opinion-editorial
Transit equity starts in the Bronx
BY AMANDA FARIAS
In New York City, the politics of
transportation access are painfully
clear. The outer boroughs are not being
prioritized for effective and accessible
transportation options while
Manhattan has numerous train lines
that can take you almost anywhere
you need to go. New York City’s Manhattan
centric transit system is centuries
old, and for the sake of the majority
of our population and our local
economies, we cannot continue to
build transit systems in this way.
This year, two new transit lines
have been proposed to connect and
create more access between the outer
boroughs — the Penn Access and the
Interborough Express. The governor’s
leadership in prioritizing the modernization
of our transit system is revolutionary.
The historic initiative of both
projects marks a new beginning for
cross-borough transportation. Penn
Access creates a new opportunity for
almost 250,000 residents to cut their
commute in half and the Interborough
Express will be able to service more
than 900,000 riders between Brooklyn
and Queens. These new lines were conceived
to deliver transit options to the
outer boroughs, yet the Bronx is excluded
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from the Interborough Express.
While both lines are creating entirely
new trains that all boroughs will
benefi t greatly from, I want to point
out that both of those projects (Interborough
Express and Penn Access)
haven’t actually answered the main
issue Bronxites have — which is commuting
east to west effi ciently. Gaining
more transit access is not the only
issue we need resolved. The neighborhoods
in my district and throughout
the borough need urgent solutions to
the decades of non-existent transit infrastructure
in the Bronx. While both
initiatives do bring public transportation
to areas long underserved, I need
to reemphasize the true needs of our
community. As someone born and
raised in my own district, I feel these
struggles fi rst hand.
The heart of the problem is Bronxites
can move north and south and
straight to Manhattan, but they cannot
move across the Bronx and throughout
the outer boroughs with ease. For
example, to get from Highbridge to
Soundview via public transit you have
to take at least two different trains
and a bus for almost an hour — on a
good day — just to get to a neighborhood
that is only three miles away. In
comparison, to travel three miles from
City Hall to the Empire State Building
only takes around 18 minutes.
Effective transportation options
can change lives by giving back more
time to working families to be home
instead of on several different crowded
trains, buses, or cars. Adequate transit
options reduce commuting times
and improve everyone’s day-to-day
lives. If we are going to build these historic
new trains, then let’s build new
trains that do new things to prioritize
Bronxites’ quality of life.
Though the vital work this administration
has started through the Penn
Station Access Project is extraordinary,
the Bronx’s transit access problems
do not end with a faster travel
time to Penn Station. Expanding the
Interborough Express into the Bronx
would be transformative for our residents,
many of whom live in some of
the most transit-starved neighborhoods
in the city.
Below are simple recommendations
for Gov. Hochul and the MTA,
on how the existing Interborough Express
plan could deliver exactly what
the outer-borough communities have
been needing for decades.
There are several suggested proposals
to increase transit access in the
Bronx that I believe should be priorities.
The Regional Plan Association’s
Triboro Line – the foundation of the
Interborough Express – adds an additional
eight stops with two in Queens
and six in the Bronx. While the Triboro
Line has only been two-thirds approved,
I would urge Gov. Hochul and
the MTA to strongly consider adding
an additional 1-2 stops.
The fi rst priority of stops to add to
the Interborough Express from the Triboro
Line is one at 149th Street and 3rd
Avenue. By having just this one stop in
the Bronx that connects to Brooklyn
and Queens, we could be growing and
investing in our outer-borough economies.
Currently, the walk from 149th
Street to Yankee Stadium takes about
30 minutes or requires multiple transfers
that add additional costs. If we extended
the Interborough Express just
one more stop past 149th Street and 3rd
Avenue straight to Yankee Stadium we
could alleviate both time and cost to
riders, and bring them closer to everyone’s
favorite baseball team.
As the Interborough Express is currently
outlined there is no inclusion of
the Bronx, Randall’s Island or Northern
Queens stops that are pointed out
in the Triboro Line. Keeping budget
and construction in mind, if we could
only choose one stop out of the extensive
line the Triboro offers I would go
straight to 149th Street from Jackson
Heights, which is the last stop on the
proposed Interborough Express.
As we prepare for the building of
these new trains we must look at ways
to be more inclusive of our neighbors,
not only in the sense of transit accessibility,
but also accessibility for those
with disabilities. It is more important
than ever to make sure we are building
infrastructure that everyone can
use, like ensuring 100% ADA and audio
visual compliance. I am so excited
for what the Bronx can gain from these
two new transit plans in the upcoming
years. I would like to thank the governor
for her leadership in prioritizing
the historic and necessary transformation
of our city’s transit system.
Let’s work together to do more for
the Bronx.
Amanda Farías is member of the
New York City Council representing
District 18 in the Bronx.
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A DIVISION OF
“The heart of the problem is Bronxites can move north and south and straight to Manhattan,
but they cannot move across the Bronx and throughout the outer boroughs with ease,”
says City Councilwoman Amanda Farías. Photo | Adrian Childress
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