MTA Dicks Over Clinton Hill

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g train flooded Most people write about this two days ago, but I was toiling away at work and didn't have time to get a post up.

The MTA, in its monthly meeting today, will present a "Doomsday Scenerio" budget and plan that calls for reduction in service on the G line by 50%!

I've never heard anything more ridiculous.  Most neighborhoods serviced by the G have seen population increases, and transit ridership is at an all-time high.

In difficult economic times, it's best practice to increase funding for public transit infrastructure, which bioth creates jobs and reduces reliance on cars.

And aside from that policy stuff, the G train has been awfully crowded lately as it is.

Transportation Alternatives Bike Ride This Wknd

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Whoops- one more post!  Just received this email, and TA is a really great organization! My name is Oksana and I am a members of the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee. We have a ride this Saturday that starts close to Clinton Hill (in Fort Greene Park).  If it’s not against your blog’s protocol, would you be able to put a word out on the Clinton Hill Blog about the Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee bike ride?

Transportation Alternatives Brooklyn Committee Parks Ride When: Sunday, 8/17; 10.30am Where: Fort Greene Park, at Dekalb Ave and Cumberland Street

The Brooklyn Committee is hosting its first ride in a series of Brooklyn exploratory rides. We will start out in Fort Greene Park, and ride through some of Brooklyn's historic green spaces. We will make a quick lunch stop and end up at the Yard in Gowanus for after ride drinks. Come out to meet other committee members and find out what we do.

Thank you!

Cops Read Blogs!!

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Many thanks to reader Philip for emailing me a camera phone picture of the cop cars in front of the 88th precinct on DeKalb Avenue at Classon.  After I posted about their cars blocking the street's new bike lane, they've switched to regular old parallel parking (you know, like the rest of us have to!). sspx0008.jpg

Thanks also to Gothamist and Streetsblog (and I'm sure many others) for picking up this story.

Let's hope this is a permanent gesture.  It's days like today that I'm really psyched to be a community blogger.  (BTW, where did they put the other cars?)

Bike Lanes in the 'Hood

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Since I've been biking a lot lately, I've come to realize how wonderful bike lanes actually are.  I'm pleased to say that we now have a bike lane on both Myrtle AND DeKalb!  However, I have noticed that the DeKalb bike lane seems to be contributing to the bottle necking that happens around Classon Ave, causing a backup. It's not actually the bike lane that's causing this.

The cause is the police parking.  Cop cars cut off an entire lane just west of Classon on DeKalb, and now that practice has become even more dangerous.  Look at these pics sent to me by a reader:

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This intersection has already become a traffic nightmare, and now cyclists have to divert out into traffic that's already dangerous.  Surely there must be a better way to arrange this.  With a huge increase in neighborhood traffic (especially on Sundays with the Flea), this isn't cool.

Speaking of bike lanes, WE NEED ONE ON LAFAYETTE AVENUE!!!  ASAP!!!

G Train Clusterf*ck

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I just "love" how about a hundred people waited 20-30 minutes on the G platform this morning with no announcement or staffing whatsoever to tell us no train was coming, and then how every single bus that roared by on DeKalb was packed full and said, "NEXT BUS PLEASE." I know things happen, but would it have killed the MTA to tell us not to wait for the G???  As we exited, people were still swiping through to wait for the train!  Jeez - even a taped up sign written in magic marker would have been better than nothing.

Thankfully, I ran into a neighbor on the platform and then her coworker and we hit up Tillie's for huge iced coffees and walked down to the DeKalb stop together, chatting and laughing.  It made the morning infinitely better.  Yay for Clinton Hillers!

B38 LTD!

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Here comes a bus complaint again, but dude, this one is totally legit! Have you ever tried taking the B38 down DeKalb in the morning?  The bus schedule says "Frequent Service," but that's kind of a misnomer.  What it means is that frequently one will have to wait for 15 minutes, at which point three B38 busses will come roaring down the street, the first one packed and the next two empty.  I've never been able to figure out why this can't be modified.

