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Restoring the B41 in Brooklyn


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Restore The B41 Petition by the TWU Local 100

 

Petition by TWULOCAL100

 

Restore The B41

 

The B41 Bus, serving the heart of Brooklyn, has lost 5 million riders in the last decade because of traffic congestion, double-parking, and other problems that can be fixed. The B41 is a critically important public transit resource in deep distress.

But we can restore the B41 by putting in place bus-only lanes with a physical barrier keeping other traffic out of the B41's path, painted bus-only lanes with enhanced enforcement, and bus-priority signal technology to reduce time spent at red lights.

We need Mayor de Blasio and the New York City Department of Transportation to work with the MTA to create a fast-moving bus corridor for the B41 from downtown Broooklyn across the borough to Kings Plaza. We need dedicated bus lanes and enforcement so that double-parkers and "dollar vans" don't impede bus traffic and don't steal revenue from the transit system.

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5 hours ago, Brillant93 said:

Didn’t they do a pilot downtown where there wasn’t any curbside parking during rush hours last year? 

Technically the program is still on. However, you still have delivery trucks on Flatbush between 7-10 and no enforcement between traffic and the 78th that’s supposed to patrol the area. 

Only thing the 78 cops do is monitor the stretch and plaza street if u blow the red light + dollar van enforcement. 

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1 minute ago, Future ENY OP said:

Technically the program is still on. However, you still have delivery trucks on Flatbush between 7-10 and no enforcement between traffic and the 78th that’s supposed to patrol the area. 

Only thing the 78 cops do is monitor the stretch and plaza street if u blow the red light + dollar van enforcement. 

Both Atlantic Ave bus stop always have them dollar vans and TLC vehicles parked right at the bus stop, causing a potential dangerous situation to happen. We need as much support to get the situation resolve. I know this has been an ongoing situation for years and nothing has been done about it. 

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2 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Why did TWU specifically choose this route to focus on? Seems like there are 100 different routes with similar issues lol

because not only has the B41 lost passengers, runs have been cut to borderline dismal levels. in Flatbush, the "big 3" on the run boards used to be the 41, 44 & 46, all having over 100 runs. the 41 is barely in the high 80's now. at least 20 runs disappear over a decade? unacceptable. 

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1 hour ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

because not only has the B41 lost passengers, runs have been cut to borderline dismal levels. in Flatbush, the "big 3" on the run boards used to be the 41, 44 & 46, all having over 100 runs. the 41 is barely in the high 80's now. at least 20 runs disappear over a decade? unacceptable. 

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense!

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1 hour ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Gotcha, that makes a lot of sense!

don't get me wrong. i understand your point completely: there are several lines that need to be paid attention to or restored to former glory, so to speak. yet there isn't one bus line that has been or currently is considered a major people mover in this system that has had runs slashed the way the 41 has. bar none... not among the ATU's, the TWU former PBL's... MaBSTOA, nowhere. 

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8 hours ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

don't get me wrong. i understand your point completely: there are several lines that need to be paid attention to or restored to former glory, so to speak. yet there isn't one bus line that has been or currently is considered a major people mover in this system that has had runs slashed the way the 41 has. bar none... not among the ATU's, the TWU former PBL's... MaBSTOA, nowhere. 

Interesting! I appreciate the insider info. I didn't known that

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15 hours ago, QM1to6Ave said:

Why did TWU specifically choose this route to focus on? Seems like there are 100 different routes with similar issues lol

Multiple reasons:

  1. Lack of enforcement by the NYPD has allowed dollar vans to fester out of control.
  2. The prevalence of dollar vans (nowadays almost exclusively cutaway vehicles) has taken ridership off of the B41.
  3. Runs get cut as a result of decreased ridership (but the demand is there as shown by the dollar vans).

What I see needing to be done, in no particular order:

  1. Any XE60 buses should be dedicated to Flatbush Depot for the B41 (which would warrant it with stop and go traffic) for increased capacity.
  2. State Trooper/MTA Police crackdown on the dollar vans (since the NYPD won't do so) with a contracted towing company for impounding vehicles.
  3. Bergen Beach service would be designated B40 as a distinct route.
  4. Select Bus Service introduction to the B41 and an Eagle Team/MTA Police/State Trooper enforcement. (On the B82 SBS, some Eagle Team stops have resulted in as many as 12 people being removed from a bus for fare evasion.)
  5. Modifying the schedule for fare evasion as follows (bullet points)
  • First offense: 50 times the base fare (currently that would be $137.50)
  • Second offense: 100 times the base fare (currently that would be $275)
  • Third offense: Class A misdemeanor (Section 165.15 of the NY State Penal Code).
  • Checks due to the person could be intercepted to pay the fines.

As for why I would want police enforcement---oftentimes, farebeaters are people committing other offenses. As for what route should be highlighted next, after the B41...I'd probably say the Bx9 or B15. Notice how the dollar vans have all but disappeared from Utica Avenue since SBS began.

