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After meeting with MTA CEO Jay Walder, State Sen. Martin Malavé Dilan got the agency to agree to remove the B13 from the wide slate of cuts and reroutings planned throughout the city. The senator announced the restoration of the service today in a press release. The original plan was to cut off the bus line, which traverses North Brooklyn, Ridgewood, and East New York, north of the Myrtle-Wyckoff L/M subway hub.
One of the main issues for the B13 was its access to Wyckoff Heights hospital at Stanhope Street. The transit authority argued that the L could replace the bus in parts, but, critics note, the DeKalb station is not handicap-accessible.
The MTA said service would be restored only to the hospital from the direction of Queens. “The B13 provides the only ADA-accessible link between the Wyckoff Hospital and the nearest accessible subway station,” pointed out MTA spokesperson Deirdre Parker, referring to Myrtle-Wyckoff. Patients traveling from points north will have to exit there and take the bus back up Wyckoff Avenue to the hospital.
Barbara Aubel, of Wyckoff Heights’ public affairs office, hadn’t heard of the MTA’s recent decision until informed by BushwickBK, and was excited at the news. She said the hospital “is very pleased to hear that the MTA has rescinded its proposal to shorten the B13 bus line,” and thanked Sen. Dilan for his efforts.
Service reduction revisions systemwide will nix $5.9 million in potential savings for the transit authority. The B13 partial restoration will cost $500,000 per year, and serve an estimated extra 350 weekday riders.
Dilan made public his gratitude, while acknowledging the difficulty facing the MTA. “I’m fully aware that there will be cuts in some places, [but] services such as this portion of the B13 that provide access to medical treatment need to be carefully considered,” said the senator.
In other news, the MTA has announced that instead of extending the V into North Brooklyn to replace the M, the M would supplant the V with service through midtown to Forest Hills. The M color designation will be changed to orange.
Hmm March 19th, 2010 at 4:36 pm
And the “V” is dead, they will call the new 71st/Continental to Middle Village line the “M” instead, with orange bullets.
Jimmy Legs March 19th, 2010 at 6:21 pm
wait, so is it still the same plan (“V” extended into brooklyn on the M line)? i won’t care what color or letter they tack on it if they keep this in the plan!
Andrew March 20th, 2010 at 2:55 pm
Hey Jimmy it is the same plan, just that the new train is going to be named the M, not the V. The new M will run from Middle Village, along Myrtle Ave through Bushwick, then when it gets to Essex Street it’ll go north along 6th Avenue (the current V route), and go all the way to Forest Hills. So this is exciting news for us J/M/Z riders. We’ll have a direct train route to midtown (on the M), as well as to lower Manhattan (on the J/Z). Now all they need to do is make the damn train run faster over the Williamsburg Bridge, and it would almost be as good as living off the L train!
Ridgewood Resident March 20th, 2010 at 4:52 pm
If the new more legitimate route means that the people that operate the M will actually have to work and run the train in a professional and efficient manner, then that combined with some frequency increase in service on both the M and J would be a terrific boon for the neighborhood. There is a desperate need to relieve crowding on the overburdened L line and the M and the J are the only alternatives. If the MTA paid as much attention to those lines as they do to the L, everyone would benefit.
Jesse March 20th, 2010 at 9:18 pm
Any word on when this takes effect?
John Dereszewski March 22nd, 2010 at 12:10 am
With regard to the M versus the V plan, a key item to consider is the hours of operation. While the V runs until nearly midnight during the week, I believe the M turns itself into the Broadway to Metropolitan Ave. shuttle at a somewhat earlier hour. (I am not sure when.) Thus, imposition of the V’s hours of operation would expand Bushwick’s transit options while imposition of the M’s will reduce service to Forest Hills. (And, as a Forest Hills resident, I will clearly be affected by this.)
Another thing to consider is the frequency of service. I believe the V operates more frequently than the M, especially during rush hours. If the M’s headway’s prevail, the north of Essex St. portion of the line will also suffer a service reduction.
So, these are issues that require close attention.
supanyc63 March 22nd, 2010 at 10:06 am
Oh, I am so relieved to find out that the B13 bus service won’t be cut. I rely on that bus route very often – although they really need to improve weekday morning service to Graham Ave (where I transfer for the L) because it is almost NEVER on schedule and almost always late! For some reason service is more reliable going the opposite way on weekday evenings.
Jimmy Legs March 24th, 2010 at 4:03 pm
looks like they passed the service restrictions, guess we can look forward to our new orange M train!
FormerRidgewoodite April 7th, 2010 at 7:51 pm
The new M service to Midtown is set to begin on Monday, June 28th.