One Brooklyn
August 12, 2014
BROOKLYN, NY, August 12, 2014: On Thursday, Brooklyn Borough President Eric L. Adams advocated for greater mass transit investment in Brooklyn during his testimony, in front of the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, on the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan. He focused his comments on three areas that he felt the MTA and New York City Transit should focus on in the coming years, including disability support, transit infrastructure investment as well as bus service expansion and enhancement.
“Brooklyn is a borough on the rise, a burgeoning destination for tourists and a hub for hundreds of businesses large and small,” said Borough President Adams. “To continue our growth and success, success that helps support the tax base of our great state of New York, our transportation system must be upgraded to reflect a 21st century borough that, if it stood alone, would be the fourth-largest city in America, with a geographic footprint of almost 100 square miles.
Regarding disability support, Borough President Adams focused on the fact that only 21 out of 170 subway stations in Brooklyn are compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and that only seven more are planned to be made compliant by 2020. He noted the high population of senior citizens and disabled residents in the borough, calling for swifter action to address their needs.
“The MTA must make the necessary investments to be in compliance with the ADA and afford their customers, my constituents, access to the subway system,” said Borough President Adams. To this end, the MTA should speed up its timetable to complete accessibility-related work at the seven remaining stations in the current queue as well as commit to doubling the number of ADA-compliant stations operating in Brooklyn by 2025.”
Borough President Adams noted three potential infrastructure projects that he would like to see the MTA invest in to make significant improvements in system capacity. First, he proposed connecting the Junius Street station on the 3 line with the Livonia Street station on the L line, which are only 250 feet from each other. Second, Borough President Adams called for linking the East New York station on the Long Island Rail Road with the Broadway Junction subway hub, which has five lines that run through it; these sites are one block apart. Finally, he suggested the creation of a light rail line along Brooklyn’s waterfront.
“A generation ago, no one imagined that Brooklyn’s waterfront would be some of the most sought-after real estate in the country, for both residential and commercial purposes,” said Borough President Adams. “Yet for all the growth that the waterfront has experienced, from Greenpoint all the way down to Red Hook, this area is poorly served by public transit. Improvements would spur additional economic development and job creation along Brooklyn’s waterfront, especially in growth industries such as manufacturing, technology and the innovation economy.”
As for his testimony on bus service expansion and enhancement, Borough President Adams called on the restoration of service along several bus lines, including the full length of the B37, B70 and B8. He added his voice to those calling for faster installation of installing countdown clocks for bus stations, as well as subway stations, and focused greatly on the need to invest in bus rapid transit (BRT) and select bus service (SBS).
“The most significant investment the MTA can make in our bus system is more bus rapid transit or select bus service along major corridors throughout the borough,” said Borough President Adams. “For example, BRT or SBS service along Flatbush Avenue, Eastern Parkway, Utica Avenue, and Kings Highway would open up many of the neighborhoods of southern and eastern Brooklyn and provide a more direct link to the more northern areas of the borough. Additionally, the east-west route along Kings Highway would serve the added benefit of providing a fast and convenient connecting link between the F, N, B, and Q subway lines.”
Following his testimony, Borough President Adams expressed that he looked forward to working with the MTA and the Assembly Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, including its chair, Assembly Member James Brennan, on addressing the priorities in his mass transit agenda.
PHOTOS
Brooklyn Borough Eric L. Adams advocates for greater mass transit investment in Brooklyn during his testimony, in front of the New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Corporations, Authorities and Commissions, on the MTA 2015-2019 Capital Plan.
Photo Credit: Stefan Ringel/Brooklyn BP’s Office
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