Cobble Hill’s tour bus problem solved with GPS geo-fence

With a little intervention by state Sen. Squadron

June 19, 2017 By Mary Frost Brooklyn Daily Eagle

After gigantic tour buses began taking a short cut along Cobble Hill’s Henry Street, shown above, the Cobble Hill Association, state Sen. Daniel Squadron and the bus company worked out a solution that seems to have everyone satisfied. Photo by Mary Frost

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Now that Brooklyn has become the hippest neighborhood in the world, loaded sightseeing tour buses have increasingly invaded the borough’s narrow avenues and back streets, bringing noise and congestion where they don’t belong and sometimes getting stuck on turns, blocking traffic.

Cobble Hill residents faced this dilemma when buses from Big Bus Tours, one of many tour operators plying the streets of Brooklyn, began taking a short cut along Henry Street — a thoroughfare where they don’t belong — to get to a refueling station in Red Hook.

Residents called the Cobble Hill Association (CHA) to complain. CHA reached out to state Sen. Daniel Squadron. His office, in turn, reached out to Big Bus Tours.

Now for the good news: Squadron, CHA and Big Bus Tours collaborated to come up with a perfectly respectable fix.

Big Bus Tours created what Squadron’s office calls a “geo-fence,” using the buses’ GPS systems. Now, when a driver turns onto Henry Street, the tour company’s management will get an alert, and management will raise the issue with the driver.

Squadron’s office told the Brooklyn Eagle that there have been two violations since the geo-fence was put into place, and the tour company did speak to the drivers involved.

CHA President Amy Breedlove told the Eagle, “This is how it works when everyone plays their role. The community organization spotted this quality-of-life problem, the elected official asked the responsible party to stop and the company immediately took responsibility and stopped.”

CHA credits Squadron for resolving the problem quickly and also Big Bus Tours for being responsive. Breedlove said, “This is a big quality of life and safety concern for our narrow streets.”

“It’s great that millions visit our city and borough from across the world each year, but quality of life in our neighborhoods can’t be sacrificed as a result,” Squadron said.

“Big Bus Tours is working with my office and the community to ensure its tour buses stay off streets that can’t handle them,” he added, thanking the company for its cooperation.

Referring to the development of the former Long Island College Hospital (LICH) by Fortis Property Group — a major headache for the low-rise neighborhood — Breedlove added, “If only Fortis Property Group took responsibility and worked in such a responsive manner. That would go a long way for quality of life in Cobble Hill.”