Bay Ridge

Dem nominee for council pens complaint to MTA chairman

September 22, 2017 By John Alexander Brooklyn Daily Eagle
Justin Brannan is frustrated with the poor service on the R subway line. Photo courtesy of Brannan’s campaign
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Call it the summer of our discontent, notes from the chaotic underground or the more common mass transit “summer of hell,” straphangers taking the R train still see no light at the end of the tunnel. Long waits for trains, erratic, interrupted service and crowded, standing-room-only conditions have left subway riders angry and frustrated.

In July, the Brooklyn Eagle reported that City Councilmember Vincent Gentile sent a letter to MTA Chairman Joe Lhota detailing his own frustrations with the service. Now, City Council candidate and Gentile’s former Chief of Staff Justin Brannan, who had a hand in penning Gentile’s letter, has written his own letter to Lhota. In it, Brannan focuses on the R train and voicing the confusion and concerns he’s heard from the residents of District 43.

“Right now, people who live in different states can get to Manhattan quicker than we can,” Brannan told the Eagle. “But instead of investing in the system to make the trains run on time, the state has invested millions in cosmetic station upgrades. While we all know our stations could certainly use some tender loving care, getting to work on time is more important than bells, whistles and WiFi.”

Brannan is referring to the closing of stations on the R line, including Bay Ridge Avenue, the 53rd Street station (which just recently reopened) and the potential closure of the 86th Street station for major repairs.

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In the letter, Brannan stressed the need for quality service over cosmetic improvements and queries Lhota about his plans moving forward for the R line.

“We are eager for service at the Bay Ridge Avenue station to resume and I’m hoping you can provide a timeline for this,” Brannan wrote. “I am pleased to hear the 53rd Street station in Sunset Park was finished ahead of schedule and it would be great to have the same thing happen to Bay Ridge Avenue. When will the renovations be completed at the Bay Ridge Avenue station?”

Secondly, Brannan expressed his concern regarding accessibility to the 53rd Street station, which lacks an elevator for elderly and disabled commuters. He also asks for an update from Lhota regarding construction on the much-discussed elevator planned for the 86th Street station.

The issue has received attention from a number of other local elected officials including state Sen. Marty Golden and Republican District 43 City Council candidate John Quaglione.

In his letter, Gentile wrote, “For Bay Ridgeites, they have experienced much more than ‘a summer of hell’ on the railways. Bay Ridgeites have lived with the R train nightmare for decades. For them, the R train ridership, you need to declare, ‘Enough is enough.’”

Gentile’s letter remains unanswered.

Brannan has picked up the baton by addressing an issue that has plagued Bay Ridgeites for far too long. “Working families, the middle class, people living in poverty, students and seniors all suffer from a lack of reliable public transportation,” said Brannan. “Do you know who doesn’t suffer from a lack of reliable public transportation? The people who currently make the decisions regarding public transportation.”

Lhota has yet to respond to Brannan.


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