Small Fixes, Big Gains for the B61

Living on the waterfront means a lot of great things: lower rents in good neighborhoods, incredible views of the harbor and the Manhattan skyline, not to mention my own growing addictions to Calexico and Baked. But it also means a few inconveniences, namely a relatively long (for NYC) walk to the subway and limited bus routes. I'm thankful that we moved to the area after 2010, because I can only imagine how painful it must have been to see the B71, B75, and B77 - virtually all of the bus routes serving an area with limited subway service - axed. The MTA, for its part, has made some good faith efforts to mitigate and restore much of the service that was cut, mainly through service extensions and consolidations (with the glaring exception of Union St - leaving South Brooklyn with no crosstown options between Atlantic and 9th St), but there is much more the agency could be doing to benefit the area, particularly with its main bus route, the B61.

The B61 and the Downtown Problem

The B61 has only existed in its present form since 2010, when it was extended from Red Hook to Park Slope and severed at Downtown Brooklyn from the new B62. This created a new terminal for the route at the corner of Smith and Fulton streets, just outside the entrance to the Jay St-MetroTech station. That means the B61 provides connections from Red Hook and the waterfront to five subway lines: the F at Jay St; the F and G from Smith-9 St to 15 St-Prospect Park; the R at 4 Av-9 St and Jay St; and the A/C at Jay St. This may seem like a great deal of connections, but when you consider that most of the B61's route falls within the half-mile (10-12 minute walk) catchment for the F and G, and that those lines provide connections to the A, C, and R at some of the stations listed above, the advantages become less apparent.

The trouble for bus service in a city with such an expansive rail network is that it will almost invariably be perceived as a second-class form of public transportation. There are certainly reasons to knock the bus - its vulnerability to traffic, its relatively rough ride, its limited capacity - but a well-conceived bus network can complement rail with targeted, neighborhood-level services that the subway cannot provide. The B61 does this to some extent by providing direct service to Red Hook, which is partially served by a single subway station at Smith-9 St. Even so, the MTA is missing a great opportunity to make small adjustments that would yield big results. 

Simple Solutions

One of the most vexing issues with subway service in South Brooklyn is separation of the IRT lines (2/3/4/5) from the IND lines (A/C/F/G). The IRT was also separated from the BMT system until the recent opening of a connection between R trains at Court St and the 2/3/4/5 at Borough Hall. Elsewhere in South Brooklyn there are no opportunities to transfer, save for a possible two-stop connection via the R. This is where the B61's opportunity comes in. 

Until 2010, the B71 bus provided some measure of connection from F and G-served neighborhoods to the IRT at Grand Army Plaza and along Eastern Parkway. Since that cut, no direct transfer has existed. The B61's terminus, however, sits at the corner of Fulton and Smith - barely 3 blocks from the entrance of the Borough Hall station. This might sound like a non-issue. After all, do three blocks really prevent a transfer? Admittedly, some people already make the switch from the B61 to Borough Hall. But exceptions to the rule do not change the fact that a three block walk does not feel like a transfer (and for children, the elderly, and the disabled three blocks is a very real impediment). Three blocks might work on a one-off basis, but it would hardly be acceptable for an all-weather daily commute. A stop directly in front of Borough Hall, however, would feel like a regular bus-to-subway transfer.

So how can a change be made? Unlike many suggested changes to the transit system, this one comes at virtually no cost to the MTA. Instead of remaining at the Smith/Fulton stop (Jay St) as its terminus, the B61 would turn left onto Fulton St, as it normally does to start a new run. It would continue past Boerum Place (where it currently turns toward Atlantic) and instead proceed to the stop in front of Borough Hall, near the intersection of Joralemon and Court, where it would make its remain and wait to start a new run.

The result: B61 riders in Red Hook, Carroll Gardens, and Cobble Hill all would gain a convenient two-seat trip to four subway lines, linking them to job centers along 7th Avenue and the East Side, as well as growing Brooklyn communities in Prospect Heights and Crown Heights and cultural amenities at Grand Army Plaza, the Brooklyn Museum, and the Botanical Gardens. It would also provide greater access to the waterfront and Red Hook and generate new opportunities to discover the area's eclectic mix of shops and restaurants or to visit major shopping attractions such as IKEA. Not only would this benefit the communities along the way, it would also drive greater ridership on the B61, to the benefit of the MTA. 