And, my prayers have been answered!  Yesterday, the MTA kicked off B38 LTD service along DeKalb and Lafayette!   In BS/CH/FG, the stops are at Nostrand, Bedford, Classon and Vanderbilt, and then the bus runs all the way down to Flatbush!

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Has anyone tried it out yet?

Demanding Change on the G Line

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This is the perfect example of something lots of people have posted already, but people are asking why I haven't posted, and I'm sure people will note that once again this is cut-and-paste-news from elsewhere. Anyhow, next week G train riders will have a great opportunity to testify as to why the G train needs increased service (and length) now and in the future. The G has long been seen as the "red-headed stepchild" of the subway system, and it is important to make our voices heard in order to obtain the attention we deserve. Hopefully representatives from each community served by the G will be able to attend. We need to show a united front along the G route!

I don't know about you, but it feels like I have to wait longer and longer every day at rush hour coming home from work. (I maintain that morning service on the G is actually better than the crappy C.)

So here is the cut-and-paste info. Hope you can make it.

Hello Everyone:

Thanks to the advocacy of the Save the G Coalition (www.savetheg.org ) , NYC Council Transportation Committee Chair John Liu will hold an oversight hearing on G train service. Witnesses from the MTA have been asked to speak about ridership data, plans for the future, conditions, and other issues regarding G line service. I'm emailing many of you who have expressed frustration about mass transit decision-making and about service along the G and F train lines.

Time/Date: Tuesday, April 8 at 1:00pm

Location: Council Chambers, City Hall

Re: What is the MTA doing to improve service on the G line?/

City Council Resolution #1262 (Sponsored by Council Members James, Liu and Mendez) calls on the MTA to immediately improve service on the G line and to suspend implementation of service cuts.

Some of you ride the G train and are frustrated by its limited service. Some of you haven't thought much about the G train – probably because while it serves an ever more important commuter route between Brooklyn and Queens (without going through Manhattan!), it runs infrequently and is only four (4) cars long. Due to service cuts in Queens, it also stops just short of increasingly important destinations and transfer options.

The MTA tells us that it will extend G train as a back up to interim F Express service to Church Ave in Brooklyn while it repairs the Viaduct over the Gowanus Canal and the station at Smith/9th Street. That's great, but it's not nearly enough. Evolving growth (in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Fort Greene, Clinton Hill and Bedford Stuyvesant and along the F train's route) dictates that G train service will become more needed, not less – but the MTA has no plans to do this.

Come out to the hearing on April 8th and tell the NYC Council about your experiences, your commute and the places you have had trouble getting to because of poor service between Brooklyn and Queens.

Please help by:

• testifying at the hearing

• attending the hearing and show your interest, even if you don't wish to speak

• submitting written testimony if you can't attend the hearing in person

• helping to advertise the hearing by flyering, blogging, emailing, etc.

Please help make this hearing a successful advocacy opportunity for G riders, and for improving public transit for Clinton Hill and for all Brooklynites!

I'm a little irked at the 1:00 pm meeting time, but I'll still try to check it out on my lunch hour.

More G Service??

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Check out this article from the Daily News, Via SavetheG: Summer hike in subway, bus services

BY DONALD BERTRAND DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Tuesday, February 26th 2008, 4:00 AM

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has a message for Queens subway and bus commuters: Ride on!

It looks like the dollars are coming in faster than expected to the MTA, thanks to increased ridership, particularly in Queens.

Under a new plan, NYC Transit would begin implementing increased service - valued at approximately $46 million annually - as early as June.

The proposals will not be implemented until after the financial results for the first quarter of 2008 have been received, Transit spokesman Charles Seaton said.

Starting in June, the 7 and W lines will see increases in service to accommodate boosts in ridership on those lines.

The 7 line would increase Saturday service frequency from six to 10 minutes to five to eight minutes, and Sunday service frequency from six to 10 minutes to six to eight minutes starting in June.

W service would be extended from 9:30 to 11 p.m., and there would be an increase in peak hour service frequency from four to five minutes to four minutes.

In December, the G and R lines will see increases in service frequency.

