Brooklyn, New York -- The Restore the B37 Coalition, an extensive grassroots alliance of local residents, workers, businesses, community groups, elected officials, and TWU Local 100 members along the Third Avenue Corridor in Brooklyn gathered to demand that the MTA re-instate the B37. The mass rally represents a milestone in the coalition’s three-year efforts to unite the communities of Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Boerum Hill, Gowanus, Red Hook, Sunset Park, and Bay Ridge in support of restoring the bus line.
Since 2010 the B37 has left a huge gap in transit accessibility for a number of my constituents. Residents of Wyckoff Gardens lost a crucial transportation link to downtown Brooklyn services as well as Lutheran Hospital. New businesses have sprouted up along 3rd Avenue but without a reliable transportation link.
The MTA has said that the R & N trains provide a comparable transportation link. This is not the case for many seniors, disabled individuals and parents with children. All MTA buses are ADA compliant, unlike the subway stations. Without this bus many people are forced to take two or three buses and travel for hours just to reach their destination. The only other option is to pay for an expensive car or taxi service. These substitutes are not acceptable.
It was a short sighted plan to cut the B37 in 2010 and it would be a travesty if the MTA did not restore B37 bus service given the $40 million of additional funding the agency received in this year’s state budget. I demand that the MTA reconsider this service cut. Residents and businesses have suffered for to long.
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