Best of all, this could be accomplished with minimal cost or disruption to existing ridership patterns. The B61's route would remain unchanged, save for the bus making its return trip to Atlantic Ave along Court St (with the B57) instead of Boerum Place. Because the lost stop at Boerum and Fulton would be made up for by the new stop at Borough Hall, only one stop - at Boerum and Atlantic - would be lost, and another stop exists one block away at Court. The terminal change would also avoid disruptions to many of the riders at Jay St-MetroTech. Riders on the F could choose to catch the B61 at Smith-9 St instead, and R riders could transfer at Court St. The largest potential disruption would be A/C riders, who would have to walk to Borough Hall to transfer to the B61 at the beginning of its route (but would be able to transfer to the subway without issue).

This is a simple fix that can be accomplished at minimal cost, be it financial or political. It adds new transfers and removes some of the significant overlap between the B61 and the F/G services. The question I leave is, does this make sense? Would you be more likely to transfer if the bus stopped directly in front of Borough Hall? Would having a transfer available make you more inclined to ride?

LICH Closing May Benefit Neighborhood

SUNY Downstate is expected today to recommend shuttering its Long Island College Hospital facility on Atlantic Avenue, leaving around 2,000 employees at the facility in jeopardy of losing their jobs. The facility has been losing money hand-over-fist since its acquisition by SUNY in 2011, and it has been determined by SUNY that the facility is its most attractive option to sell. That means - you guessed it - SUNY will sell the LICH property for redevelopment.

This is a development (pun intended) that will rub a lot of people the wrong way. After all, it means further reducing healthcare choices for the borough, in addition to the 2,000 jobs that may be lost. But the sale of LICH can also be a great opportunity for the far west end of Atlantic Avenue to reinvent itself and serve as a crucial community link between the growing recreation opportunities on the waterfront and the burgeoning retail and entertainment district on Atlantic from Downtown Brooklyn  to the Barclays Center.

Connection to the Water

Development of Pier 6 (and more recently, Pier 5) at Brooklyn Bridge Park has created an uncomfortable realization that, while the park is one of New York's gems, there aren't many easy ways to access the southern portions. The only major roadway linking the park to Downtown, Atlantic Ave, is less than hospitable, thanks to on/offramps for the BQE and a dreary underpass that is slated to receive a makeover in the near future. Complicating this is LICH, whose presence creates a long, lifeless stretch on the south side of Atlantic from between Henry and Hicks Sts to the BQE.

The Atlantic Avenue "funderpass" / Credit: Atlantic Ave BID

Mixed-use redevelopment of the LICH site would invigorate this stretch of Atlantic and encourage foot and bike traffic between Brooklyn Bridge Park and the Atlantic Avenue BID. Ground-floor retail and restaurants would add life to this stretch of Atlantic and help to shore up businesses on the north side of Atlantic by increasing foot traffic in the area. New housing units would also liven the area (I will leave discussions about height on Atlantic for another time), introducing hundreds of new households to the neighborhood. All of this would drastically improve the walkability of western Atlantic and encourage new connections, both between the park and Downtown, and between Cobble Hill and Brooklyn Heights via a more engaging common boundary.

Although it is de rigueur for groups to argue against any new development in Brooklyn, replacing an inward-focused hospital center with a vibrant, mixed use community would be a win for Cobble Hill and the Atlantic Avenue BID. That does not mean it should be a giveaway: whoever ultimately develops the site should bring tangible benefits to community members of all income levels, and not simply build luxury condos with a prime view of Manhattan. That means working hard on concessions such as affordable units (or perhaps a New York trial for inclusionary zoning) and reopening the street grid on Pacific St, but it is far from impossible. 

It is sad to see a major local employer go under, but given the economics facing LICH, this was probably inevitable. The sale of LICH represents a rare large scale opportunity to add new life and vibrancy to the neighborhood without major displacements or disruptions. Proper development will help cement a corridor of activity from Brooklyn Bridge Park to the Barclays Center, pumping money into local businesses throughout. Let's hope that whoever purchases the property gets it right and seizes the opportunity to become the final link in Atlantic Avenue's renaissance.

Photo of the Day: Sunset Over Red Hook

One of my favorite things about living by the water is our connection to the port. As someone who spent my entire life inland before moving to New York, it's still very impressive to be that close to a large body of water and the ships that ply it.

I'm not the best photographer, but enjoy this shot of the container port cranes silhouetted against a bright red sunset. Also, you can see the Statue of Liberty, just out of focus at the edge of the frame.

