BP MARKOWITZ COMMENDS DECISION TO SAVE B25 BUS, Z TRAIN; CALLS ON MTA TO RETHINK STUDENT METROCARD AND OTHER DRASTIC SERVICE CUTS

“The MTA has released its ‘final’ proposals for drastically cutting service in the region’s public transit system, and for Brooklynites there is still some bad news mixed in with the good. Despite some positive changes, still hardest hit will be New Yorkers of all backgrounds who are already struggling to get by in this difficult economic climate.

First, I commend the MTA for coming to its senses and taking some of the earlier service reduction proposals off the table. I am happy to see the preservation of service on the B25 bus and Z train for the thousands who depend on these routes, as well as the MTA’s efforts to ‘restructure’ and ‘reconfigure’ existing bus and train routes in an effort to maintain service. Specifically, I refer to the restructuring planned for areas such as “Brownstone Brooklyn” on routes including the B71, B75 and B77. By restructuring these lines, rather than simply eliminating them, I believe the MTA has made a concerted effort not to strand thousands of bus riders, many of whom are elderly or disabled, without any service whatsoever. Additionally, the MTA’s proposal to reroute the V train from Lower Manhattan to cover the M train’s northern Brooklyn line through Williamsburg is also a far better alternative than leaving those Brooklynites high and dry without adequate train service.

However, the MTA still insists on other cuts that, in my opinion and the opinion of thousands of Brooklynites, are still unacceptably severe. The MTA remains committed to eliminating the M train south of Broad Street, which serves neighborhoods such as Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, Borough Park, Bensonhurst and Gravesend. This will cause greater crowding and worse commutes on the already overcrowded R, N and D trains through southwest Brooklyn. Transit options are already woefully inadequate in these areas, and commutes already last in excess of one hour each way for residents traveling to work in Downtown Brooklyn, Long Island City and Manhattan.

Additionally, the MTA still plans to cut valuable express bus service, like the X14, X18, X20, X27, X28 and X29 affecting Bay Ridge, Sunset Park, Staten Island via Brooklyn and Coney Island/Gravesend. These express buses were designed to provide speedy commute options for areas outside the reach of adequate subway service. Cutting these routes will make people’s abilities to travel to and from work on weekdays, or into the central business districts to shop and run errands on weekends, next to impossible.

Finally, the MTA has plans to make severe cuts to bus routes such as the B2, B7, B13, B23, B24, B31, B39, B45, B51, B57, B64, B65 and B67. I can not state this enough: Brooklynites rely on their buses more than any other borough; for many, buses are the only transportation option available. The subway system’s woeful lack of ADA accessibility for those who are elderly and passengers with disabilities makes cutting service on buses not only a bad idea, but a terribly unfair one to New York’s vulnerable populations.

And I have yet to see a solution to the funding of student MetroCards. The MTA still plans to phase this service out, burdening parents of school children with additional drains on their limited resources. This is a ridiculous proposal in a time of double digit unemployment.

The MTA needs to seriously consider alternative funding proposals provided from every corner of the political spectrum. No alternative funding idea should be off the table until the MTA can figure out how to balance its own books. Why not create a special lottery to raise money? Why not raise more funds through modest car registration fees and a modest increase in gas taxes? Why not sell off costly and unneeded MTA properties? And why not use capital funds to temporarily plug the budget gap?

The MTA is using capital money on costly ‘mega projects’ like the LIRR East Side expansion or the completely unnecessary Fulton Transit Center in Lower Manhattan. These projects will do almost nothing to improve the transit experience of the majority of New Yorkers. They are flashy projects that are constantly saddled with cost overruns. If this is where the capital money is going, while the operating budget collapses, then I find the argument against using capital money for operating costs an absurd one.

My last point is this: I call on the federal government to provide New York City with help in this MTA crisis. Every New Yorker is tired of being shortchanged by Congress. Our city has the largest transit system in the country, and New York is the nation’s economic engine. We deserve our fair share of transit funding.