 7th Ave stops

Distribute more information on existing bus routes that connect these lines

By themselves, though, these are not enough.  I know that this is an extremely frustrating situation for transit riders in Windsor Terrace and Kensington. The station closures are part of a project necessary to rehabilitate the aging F/G line. But the MTA can do better to provide some alternatives. I will continue to push, and hope you will join me.

I've signed on.  I hope you will too.

More on the F/G Service Disruptions

*UPDATED BELOW*
The Brooklyn Downtown Star called me about the upcoming service disruptions on the Culver Line (F&G trains) that will leave many riders at Ft. Hamilton Parkway and 15th Street stations in the lurch.

Transit advocates and local Councilman Brad Lander have called for NYC Transit to provide shuttle service along the affected route during the duration of the outages.  The unfortunate reality is that that is unlikely to happen.  Ideally, the MTA could take this opportunity to test out something new, such as running bus service through the Battery Tunnel to supplement the affected service area.  But the chances for robust mitigation were essentially doomed when the State Senate smothered Congestion Pricing (and/or East River Bridge Tolls).

I applaud our City Council Member Brad Lander for standing up for the residents of the 39th District and the visitors who depend on the F/G lines for their mobility.  But until our dysfunctional state legislature provides sustainable means of funding for NYC Transit, the burden will fall on the riding public in the form of increasing fares and diminishing services.

One thing you can do to let Albany know how important reliable mass transit is to NYC is join the Rider Rebellion sponsored by Transportation Alternatives.

UPDATE:  I received this comment from Councilman Lander, which clarifies the service mitigation he is requesting:

One small thing: what we are actually pushing for on the F/G is not shuttle service, but simply a short/temporary extension of the B68 (which runs up Coney Island Avenue and Prospect Park SW, through sections of Windsor Terrace & Kensington served by the 2 stations there facing closures) from its current terminus at Bartel Pritchard Square/15th Street Station, to the 7th Avenue F/G Station.

We'll have an online petition up tomorrow, and Straphangers & I will be out at the stations tomorrow petitioning live.

This is a sensible and cost-effective fix that would be a win for everyone involved.  Transit users would gain from the improved service mitigation, and the MTA could benefit from some much needed good press.