AM Millman Pushes For Bus Route Through Battery Tunnel
In anticipation of the commuter nightmare that’s going to be caused by the closure of the Smith-9th Station, Assembly Member Joan Millman is lobbying the MTA for a new bus route to Manhattan. Following a recent community board meeting where the MTA said it would consider establishing a line through the Battery Tunnel to Lower…
In anticipation of the commuter nightmare that’s going to be caused by the closure of the Smith-9th Station, Assembly Member Joan Millman is lobbying the MTA for a new bus route to Manhattan. Following a recent community board meeting where the MTA said it would consider establishing a line through the Battery Tunnel to Lower Manhattan once the station revamp began in 2010, Millman sent a letter (copy on jump) to the transit authority urging it to start up the bus line immediately. “We want them to start the service now, so we can see if it works,” says Paul Nelson, Millman’s chief of staff. “Why wait until the station closes down to see if there’s demand for the route?” Nelson said they want the service to be local, rather than express (which would cost $5 a pop), which doesn’t rule out the possibility of limited stops. Millman’s office isn’t pushing for specific stops aside from one at Smith-9th, though the line could conceivably serve Park Slope, Carroll Gardens and Red Hook. Seems like a no-duh idea to us; how’s it rest with commuters who rely on Smith-9th?
Man on the Street: Ready for Smith-9th to Close? [Brownstoner]
Photo by phrenologist.
Great idea would work well. Go Red HOOK i love that area
There are Brownstoner readers who use Smith & 9th Street?
echoing Zach– why the hell didn’t anyone jump on this years ago?? Best public transportation idea i’ve heard of in ages. If this happened, I’d seriously consider moving to Red Hook.
Man, I’ve been wondering why there wasn’t a bus like this since forever. Awesome.
Red Hook’s 197A plan from more 10 years ago identified such a service but it was deemed an agent of gentrification by the industrial preservationists and the community’s plethora social welfare providers (aka the poverty pimps). Direct service from RH to lower Manhattan would be a godsend equally helping the neighborhood’s divergent population. Yeah Joanie!!!
As a slave to the B61, I’m all for another option.
Actually, an additional MTA route for Red Hook to Manhattan trips IS a good idea. Yeesh, naysayers and yawners, millions of people ride the buses in this city. In some neighborhoods, that is the only option.
why should it serve park slope?
that would be out of the way
it should be dedicated to red hook as a quick, simple route to downtown..that hood is the most isolated from public transportation
Not much to report on today the??