Petition: Weekend L Train Shutdowns Will Be Detrimental To Brooklyn Businesses

[m7zanr160s]

If you have a business by a subway, you have to anticipate subway shut-downs, they're inevitable. Now, I don't know what you do to counteract, but you can't rely on service being there all the time. And you gotta know that weekends are the only time where areas can be shut down for many consecutive hours, verses only a couple on weekday overnights. The system's also really old, so that factors in on the frequency of these construction projects. Also, what do businesses that aren't by subway stations do to survive? How do they make it?

[Wallyhorse]

So when do you propose the work gets done? In a system that never shuts down, it has to be done somehow. Someone has to take one for the team, and since ridership is lower on weekends, it'll be done then.

 

Once again, it's not like they up and decided to start construction just for the pleasure of screwing people over, they tell you about this up to a week in advance with travel alternatives.

The problem is, this has been an exceptionally rough winter for many of them, and they are counting on people getting out in the spring. They simply ask it be pushed back to August (when many people are on vacation) as to them, this is a very critical time of the year.

[Kamen Rider]

Well too bad...

 

This is the reason they are never involved in the process.

 

"Can you push this off to august?"

 

August rolls around

 

"Yea, can we wait till, like December?"

 

December comes

 

"It's almost the holidays! Come back in April!"

 

April 2016...

 

"Can we do this in august?"...

 

 

If the neighborhoods had any input, there would be no work done, ever.

 

The L train does not exist just for them.

[Wallyhorse]

You're not wrong, I was simply pointing how the merchants complaints.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

The routing for the most part follows bus routes and shutting down streets just for the shuttle buses would only make it worse.

 

Take Metropolitan Av for example. It's a major truck route through the area and closing it just for buses would mean they would have to spill over into side streets.

 

Once again, you glossed over my post.

 

I asked WHEN it should be done, not how to go about doing it. You close a segment for construction, people complain. You don't do anything and let it crumble, people will complain. You're f**ked either way you look at it, no matter what time of the day/week you do it.

I didn't gloss over it.  The work has to be done.  However, perhaps the community feels that there is a time that would better or a better workaround.  None of us live in this community to have the right to call these people complainers because the fact is they're concerned about their livelihoods, and they have a right to be.  None of us have that concern so it's easy for us to say what they should do and how they should feel. How many of you run a business?  At the very worst, you have to worry about getting from point A to point B.   

 

I live in a community with many shuttered storefronts, though for a different reason (skyrocketing rents primarily), but small businesses help to keep a neighborhood vibrant and also help to keep property values lucrative. At the same time having good public transportation is also important, as that helps keep a neighborhood attractive and vibrant as well. The point that I'm making is a balance needs to be struck on both sides.  The should come to the table and listen and try to be a good neighbor, which should not consist of "telling residents and businesses what is best for their neighborhood" when they don't live there, and the small businesses should propose something reasonable that the can work with. That's pretty much all that can be done.

[Lance]

Thanks for the politician's answer. Good job. Here's the problem though, if we put off maintenance work to avoid inconveniencing people, we'll be here until the end of time. Kamen Rider hit the nail on the head. Someone's always going to be inconvenienced by subway shutdowns and diversions. It's a fact of life here in New York. The MTA can hold meetings and do some community outreach, but the fact remains that the work still needs to get done in a timely fashion so lines don't have to close for months non-stop as opposed to a few weekends.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Thanks for the politician's answer. Good job. Here's the problem though, if we put off maintenance work to avoid inconveniencing people, we'll be here until the end of time. Kamen Rider hit the nail on the head. Someone's always going to be inconvenienced by subway shutdowns and diversions. It's a fact of life here in New York. The MTA can hold meetings and do some community outreach, but the fact remains that the work still needs to get done in a timely fashion so lines don't have to close for months non-stop as opposed to a few weekends.

Well sorry but I'm not pro like you.  That's what they should be doing.  You guys all talk a good game but I haven't heard of any of you being severely inconvenienced by subway construction. 

[Fresh Pond]

Well sorry but I'm not pro like you. That's what they should be doing. You guys all talk a good game but I haven't heard of any of you being severely inconvenienced by subway construction.

Uh, I live along the line; this inconveniences me just as much as it does them, except my trip on the is double than what they ride. I know work has to be done, so why get mad? Just plan around it.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Uh, I live along the line; this inconveniences me just as much as it does them, except my trip on the is double than what they ride. I know work has to be done, so why get mad? Just plan around it.

Incovenience is one thing... What exactly is their "alternative" to not making money?

[P3F]

Incovenience is one thing... What exactly is their "alternative" to not making money?

They could move to a location not near a subway. That way subway maintenance wouldn't affect them.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

They could move to a location not near a subway. That way subway maintenance wouldn't affect them.

