BrooklynBus

The B100 also makes fewer stops than the B100.

If there are so many great alternatives to the B15 to JFK, then why was it extended to JFK in the first place?

Again, you are assuming it’s one route or the other to JFK. They both need to go to JFK. The borough is growing and we need to invest extra resources, not just reallocate what already exists.

There is obviously zero supervision. You should send this to the MTA and ask them where the supervision is and what they are doing to correct this problem. It will be interesting to see if you get a response. If not , you should then send it to your councilperson and see if they do anything about it.

They said you can still comment after the final plan is released. So t does that mean they will make additional changes after the final plan is released? If not, what is the purpose in making further comments?

So far only a few very polite letters have been sent. After what happened with the Coney Island Casino the city was pushing, but every person who attended opposed it, no elected official wants any more town halls.

Have they really destroyed service on the B35 that badly? I remember when you never waited more than 10 minutes for a B35 before midnight. Usually a bus was there in five before they started Limiteds. And they wonder why ruders switched to dollar cabs and vans? The MTA intentionally caused that so they could run less bus service.

I don’t see how the percentage of one seat B15 riders to JFK matters. It’s the absolute number that is important. If it’s say 3,000, that’s 3,000 people inconvenienced daily. It doesn’t matter if that’s 10 percent or 20 percent B15 passengers. As for the damage done to Linden Blvd buy purposely screwing up the lights as DOT has done elsewhere to slow traffic, then complain about congestion and blaming the drivers, they need to undo that if a bus is out on Linden. They even should undo it without a bus.

But in Queens don’t forget, every city councilperson sent a joint letter opposing the changes. That didn’t happen in Brooklyn.

They are both bad, but the 49/68 is what concerns me, turning a 10 minute trip into 40 minute trip.

Correct, if the B4 is rerouted as they suggest.

That’s why Althing the B36 is a better fit.

More important than losing Coney Island Hospital service is Beach Haven losing all bus service. That was a major reason for creating the B4 there in the first place.

I agree with you, but I don’t think they are thinking the B36 SBS is a substitute for the B4. It is for a few blocks along Avenue Z only coming from the east. I think they just feel few are using it to get to the hospital and it won’t be missed. Personally, in 1978, I thought it was a little overkill, and I proposed something similar to what they are proposing now, but the MTA insisted then, that the B4 serve CI Hospital.

When you say “proposed this”, I assume you are talking about the B55 (B34 in my proposal) If so, why do you feel it’s unworkable or are you talking about something else? It’s more difficult to turn buses at Avenue X, but there are school specials that do turn there in the midday. Maybe they need more of them. As for the B4, I am fine with leaving it as is. I am only saying if it does get changed as they suggest, the B36 needs to be rerouted to Shell Road to maintain Beach Haven Service and has the benefit of being one straight Avenue Z route. Since there is now an entrance to Coney Island Hospital on Avenue Z, the issue of it missing the hospital is a non-issue. I agree about the November 1978 changes, most of which were mine. However, the B49 is not working as well as it did in 1978. Back then serving the subway station was only a six minute diversion. Now with all the added traffic, it can take up to 15 minutes extra. Not very good for through riders. That is part of the reason for my B44 SBS proposal because, students would save that 15 minutes and another 10 from the limited stops and all-door boarding. It’s a much better idea than flipping the B49 and B68 terminals which only one person supports who doesn’t live in the area. As far as making the B44 longer, I am only proposing one stop at West End and Oriental after the bus leaves Nostrand Avenue. If the bus uses Shore Blvd instead of Ocean Ave and enters the campus on Shore Blvd if the school allows, I don’t think you need any stops after Nostrand.

I would keep the B15 as well to go to the airport. We really need about four airport routes, and they can’t have two?

I like several proposals. But I had them in my proposal, only better. I like the B16 extended, but it needs to go to E 98 St, not Utica Ave. The B55 needs to use Linden non-stop instead of using slow New Lots Avenue.

There are also people in Crown Heights who take a crosstown route to the B49. Transferring to the B44 SBS instead of the B49 would save about 20 minutes off the trip. Of course, the same savings would occur if these passengers transferred to the Brighton Line or Franklin Shuttle, but that would involve double fare so they use the bus instead. I agree with throwing the whole redesign in the garbage.

I agree. It’s a horrible proposal. The B36 is greatly underserved in rush hours east of Sheepshead Bay Station. This proposal allows for increased service without adding buses which is why the MTA wants it. But there are just too many negatives with this proposal. We don’t need a fourth bus route on Ave Z, especially articulated buses. When I advised the MTA of this, their solution was to ban parking and eliminating some bus stops, in a neighborhood where parking is very scarce. This is bad for local businesses and for the bus passengers since they will have to walk much further to a bus stop and wait longer if their extra walk causes them to miss a bus, adding to their trip time. My proposal for the B44 SBS to go to Kingsborough when school is in session makes a lot more sense.

I have a feeling there must have been a change of shift at the nursing home when you saw more people than you expected. The MTA needs to do micro planning when redesigning routes taking things like change of shifts into consideration. When I was a kid I remember 50 people getting on at one stop on the B35 on Thursday at 10 PM severely overcrowding the bus. Why? A bingo game just finished at a church.

So what they really are doing is going back to the original routing still without fixing the north south service gap the community was complaining about 48 years ago, and they are calling this a redesign to “fix” problems and service gaps when they are just cutting service.

Pennsylvania Avenue once was a through route back in 1975. CB 5 complained to the MTA that a new north south route was needed midway between Pennsylvania and Fountain Ave. The MTA declined stating they had no money and the one way streets were too narrow for buses. They suggested altering the B83 to what we have today. The community claimed that didn’t solve the problem, but agreed nevertheless because at least there was service on Van Siclen south of Flatlands. So if you don’t like the current B83, you have no one to blame but the MTA. Incidentally, I attended all those negotiations with the community, so I have first hand knowledge of this. I also was the one who suggested extending the B83 to Gateway via its current routing which took them no less than three years to determine it was a good idea. I made my Southwest Brooklyn changes in four years because the MTA delayed us for two years.

Riders should have the option to use the subway at an express stop.

They need a local bus serving Shore Road to the 59 St Station.

If it’s once an hour, that doesn’t mean much. Those buses mostly either run empty or have one or two passengers the entire trip