WILLIAMSBURG — The threat of an L train shut down that could last for years has spurred calls improvements to other transportation links.
The loss of the subway line could be mitigated through increased J, Z and M trains, more bus service including a shuttle from the L Lorimer stop to the J and M station at Lorimer, better East Ferry Service, CitiBike expansion and more bike lanes, according to Neighbors Allied for Good Growth, a North Brooklyn non-profit that advocates for environmental and transit issues.
After news of the possible L train disruption broke, members of NAG, began re-circulating a letter they'd sent to local politicians a year ago that outlined ways to bolster infrastructure along the line.
"The L will be facing significant service interruptions over the next several years and our neighborhood’s mobility will be constricted," Alan Minor, an organizer with NAG, warned in January of 2015.
"We must brace ourselves for the severe ramifications of these construction projects."
Minor first sent the letter to State Senators Daniel Squadron and Martin Dilan, State Assemblyman Joseph Lentol, Councilman Antonio Reynoso and Councilman Steven Levin in the wake of a 2014 MTA release warning of the need for "Sandy-related repairs" to the Canarsie Tube that connects Brooklyn and Manhattan.
NAG has been talking with local elected officials since.
But, other than a CitiBike expansion throughout Williamsburg and Greenpoint, little has changed, Minor said.
"It's frustrating," he said. "Not enough transit improvements have come to the neighborhood."
NAG is joining a broader coalition of business owners, community groups and elected officials pushing for information and transit alternatives from the MTA regarding the L train shut down.
A week after Gothamist broke news of a potential L train shut down, the MTA has yet to release an official run down of what straphangers have in store.
"We will be reaching out to the community and local stakeholders," said MTA spokesman Kevin Ortiz, refusing to elaborate further. "[We're] weighing our options right now."