LMAO! I'm sure they could.  Just a little thing called a lease that they would have to get out of.  The company I work for has a 7 year lease, and a very expensive one that is currently about $13,000 a month. If it is broken, the company could be liable for hundreds of thousands of dollars... Easier said than done.

[Fresh Pond]

Lmao you're so full of it, just stop...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Lmao you're so full of it, just stop...

Oh I am? I'm talking about the realities that businesses face.  It is not cheap to do business in NYC, so while 5 weekends may not seem like a big deal, just running some quick figures brings things into reality. There's rent to pay, salaries, taxes, etc. They need every dime they can get.  Now I don't think their rent will be crazy expensive, but then again that depends on how much space they are renting.  An art gallery in that area could certainly be paying a pretty penny per month.

[Fresh Pond]

And the reality is subway construction is inevitable, wether you or them like it or not. They have to deal with it jist as much as the commuters have to deal with it.

[Via Garibaldi 8]

And the reality is subway construction is inevitable, wether you or them like it or not. They have to deal with it jist as much as the commuters have to deal with it.

It is inevitable.  That still doesn't mean that the can't work something out to help these businesses stay afloat during the time that the work is done.  They had a program for businesses dealing with the SAS project.  The problem is they weren't proactive enough and really only started trying to help businesses after it was too late and the damage had been done.  Whether you want to admit it or not, the does have a responsibility as a PUBLIC authority to be a good neighbor.

[Fresh Pond]

It is inevitable. That still doesn't mean that the can't work something out to help these businesses stay afloat during the time that the work is done. They had a program for businesses dealing with the SAS project. The problem is they weren't proactive enough and really only started trying to help businesses after it was too late and the damage had been done. Whether you want to admit it or not, the does have a responsibility as a PUBLIC authority to be a good neighbor.

You wanna know the difference between this work and the SAS?

 

The work is all underground, out of sight, and for 5 weekends, which I still don't see why it's so bad in the first place.

 

The SAS is full time, out in the open and involves ripping up the street and constant construction for YEARS on end.

 

Apples to oranges here

[RTOMan]

You wanna know the difference between this work and the SAS?

 

The work is all underground, out of sight, and for 5 weekends, which I still don't see why it's so bad in the first place.

 

The SAS is full time, out in the open and involves ripping up the street and constant construction for YEARS on end.

 

Apples to oranges here

 

 

Excellent Post!!!!!!!

[Q43LTD]

Oh geez, what next businesses along the are gonna complain too?

[bobtehpanda]

Oh geez, what next businesses along the are gonna complain too?

 

They already do.

 

Complaining about subway construction is like complaining about taxes; we could just completely stop doing both, but that would be extremely stupid and short-sighted.

[Cait Sith]

You wanna know the difference between this work and the SAS?

 

The work is all underground, out of sight, and for 5 weekends, which I still don't see why it's so bad in the first place.

 

The SAS is full time, out in the open and involves ripping up the street and constant construction for YEARS on end.

 

Apples to oranges here

 

Bravo!

 

Even if you explain this to him, he'll come up with some excuse-riddled post.

[Q43LTD]

They already do.

 

Complaining about subway construction is like complaining about taxes; we could just completely stop doing both, but that would be extremely stupid and short-sighted.

It's not like the Q32 is that bad...

[Kamen Rider]

It's all or nothing with some people.

 

It's like during Chinese New Year, they'd act like the 7 is shut completly when it was only closed west of QBP. The excuses for that ran the habit from the lame ("Queensboro plaza can't handle crowds") to the ridiculous ("these people only know one way to get here and without the 7 to Manhattan they'll be lost!")

 

They still have traffic that can come from Ridgewood and Bushwick. Williamsburg is not an island into itself...

[Via Garibaldi 8]

Bravo!

 

Even if you explain this to him, he'll come up with some excuse-riddled post.

 

 

You wanna know the difference between this work and the SAS?

 

The work is all underground, out of sight, and for 5 weekends, which I still don't see why it's so bad in the first place.

 

The SAS is full time, out in the open and involves ripping up the street and constant construction for YEARS on end.

 

Apples to oranges here

Is that right?  Well if I didn't know any better the SAS folks were also nothing but complainers, so it's funny that you two use them to try to justify this construction.

[Kamen Rider]

updating the L does not involve surface level work. IT does not involve loss of traffic lanes or sidewalks and it does not take eons to finish.

[Fresh Pond]

Is that right? Well if I didn't know any better the SAS folks were also nothing but complainers, so it's funny that you two use them to try to justify this construction.

You're the one that brought it up in the first damn place. You can't compare the G.O to the SAS construction because they are on 2 ENTIRELY different levels of construction. The people affected by SAS construction have a legitimate reason to complain since its been ongoing for 8 YEARS!!!! The upcoming G.O is only lasting about 50 or so hours on a weekend.

 

I'm done with this discussion, its like I'm talking to a wet sponge on a brick wall