The G would increase service frequency by 50% weekday evenings (from 12-15 minutes to eight minutes); 20% weekday middays (from 10 minutes to eight minutes); and 33% on weekends (eight-10 minutes to six minutes).

This boost will require terminating the G at the Courthouse Square station in Long Island City, because the Queens Blvd. line does not have capacity for more G service.

Extended R service would operate to Forest Hills-71st Ave. at all times; replacing the G along Queens Blvd. and allowing the N to operate via Manhattan Bridge at all times.

Queens bus lines also will see service increases, and will include a new Bx50 limited-stop bus route between Fordham Plaza in the Bronx and LaGuardia Airport, and a new Q94 super-limited service between Flushing and Fordham Plaza to reduce travel time on the route by up to 20 minutes and meet growing demand for Queens-Bronx travel.

Public hearings must be held before the Bx50 and Q94 services can be implemented. Plans call for the Bx50 to begin service in December, while the Q94 would begin in September.

Transit officials said 10 other Queens bus lines will either see increases in hours or extensions to their routes.

They include the: Q12; Q27; Q31; Q42; Q59; Q75: Q76; Q77; Q79 and Q84.

50% increase?! YES, YES, YES!

What do you think about the permanent termination at Court Square? For me, if it means way more G service, fine by me!

G Train Connection

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A bunch of you guys have emailed me today about this, and I admit that I slacked on posting.  Then everyone else started posting, so I was even less motivated to photoshop this cute graphic together: trains.jpg

Anyway, yes!  There is exciting news afoot!  Apparently Leticia James has suggested linking the G at Fulton to all of the trains at Atlantic-Pacific!  This is super news.  How often have you really wanted to take the 2,3,4 but were too lazy (or running late) to walk down there or wait for the bus down Greene (which, btw, never comes) so you made do with the G to the A,C to another change or two.

Sign the petition here!

And more info here via Second Avenue Sagas.

Downtown Brooklyn DOT Meeting Tomorrow

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The NYC DOT is holding an Open House/Public Meeting Thursday, January 10, 2008 to present their plan for managing transportation in downtown Brooklyn…that includes Clinton Hill and Fort Greene. The program runs from 4-8 pm and starts with exhibits showing DOT's priority transportation initiatives, transportation and development trends, and a plan for monitoring and evaluating plans that are implemented.

You can see the displays starting at 4 pm and the presentations will be done at 5 pm and again at 7 pm.  Attendees can enter at any time.

Opportunities to ask questions and express your opinions to the Project Team will be available all evening.

Additional information on the Downtown Brooklyn Transportation Blueprint is available on the NYCDOT website.

Meeting location: Brooklyn Borough Hall, Borough President's Community Room

D+ for G Train

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One of the LAST train lines to be evaluated by the MTA (shocking, I know), the results are in. The G train received a stellar D+: picture-3.png

For some reason, I thought the G train extension would take a few years, but according to Second Avenue Sagas, it's actually scheduled for next year (!!). Hopefully this means improvements.

(Thanks to SAS also for this graphic!)

This Just In: Transportation Meeting!

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This looks like it could be great. I know that Hakeem Jeffries held a meeting regarding some electric meter problems in the CH Co-ops, and those who went were impressed. Town Hall Community Speak Out

Sponsored by State Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries

Mass Transportation – problems and more problems

Need more rush hour service??

*Problems with the A,C,G lines??

*Buses got you down??

*Congestion pricing??

*Residential Permit Parking??

Featuring speakers from MTA & DOT

Wednesday, October 17, 2007, 6:30 pm

Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church (corner Lafayette Ave/So. Oxford St.)

718-596-0100 for more information

G Train Blog

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The "Save the G Train" movement now has a blog, and they promise to update it regularly with G-related news and rider polls regarding service. Check it out here, and let's hope we can work towards making improvements. My latest gripe is service around 8pm. Mornings are just fine by me, but if I do something after work, forget it. I feel like every night I find myself waiting...and waiting... and waiting at Hoyt-Schermerhorn.