Miscommunications

My wife and I have been living in Carroll Gardens for over six months now. It wasn't easy picking a neighborhood in New York, certainly not when we were coming from DC and lacked a firm grasp of where we would fit in NYC. So far, Carroll Gardens has been pretty good to us. Everything, except for our access to Manhattan. See, when we were moving into the area, Google and the MTA told us a relatively straightforward story: 10 minute walk to the subway (we're on the waterfront) and a 15-20 minute subway ride into lower Manhattan. All told, it meant that living here didn't place us much further from where we needed to be than an apartment near a local stop on the Upper East or West Side.

Unfortunately, there was a hitch. It's called the IND Culver Line.

Now, I am no stranger to the details of public transit systems and the need for capital spending. I am a huge advocate for public transportation (we don't even own a car), and I understand the massive repairs the MTA needed to undertake on the Culver Viaduct. And coming from DC, we were no strangers to weekend line and station closures or occasional infrastructure failings such as cracked rails and failing signals. We knew what we were getting into when we moved in, and we were willing to wait out the construction and hopefully experience better service when everything was said and done. So my problem isn't with the MTA doing construction or periodically curtailing or halting service on our line. That's how we fix decades of poor and deferred maintenance. My gripe is with the MTA's inability to communicate to its riders. 

This was thrown into sharp relief during this weekend's track work. Per the MTA's announcements, Coney Island-bound F trains were running express from Jay St to Church Av, stopping at 7 Av, and there was no G service south of Hoyt-Schermerhorn. And that's exactly how it played out when I took the F home from the Village on Saturday afternoon - express to 7 Av and a local back north to Carroll St. That's why I was a little surprised to see a Coney-bound F stopping at Bergen St early on Sunday morning. When I came home late that afternoon, my morning experience was confirmed: we stopped local at Bergen, then I got off at Carroll. I took a glance at the signs in Carroll St on my way out, just to be sure I wasn't mistaken. Sure enough, it told me that the F would run express in that direction (bypassing where I was standing) until 5am Monday.

This wasn't exactly a problem for me; I got home quicker than I otherwise would have on the express-local switch. But it became a real problem when I discussed my confusion with my wife, who had been out of town for the weekend and not quite aware of the planned work. Although I was in for the night and could enjoy a quicker-than-expected ride home, she was planning on meeting friends in Greenpoint. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't answer her big question: did my trip on the F mean the G was running from Carroll? Lacking an answer, I pulled up the Weekender to find out. Here, it became abundantly clear that the MTA's communications did not match service patterns. Weekender informed me that the F train I had just exited did not, in fact, exist. It was running express until 5am Monday. I pulled up the main MTA service alerts page to see if that had been corrected, only to see the same advisory: F trains will run express from Jay St-MetroTech to Church Av/no G service from Hoyt-Schermerhorn to Church Av.

So what could we trust? The Coney Island-bound F had been running local all day. I had seen the local at Bergen St just after 8am. But did F trains on the local track imply G trains south of Hoyt? Thanks to the MTA's lack of information, there was no way of knowing. Maybe they had finished work early and reopened the line to all trains. Maybe they just switched the F back. From our home, we could divine nothing. That left few options for her. She could walk to Carroll St and wait, hoping that the G was running, and if not, ride the F to Jay St, then the A to Hoyt, then the G shuttle to Bedford-Nostrand, then the G to Greenpoint Av. Not exactly the most pleasant ride. Other than that, she could take the B61 to the B62, with an interminable bus-to-bus transfer in the cold. Thanks to weekend track work, there were no options available via Manhattan, as the 7 was not running in Manhattan and the F was bypassing 14 St (and therefore the L). Save for Manhattan, none of these options were impossible, but all of them would have added another 30+ minutes to a trip that should take less than 40, door to door. Unfortunately, we had no way of knowing if it would be the quick trip or the long one; only trial and error could tell her.

In the end she decided not to go. Faced with the uncertainty and the possibility of an extra hour or more in transit time, or the cost of a taxi each way, she chose to stay in. Had we known the G was not running to Carroll, that probably would have been the case anyway, but the opacity of the MTA created endless frustration. After all, if the G had been running, then going would be a no-brainer. This is where I fault the MTA. They're (relatively) good at telling us when a disruption is shutting down or slowing part of a line. They're (relatively) good at informing us of weekend and weeknight track work with some advance notice. But if a line reopens early? The MTA is silent. Reopening early isn't simply some bonus to straphangers; it alters plans and it impacts commutes for countless people who work weekends and weeknights. Just as we have a right to know if the F won't stop at our station this weekend, we have a right to know when those plans change, and whether those changes will affect the other lines that were out of service. It's a basic courtesy to riders and, more importantly, it's just common sense.