Brooklyn Bus Stop Draws Bigger Crowd Than Thompson Anti-BRT “Rally”

thompson_exits_truck.jpgBill Thompson hops off his campaign truck at the corner of Fulton and Nostrand in Bed Stuy. Also pictured: Council Member Tish James, Comptroller favorite John Liu, and the frontrunner for Public Advocate, Bill de Blasio (facing away from camera).

With extremely low turnout expected for tomorrow’s mayoral election, Bill Thompson and Mike Bloomberg canvassed the city over the weekend trying to drum up some enthusiasm for their candidacies. For Thompson, the itinerary included a stop in Bedford Stuyvesant this Saturday to protest plans for improving bus service along Nostrand Avenue.

Hopping off the campaign truck at the corner of Fulton and Nostrand, Thompson and the entire citywide Democratic ticket joined local council rep Tish James for a quick show of solidarity with Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association president Lindiwe Kamau. Kamau takes issue with bus improvements planned for Nostrand because, she claims, dedicated bus lanes will eliminate curbside parking along the corridor. Here’s the thing: The most recent renderings of Select Bus Service on Nostrand [PDF] depict buses operating in an existing travel lane. The curbside parking lane would still be there.

That didn’t stop Thompson, James, John Liu, and Bill de Blasio from lending their support for a few minutes, standing beside Kamau and repeating stock phrases about "protecting small businesses." The biggest constituency they addressed appeared to be the press. About four reporters were on hand, outnumbering Nostrand Avenue merchants by approximately four-to-one. After a light cycle or two, the pols hopped back on the truck and were driven away.

If the Democratic ticket had walked over to the B44 stop around the corner, they would have found a much larger and more captive audience to address. Their message might not have gone over very well though.

boarding_b44.jpgAround the corner: Waiting to board the B44.

On a typical weekday, more than 40,000 people ride the B44 on the Nostrand corridor. On Saturdays, average ridership is about 29,000. B44 riders can definitely use some relief: They currently depend on the second-most unreliable bus route in the city, according to the Straphangers Campaign. The improvements promised by Select Bus Service — pre-paid boarding, dedicated travel
lanes, signal priority — would speed trips and enable buses to stick
to their schedules.

Around the corner from Saturday’s presser, dozens of people were waiting for the next B44, many carrying shopping bags on a warm fall afternoon. Henrietta David, one of the older women waiting at the stop, told me that she doesn’t bother glancing at the posted schedule to find out when the next bus will arrive; the bus comes when it comes. There was nowhere for her to sit as she waited. After a bus pulled up, it took a good two minutes for everyone to board.

When I had asked Kamau why she opposed plans for BRT on Nostrand, the indignities and inconveniences of riding the bus weren’t foremost in her thoughts, nor were her own customers’ transportation needs. She said merchants already get ticketed for parking their cars on this
stretch of Nostrand during the p.m. rush, when the west side of the
street is a no-standing zone. "We already have problems with parking," she said. "Our merchants get tickets constantly."

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

Feds Green Light Funding for Better Nostrand Avenue Bus Service

|
A potential configuration for the Nostrand Avenue SBS Route. Image: NYCDOT. As Elana reported earlier today, the Obama Administration’s 2011 budget includes $28 million for the Nostrand Avenue Select Bus Service project. The announcement should help build momentum for a high-priority transit project set to launch in 2012. Nostrand Avenue SBS would ply the B44 […]

Select Bus Service Comes to Brooklyn

|
Yesterday was the first day of service for Brooklyn’s first Select Bus Service route, upgrading the B44 Limited with a dedicated bus lane, off-board fare collection, bus bulbs, and fewer stops. It’s the sixth SBS route to enter service, following two in the Bronx, two in Manhattan, and one in Staten Island. In addition to […]

How One Merchant Group Went From Bus Lane Opponent to SBS Supporter

|
When B44 Select Bus Service launched last month, regular Streetsblog readers may have recognized Lindiwe Kamau’s along with the elected officials celebrating Brooklyn’s first SBS route. Kamau, who is president of the Nostrand Avenue Merchants Association, spoke with Mayor Bloomberg at the grand opening and had her photo snapped by the press. Under sunny skies, it was all […]

With Debut of B44 SBS, Major Brooklyn Bus Route Poised to Draw More Riders

|
After years of planning, B44 Select Bus Service launched yesterday on the Nostrand Avenue corridor.  Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, and MTA Chairman and CEO Tom Prendergast marked the occasion this afternoon at a newly-expanded bus stop at Church and Nostrand. The B44, which serves nearly 40,000 riders each weekday along a 9.3-mile route between the […]

City Receives Federal Funding for Full Nostrand Avenue Select Bus Route

|
The first Select Bus Service route in Brooklyn is on track to start speeding bus trips next year, after Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and NYC Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan announced yesterday afternoon that the project has secured a $28 million federal grant. The B44 route on Nostrand, Rogers, and Bedford Avenues, which runs between Sheepshead Bay […]