As the panic continues to grow over the L train shutdown that will wallop New York for 18 months beginning in 2019, more and more folks are coming up with their own solutions and suggestions on how the MTA should mitigate the inconvenient service interruption.
Next up in that long line-up: Annie Weinstock and Walter Hook of BRT Planning International. Weinstock and Hook have created a visual graph that analyzes the impact on trip times for riders traveling along the train’s route from Wilson Avenue all the way to far-off Wall Street (h/t Streets Blog).
According to the report, riders in Brooklyn between stops at Canarsie through Bedford/Nostrand avenues will be most severely impacted, especially since they won’t be able to conveniently connect to other subway lines at Mrytle/Wyckoff and Broadway Junction. Trips that were formerly a single-subway line ride will now be plagued with longer walks and/or multiple transfers. Those commuting into Manhattan’s east side from Brooklyn L train stops will have drastically increased travel times during the shutdown since there are fewer transfer points that connect the neighborhoods besides the L. Trips to Union Square won’t be as adversely affected but will still spark major delays due to higher a volume of commuters traveling through 14th Street. L train riders commuting just within Manhattan will not be hugely impacted by the shutdown.
The report not only highlighted the impacts of the shutdown, but also came up with a few good solutions. First, it urges that the MTA needs to increase J, M, and G train frequency and allow for free transfers at the Lorimer, Manhattan-bound Bergen Street, and Atlantic Terminal stations. It also notes that bus alternatives will not be feasible unless the city takes measures to decongest street traffic. Finally, the reports rails Mayor de Blasio’s plan to rely on ferry service to fill in the void, claiming it will only aid those in Williamsburg and Greenpoint heading into Midtown. This is called the L-pocalypse for a reason, right?