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The higher-ups at the MTA and in Albany wouldn't do anything to help the B41 in any time unfortunately. Same problem with the dollar vans in Northern NJ. There still will be people taking the dollar vans even with the improvements until SBS is put in place but even then there still will be people parking in the bus lanes (Mostly in Manhattan IDK how it is in the other boroughs)

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8 hours ago, aemoreira81 said:

Multiple reasons:

  1. Lack of enforcement by the NYPD has allowed dollar vans to fester out of control.
  2. The prevalence of dollar vans (nowadays almost exclusively cutaway vehicles) has taken ridership off of the B41.
  3. Runs get cut as a result of decreased ridership (but the demand is there as shown by the dollar vans).

What I see needing to be done, in no particular order:

  1. Any XE60 buses should be dedicated to Flatbush Depot for the B41 (which would warrant it with stop and go traffic) for increased capacity.
  2. State Trooper/MTA Police crackdown on the dollar vans (since the NYPD won't do so) with a contracted towing company for impounding vehicles.
  3. Bergen Beach service would be designated B40 as a distinct route.
  4. Select Bus Service introduction to the B41 and an Eagle Team/MTA Police/State Trooper enforcement. (On the B82 SBS, some Eagle Team stops have resulted in as many as 12 people being removed from a bus for fare evasion.)
  5. Modifying the schedule for fare evasion as follows (bullet points)
  • First offense: 50 times the base fare (currently that would be $137.50)
  • Second offense: 100 times the base fare (currently that would be $275)
  • Third offense: Class A misdemeanor (Section 165.15 of the NY State Penal Code).
  • Checks due to the person could be intercepted to pay the fines.

As for why I would want police enforcement---oftentimes, farebeaters are people committing other offenses. As for what route should be highlighted next, after the B41...I'd probably say the Bx9 or B15. Notice how the dollar vans have all but disappeared from Utica Avenue since SBS began.

sir, i must applaud you. THIS is the perfect analysis of the B41/Flatbush Avenue/Flatbush Depot situation, spelled out clear as day, detailing the cause & effects  due to lack of action by the TLC & NYPD, which everyone has been able to identify, from past & current B/O's up the chain of command. The diagnosis regarding MTA Police or the Staties coming in to enforce the corridor is a wonderful idea... i believe that solution would be another "f**k you" to the DeBlasio administration, which they rightly deserve.

and another point you raised regarding utica & the jitneys significant decrease in their vulture-like passenger grabbing: another example is church avenue. church avenue is an absolute wasteland for dollar cabs since Jackie Gleason got their artics. i grew up on east 49th street, and I've never seen church Avenue so devoid of cab traffic. i would bet money i haven't earned yet, that flatbush avenue would undergo a similar transformation. 

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20 hours ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

because not only has the B41 lost passengers, runs have been cut to borderline dismal levels. in Flatbush, the "big 3" on the run boards used to be the 41, 44 & 46, all having over 100 runs. the 41 is barely in the high 80's now. at least 20 runs disappear over a decade? unacceptable. 

...Which is why I hold the belief that the MTA is continuing to succumb to the dollar vans.....  The damned things (the vans I'm talking about) run along about 90% of the B41 route FFS.....

Cut the head off the snake - Ban dollar van service in Downtown & you will watch overall demand for the things take a serious hit..... I'd argue not only are people taking vans over the B41, but over taking the subway as well.....

Flatbush, north of Grand Army continues to feel like I'm driving/walking along some north/south Manhattan avenue block - even during non event days at Barclays.....

7 hours ago, aemoreira81 said:

Multiple reasons:

  1. Lack of enforcement by the NYPD has allowed dollar vans to fester out of control.
  2. The prevalence of dollar vans (nowadays almost exclusively cutaway vehicles) has taken ridership off of the B41.
  3. Runs get cut as a result of decreased ridership (but the demand is there as shown by the dollar vans).

What I see needing to be done, in no particular order:

  1. Any XE60 buses should be dedicated to Flatbush Depot for the B41 (which would warrant it with stop and go traffic) for increased capacity.
  2. State Trooper/MTA Police crackdown on the dollar vans (since the NYPD won't do so) with a contracted towing company for impounding vehicles.
  3. Bergen Beach service would be designated B40 as a distinct route.
  4. Select Bus Service introduction to the B41 and an Eagle Team/MTA Police/State Trooper enforcement. (On the B82 SBS, some Eagle Team stops have resulted in as many as 12 people being removed from a bus for fare evasion.)
  5. Modifying the schedule for fare evasion as follows (bullet points)
  • First offense: 50 times the base fare (currently that would be $137.50)
  • Second offense: 100 times the base fare (currently that would be $275)
  • Third offense: Class A misdemeanor (Section 165.15 of the NY State Penal Code).
  • Checks due to the person could be intercepted to pay the fines.

