Growing Pains, Fulton Rains

I passed through the recently (and aptly) re-named Fulton Street (formerly Broadway-Nassau) subway station for the first time in months on Tuesday.  Due to the construction work overhead it was actually raining on the platform in places.

While this project has taken forever, I am really looking forward to seeing and using the finished product.  This place used to be a stinking dungeon - I can't wait to see a more open layout with some natural light.

Also finally had a chance to use the Jay-Street Metrotech connection to the R an hour later.  Very nicely done, and actually more convenient than I had imagined it.

Marty Markowitz Smartens Up

Hey Brooklyn - Smarten Up!

I'm a month late to posting this, but now that I've had a chance to clean up my desk it's still worth putting up.  Cycling and livable streets advocates have had a contentious relationship with the Borough President.  I've personally found his perspective on bike lanes, traffic calming and PPW in particular to be . . . frustrating.  So I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised when the BP's office came out with this informative and balanced flyer.

A timely reminder that even when you disagree, even strongly, on some issues there can be areas of common ground to work together.  Anyway, this is a welcome step in the right direction.

Why Blog?

Barry Ritholtz nails the right reasons for blogging, at least as they apply to me personally.  There are many times when I let this blog lie dormant, always because of a crowded and/or inconvenient work and meeting schedule.  And when it's dormant, I have a constant gnawing feeling as my creative side, such as it is, demands an outlet.

I'm constantly posting things to my Google Buzz feed, because it's so easy, and occasionally to Facebook, but neither is a satisfying substitute for blogging.  Now that I've finally got it set up the way I like it (a mere three and a half years after starting) I expect to have a more interactive experience with the occasional friends, random commenters and trolls who stop by.

CB6 Meeting 1/20: DOT Reports On PPW Bike Lanes

DATE: THURSDAY, JANUARY 20, 2011

TIME: 6:30 PM

PLACE:

OLD FIRST REFORMED CHURCH

729 CARROLL STREET

(CORNER OF 7TH AVENUE)

BROOKLYN, NY 11215

A G E N D A

- Presentation by representatives for the Department of Transportation on their findings and recommendations regarding the Prospect Park West bicycle lanes and traffic calming project installed in Summer 2010.

Thursday night is an important opportunity for PPW bike lane enthusiasts to hear the latest from DOT and show support for the lanes.

There is a small cadre of PPW residents who are implacably opposed to the bike lanes for a variety of parochial reasons.  It is imperative that the people who use and appreciate the bike lanes on PPW come out to relate, with well-reasoned and respectful language, why the bike lanes are important to the community.

I understand that Neighbors for Better Bike Lanes (the curiously named opposition group whose members showed up to heckle at our last meeting to review the Lander/Levin bike lane survey results) will be there to demonstrate their opposition to the lanes.

It's no secret that I'm a supporter of the traffic calming bike lanes that DOT installed on Prospect Park West last year.  I do believe that the lanes can and should get an aesthetic makeover to blend in better with the Park they abut - think West Side Highway where the bike lanes make an attractive component of the riverfront park. 

A small, vocal and well-funded minority wants to scrap the lanes altogether and return PPW to a three-lane speedway.  And we can't let that happen.

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.

Alternate Side Suspended Tuesday, METERS IN EFFECT

We took care of some errands in the neighborhood today and saw the meter maids giving out tickets like candy on Halloween.


Just because alternate side parking is suspended, it doesn't mean that meters are free.  


Alternate side parking (street cleaning) regulations will be suspended Tuesday, January 18, 2011. All other regulations, including parking meters, remain in effect.

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.