No F or G Trains this Weekend

They're baaack! Shuttle buses, that is. From 11:30 p.m. Friday to 5:00 a.m. Monday, there will be no F or G train service between the Jay Street/MetroTech and Church Avenue stops. You'll have to hop on the MTA's free buses instead.

F and G Not Suspended This Weekend

Good news ... sort of. Because of expected snowfall, F and G train service will not be interrupted this weekend, according to WNYC.

The MTA planned to suspend service between Jay Street and Church Avenue. But one to three inches of snow are anticipated on Friday and Saturday. So transit officials are postponing the suspension until next weekend.

A Little Good News on the MTA Front

According to The Chief-Leader, the civil employees' weekly (subscription only):

The three union and three rider representatives who had served as non-voting Metropolitan Transportation Authority board members have re-taken their seats after Governor Paterson failed to act on either reappointing or replacing them, triggering new terms under the law.

CoWNA had raised the issue of the missing board members with Assemblywoman Joan Millman and State Senator Dan Squadron.

The Chief-Leader continues:

On March 3, Norman Brown, the legislative director of the New York State Council of Machinists, who had served on the board until last year, sat at the MTA table during a public hearing on budget cuts in Brooklyn. Andrew Albert, chairman of the NYC Transit Riders Council, sat at the board table at a similar hearing in The Bronx the same day.

"This all should have been done last July but it wasn't," Mr. Brown said of the reauthorizing of the bill, which expired Dec. 31. "I don't understand what the Governor would have gained by us not being on the board."

[...]

Gene Russianoff, the attorney for the Straphangers Campaign, said upon hearing the news last week, "Short response: Hallelujah."

Update on Bus Cuts

The Brooklyn Paper is reporting that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, at the public hearing on Wednesday that we told you about, released a revised list of proposed service cuts. Unfortunately, the news is still worrying-to-bad for residents of the Columbia Waterfront District. The MTA still plans to eliminate the B71 bus and restructure the B61.

The Wednesday hearing was one of eight held last week in the five boroughs and Westchester and Nassau counties. The NY Daily News is reporting that seven of the 16 members of the MTA board didn't bother showing up to most of the hearings, and only three members attended them all. Pair this with the recent purge of of rider and worker representatives from the board, and we've got a situation on our hands.

Gonna Be a Busy Wednesday

This Wednesday -- March 3rd -- the Metropolitan Transportation Authority is having a public hearing about proposed service cuts and getting rid of discount student MetroCards. When? Starting 6:00 p.m. Where? The Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Parkway. (Click on the link for directions.)

On the same day, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio is hosting a Town Hall Meeting for public school parents, students and educators. The goal? To figure out how to increase parental engagement in NYC's public education system. If you're interested in this meeting, rather than the MTA hearing, come to the Brooklyn Borough Hall Courtroom at 209 Joralemon St.

Even More Good News! The G Train is Running

The MTA changed its mind -- again -- and called off service disruptions to the G train this weekend, according to the Brooklyn Paper. So that's it, folks. Both of our local trains are running this weekend.

Save Our Buses -- Stop the Cuts

At the urging of the Public Services Committee, CoWNA recently wrote to Councilmember Brad Lander, Assemblywoman Joan Millman and State Senator Daniel Squadron and asked three questions.

Question 1:

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority proposes to eliminate the B71 bus. This is one of only two buses that serve our community, and its loss would be significant. CoWNA thanks you for opposing this proposal. We ask what step you are taking to save the B71.

Question 2:

MTA also proposes to restructured the B61 route. CoWNA worries that this will undermine the service gains from the January 2010 restructuring of the route. We ask what steps you are taking to ensure that any future restructuring does not lead to the return of chronic delays.

Question 3 (for Millman and Squadron only, not Lander):

The State Senate and Assembly let six rider and worker representatives be eliminated from the MTA board. CoWNA believes that with service reductions and layoffs on the table, rider and worker voices need to be heard. We ask what you are doing to return these six representatives to their positions before the board takes action on service cuts and layoffs.

We'll let you know their answers when we receive them.

Crain's: Brooklyn braces for loss of bus lines

Great article on the possible elimination of the B71 and B75 buses from -- of all places -- Crain's New York Business:

Brooklyn Braces for Loss of Bus Lines

MTA cash crunch comes home to roost in Carroll Gardens

By Amanda Fung

For Phyllis Straka, there's just nothing like the bus for getting around in Brooklyn.

"I'm a senior citizen on a pension, so a car services is too expensive," says Ms. Straka. As for the F train stop on Smith and Ninth streets, it's too far for her to get to on foot.

Beginning this summer, she and her Carroll Gardenes neighbors may have no other choice. As part of a desperate attempt to save cash, the Metropolitan Transporation Authority has put two popular area bus lines, the B71 and the B75, on the chopping block.

"These buses are the lifeblood of the neighborhood," says City Councilman Brad Lander. "Carroll Gardens has a lot of seniors, and those seniors can't ride the subway. These buses are absolutely essential for families."

Read more.

But here's a key part:

MTA officials point out that they have proposed an alternative service for each line, which involves extending the B61 and the B77 to replace the B75 on Ninth Street and Prospect Park West, and having riders use the B65 instead of the B71.

But the latter bus isn't really all that easy to replace. It is the only east-to-west connector from Carroll Gardens to Cobble Hill and Park Slope, according to Craig Hammerman, district manager of Community Board 6, which represents the neighborhoods, who adds that there is no subway alternative.