Readers: The MTA is on to something
COURIER LIFE, AUG. 23-29, 2019 49
Transit officials will ax stops
and run longer buses along
the B38 through Brooklyn and
Queens in an effort to streamline
service along the cross-borough
route beginning Sept. 2.
The transit agency plans
to remove four stops along the
Brooklyn portion of the route —
which includes Bushwick, Bedford
Stuyvesant, Clinton Hill,
Fort Greene, and Downtown
— in addition to five stops in
Queens starting Labor Day, according
to a notice the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority
sent out to Community Board
2 on Aug. 13.
On the bright side, the route
will benefit from longer, 60-foot
busses capable of traveling at
higher speeds and holding an
additional 20 passengers each.
To accommodate the bigger
busses, the MTA will lengthen
13 stops in Brooklyn, which
will not block driveways, bike
lanes, or intersections, according
to Transit Authority spokeswoman
Amanda Kwan, who directed
questions regarding loss
of parking to the city’s Department
of Transportation.
Readers shared their thoughts
online:
It’s a blessing and a curse: We
get 62 foot articulated buses. However,
because of higher fare evasion,
which leads to lesser fare
revenue, expect a major cut of this
bus route. Not only the MTA is responsible
for bad service, but some
of us are blamed for not paying our
own fare. That’s the consequences
we get. Catch-22 anyone?
The Hunkster
from Bed-Stuy
We could do a better crackdown
on fare evaders to keep bus lines
like this from having their normal
stops, but then certain advocacy
groups will be crying foul to
this, though I won’t be surprised
if some of them are part of their
group(s).
Tal Barzilai
from Pleasantville, NY
It’s hard for them to run the
buses with all these out of control
bicycles on the road.
Tooney from Staten Island
I live along the 38 bus route on
Lafayette Avenue. While I occasionally
use it, I prefer the subway.
But as a Lafayette Ave resident, I
can say that I’ve long felt there
were simply too many 38’s running,
both Express and Local. And
even the stop nearest me, S Portland,
is two blocks from the previous
stop and four from the next. It
seems like overkill, and noisy to
boot, though I’m sure if I used the
line more frequently I’d be grateful.
Reed Woodhouse
from Fort Greene
We could do better cracking
down on motorists parking and
driving in the bus lane, but the
overweight car zealots will cry
foul. They f lout the laws, then cry
when ticketed.
Henry Ford
from Bay Ridge
Pay your Fare and you will get
better service.
Robert Berrios
from Red Hook
Enforcing bus fares is racist
Joe from Greenpoint
Joe, there is nothing racist
about having everyone who rides
the buses and even the subways in
that matter paying the fare.
BTW, there have been people of
many races and even classes that
have been caught trying to evade
them, which doesn’t make it racist
nor a class warfare, plus they
should be able to afford the fares
if they can afford what they are
wearing. If everyone really did
pay for it whenever they used it,
then the MTA won’t see a reason to
constantly raise fares to just cover
for what some aren’t paying for or
even cut service for that matter. I
feel that the real catch-22 here is
that many want the best transportation,
but they always feel somebody
other than them should be
footing the bill.
Tal Barzilai
from Pleasantville, NY
Tal Bazarlai - you never ride the
bus, and it shows. Your comment
is filled with willfull ignorance
of our reality on the bus - what we
deal with on a daily basis.
Lucy from Bensonhurst
Lucy, there have been times I
actually did ride the city buses, so
I do know what it likes. However, I
feel that you probably don’t drive
on a regular basis, which might
show how little you know what
it’s like for me and why I oppose
something like congestion pricing
or other higher fees. The truth
is that fare evasion needs to be
stopped. Whenever there are those
who sneak on the buses and subways,
it hurts those that are paying,
because it forces them to pay
even more just to make up for what
they weren’t paying for. Overall,
they are part of the reason for the
hikes. Other reasons why the MTA
is thinking about cutting some
stops is because some of those
stops have hardly any ridership,
so they don’t see a reason to stop
there regularly. That was pretty
much the reason why the LIRR has
fewer stops and lines than it used
to have, because having those
empty stops would be a major net
money loser for them.
Tal Barzilai
from Pleasantville, NY
Dognappers bite!
Two thieves stole a woman’s
elderly dog from outside a Williamsburg
grocery store Monday
evening.
The pup poachers abducted
Theo, an 11-year-old border-terrier
mix, while he was waiting
for his master outside the Green
Corner Fish and Farmers Market
on Flushing Avenue around
8:15 p.m. on Aug. 19, his owner
said.
“It was heartbreaking. This
is my childhood dog and I’ve had
him forever,” said Bre Kelly.
The 21-year-old student
brought Theo for a three-block
stroll from her Bedford-Stuyvesant
apartment to the market at
the corner of Humboldt Street
and tied him up outside — she
returned 15 minutes later to
find he’d vanished, with only his
leash left behind.
Owners at the store gave Kelly
access to their security feed,
which shows one man roughly
handling the dog — dragging the
25-pound canine by the collar,
before grabbing him — while an
accomplice keeps a lookout.
Readers weren’t happy online:
Have a heart and return the dog
to the owner. There’s too much bad
in the world and make a family
happy again.
Rockie from New York
Never leave your pet unattended
in public.
Jim
Remember that anything and
everything you do in this life
whether good or bad is being
watched closely by Almighty God.
So you will get what you give.So its
best to do what is correct and return
the dog to a animal clinic or
shelter and by doing so GOD can
forgive you.Now if you don’t, then
be prepared to see his fury and
punishment towards you cause he
is giving you a chance to do what’s
right before he unleashes it on
you.Don’t play with GOD.
Miran from Flushing ny
My biggest fear is they will use
the dog as a bait dog. This is why if
I am with my dog, I would never go
in a store where I can’t bring him
in. Hopefully they identify those
dog snatchers but I hope it isn’t too
late for little guy.
Sel Sam
from Bronx
So many people constantly leaving
their dogs outside of stores,
this time for 15 minutes? We are in
NYC not Kansas. Dogs get stolen
all the time, often for awful reasons
and not so they can become
a pet. STOP leaving your dogs tied
up outside!
Rosa from Bushwick
This poor pup was snatched
to be used as bait for fighting pit
bulls and died a horrible death.
Do not leave your dogs unattended
in NYC, you are not in Ohio anymore.
Local from Here
Prayers prayers for @ safe return
home.pls update us on your
furry baby. I live in Williamsburg
keep my eyes open god bless.
Yvette Rodriguez
from Williamsburg
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