Pols demand shuttle buses when subway station closes

Bay Ridge Ave. stop to shut for six-month repair project

January 20, 2017 By Paula Katinas Brooklyn Daily Eagle

The Bay Ridge Avenue station on the R subway line will be closed for approximately six months while undergoing a major overhaul. Eagle photos by Paula Katinas

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The least the MTA could do for straphangers who will lose access to the R train’s Bay Ridge Avenue station when it closes for a repair project is provide shuttle bus service, three local lawmakers said.

State Sen. Marty Golden and state Assemblymembers Pamela Harris and Nicole Malliotakis, all of whom represent parts of Bay Ridge, have jointly fired off letters to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and MTA New York City Transit President Veronique Hakim demanding that shuttle buses be put into service to accommodate passengers.

“Embarking on this project will require a complete six-month shutdown of the Bay Ridge Avenue station. As of now, the Metropolitan Transit Authority has not announced any supplemental transportation arrangements for the thousands of commuters who will be adversely affected during the shutdown. It is absolutely essential to provide an alternative service to accommodate the thousands of commuters who rely on the Bay Ridge Avenue station on a daily basis,” the lawmakers wrote.

Approximately 8,379 riders travel through the Bay Ridge Avenue (69th Street) station each day, according to the elected officials.

When the shutdown takes effect, those riders will be forced to travel to either the 77th Street station or the 59th Street station in order to get on the R train.

“As the second-busiest station servicing commuters in Bay Ridge, the R train is a critical and affordable transportation resource for students, working professionals and seniors on a fixed income traveling to and from the neighborhood. Additionally, the Bay Ridge Avenue station serves as a vital transfer point between the R train and the B64 and B9 buses,” Golden, Harris and Malliotakis wrote.

The lawmakers are demanding that the MTA install a shuttle bus service between Bay Ridge Avenue and 59th Street and increase service on the B9, B37 and B63 bus lines to help alleviate travel headaches for riders.

Cuomo announced in November that the Bay Ridge Avenue station was one of three Brooklyn subway stations in New York City set to undergo repairs under the MTA’s Enhanced Station Initiative.

The first three stations in the initiative are Bay Ridge Avenue, Prospect Avenue and 53rd Street.

“New, modern subway stations across the system are an essential part of our efforts to rebuild and reimagine the MTA for the 21st century,” Cuomo said in a statement. “These milestones demonstrate remarkable progress in the redesign and renovation process that will revamp these stations for current and future generations of New Yorkers.”

The station improvements will include:

Enhanced lighting throughout the stations
Improved signage for easier navigation, including digital, real-time updates on on-time performance at subway entrances
Amenities, such as countdown clocks, cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi and new art, as well as security cameras
Renovations that consider the architectural legacy of each station and are sensitive to historical elements.

MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz told the Brooklyn Eagle that the agency does not yet have a response to the demand by Golden, Harris and Malliotakis for shuttle buses.

“Once we are in receipt of the letter from the elected officials, we will review and respond to them directly,” Ortiz told the Eagle.