As for why I would want police enforcement---oftentimes, farebeaters are people committing other offenses. As for what route should be highlighted next, after the B41...I'd probably say the Bx9 or B15. Notice how the dollar vans have all but disappeared from Utica Avenue since SBS began.

You were alright up until that very last statement.... It's a false narrative.

The B46 SBS was implemented in summer of 2016..... The Utica vans started disappearing like they were going out of style, well before the infamous "draconian" cuts in 2010.... I want to say around the mid 2000's, but it may have even been before that..... Van service along Utica has not been abundant for a long time now; this isn't a trend that just started two & a half years ago....

The fact of the matter was, you had a mass exodus of van drivers that ditched Utica for Flatbush because 1] the latter was more profitable & 2] steadily increasing crackdowns (NYPD) over at Utica/Eastern Pkwy. & (especially at) the select few that tried pushing the envelope, running up to Fulton st....

I mean, you could have waited at Kings Plaza & have seen anywhere from 10-15 vans on layover anywhere from the corner of [E. 52nd/Av U] to [along Flatbush av b/w Av. U & E. 53rd] & you'd have been lucky if you could find ONE Utica av van..... This benefitted the B46....

I mean, we can all sit on our hands & hope for the best for the B41, but the MTA has to also get on board with the rest of your plan here too.....

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1 minute ago, EastFlatbushLarry said:

....and another point you raised regarding utica & the jitneys significant decrease in their vulture-like passenger grabbing: another example is church avenue. church avenue is an absolute wasteland for dollar cabs since Jackie Gleason got their artics. i grew up on east 49th street, and I've never seen church Avenue so devoid of cab traffic. i would bet money i haven't earned yet, that flatbush avenue would undergo a similar transformation. 

I hate to put it like this, but the fact that people are doing more farebeating on the B35 via the artics, is infact hurting cab service....

When I used to take the LIRR (to Atlantic Term.) coming home, I would get miffed at having to wait so long for a cab over at E. 18th, and eventually ended up walking either to Flatbush (or Bedford) for a cab, or walking home altogether..... The phenomenon of more people standing curbside longer for a cab along Church definitely exists.... You have some cab drivers now that are absolutely petrified of running past Flatbush av.... Yeah, you got those 2 cops at the subway station (B)(Q), but they spend far more time on their cell phones, talking amongst each other, and/or skirt chasing, that they're too distracted to care.....

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2 hours ago, Flatbush SBS Duece said:

This morning The TLC police were out on Flatbush Avenue.... You barely saw any dollar van maybe 3 or 5 spotted.....

If state police could get involved than its truly a rap for these dollar van drivers. I believe they are about to install a barracks in Red Hook right near the battery tunnel. I’ve seen a few cars parked at the TBTA office (Red Hook) along with some TBTA cars. Cuz Brooklyn North and Brooklyn South are clearly not doing a good job at enforcement. 

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I’m not oppossed to people finding other ways to travel but these dollar vans drive way too wrecklessly for me. I’ve been on buses and there were times where these dollar vans almost hit them, block the bus stops, and just plain out disregard safety all together. 

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12 hours ago, aemoreira81 said:

Notice how the dollar vans have all but disappeared from Utica Avenue since SBS began.

I don’t know how accurate this is. However, there are dollar vans in Utica. They haven’t fully disappeared. If you get state police involved than I see a full disappearing act for both Utica and Flatbush. 

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Much like Eagle Team w/ the SBS' & farebeaters, TLC isn't consistent with their crackdowns on these cabs..... To tell the truth, before Flatbush SBS Duece's post, I do not & cannot remember the last time I've heard of any mention/notice of TLC along Flatbush.... Probably since the late 90's (when some of them fools would get busted for weapons & drugs & shit)..... Those vans been running wantonly & without a care in the world for quite some time now... No tentativeness whatsoever....

.....but going back to the analogy for a sec', matter of fact, they're (TLC's) even more ineffective over a long period of time, because it's really only a day or two max. that they're out there hounding the Church av cabs..... Yes, there's the randomness of when they appear, but once the storm is weathered (the day or two) so to speak, it's back to normal & business as usual.... This cycle's been going on ever since I was in grade school (80's) & probably the case before that too.... If the aim is to get rid of the Flatbush vans, you have to make it less profitable for them... Money talks & if there is silence, then bullshit is walking - Point blank....

Whenever they (TLC) do appear on Church though, you'll see dollar cabs running on Linden or Snyder to avert them....Kinda funny the way they scurry around the neighborhood actually....

Just FTR, Generally speaking, my issue isn't that the cab/van drivers exist -  it's that there are way too many of 'em taking advantage of the MTA's inefficiencies..... At the same time, the MTA should not be making it MORE profitable for those guys by cutting service here & there on the B41....

#maketheB41greatagain

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