Council Members Brad Lander, Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon and Councilman Steve Levin
Back in 2010, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (M.T.A.) cut service to several local bus lines and eliminated the B71 bus completely. The B71 ran along Union Street and connected Carroll Gardens to the Park Slope neighborhood and its public institutions like Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Museum, the Children's Museum and the main Brooklyn Public Library at Grand Army Plaza.
The route was popular with older citizens, young families and area school children. To this day, its services are great missed.
In the seven years that have passed, our local politicians have held rallies several times to push the M.T.A. to re-instate the bus route. This morning, Council Members Brad Lander, Steve Levin and Assemblywoman Jo Anne Simon once again gathered with constituents for a "Bring Back The B71 Bus" rally.
This time around, our politicians are pushing for an extended route that would pass through Red Hook and end in Manhattan.
According to a press release, the new B71+ route would:
● Connect seniors, students, families, NYCHA residents, and people with disabilities to schools, stores, and Brooklyn’s cultural institutions: Nine schools, three senior centers, multiple public housing developments, and Brooklyn’s best cultural institutions (Brooklyn Museum, BPL Central Branch, Prospect Park, Brooklyn Botanic Gardens, and the Brooklyn Children’s Museum) would be served by this new route. That means better access and increased mobility for residents of Red Hook, Columbia Waterfront, Carroll Gardens, Cobble Hill, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, and Crown Heights.
● Provide a new connection through Red Hook to Lower Manhattan: Red Hook is not served by any subway stop, and only by two local Brooklyn bus routes. A direct connection between Red Hook and Manhattan would make 90,000 more jobs accessible for Red Hook commuters within a one-hour transit zone. And everyone along the route would gain a convenient new commuting route to Lower Manhattan.
● Serve a growing population: Since the elimination of the B71, population around the route has grown by more than 10% -- much more than the increase for NYC or Brooklyn overall -- but no new transit capacity has been added. The potential rezoning of Gowanus would mean even more demand.
The plan also has the support of Congresswoman Velazquez, Council Member Laurie Cumbo, Council Members Menchaca, and community partners like the Eileen Dugan Senior Center, Gowanus Alliance, TWU Local 100, Transportation Alternatives, the Brooklyn Children’s Museum, the Fifth Avenue Committee, Gowanus Alliance, Park Slope Civic Council, Red Hook Initiative and many.
Why our elected officials think that there may be a chance now to re-instate the bus route after falling on deaf ears with the M.T.A. for the past seven years, is unclear. The main push for this latest effort may have a lot to do with the proposed re-zoning of the Gowanus Corridor. One of the big concerns voiced by the community during New York City Planning Department's Gowanus Neighborhood Planning Study 'listening tour" was that the local subway stations were already overcrowded. Many felt that more residents in Gowanus would make a bad situation worse.
Since this proposed B 71 + route would go all the way to Manhattan, it would certainly accommodate some of the new residents in Gowanus.
Remember that our politicians holding another "Bring Back The B 71 Bus" rally and posing for a photo op is NOT the same as getting the bus back. We need to make sure that they continue to fight for it to make it happen.
To add your name to the petition, please click here.
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