Community Corner
Will MTA Make Changes to Upcoming F/G Platform Closures for Safety Reasons?
Will MTA Make Changes to Upcoming F/G Platform Closures for Safety Reasons?
F and G at Ft Hamilton Parkway, originally uploaded by amberc.
When service in one direction at two local subway stations is suspended for five months, residents are concerned that the walk home from an alternate station, or waiting on an empty platform to transfer backwards, is incredibly dangerous given the recent string of sexual attacks. Councilmember Brad Lander agrees, and has asked New York City Transit to consider some alternatives to its current plan.
Next month, New York City Transit will begin work on the subway that will require the closure of the southbound platforms at 15th Street-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway. Trains won't stop at those stations in that direction until approximately March 2012.
Riders who use those stations are encouraged to travel ahead to Church Ave and then double back--where you chance waiting on an uncrowded platform. Others may walk longer distances from the 7th Ave or Church Ave stops, which, if you're commuting in the evening in the winter, means dark streets.
Following the recent attacks in the area, these service changes seem unnecessarily dangerous if alternatives are available. Two neighbors, Julia Landau and Lydia Brassard, contacted us with these concerns, and we all spoke with Catherine Zinnel, District Director for Councilmember Lander.
You may remember last winter, when Lander presented a petition signed by over 1,200 people and asked the MTA to make some changes when the northbound platforms at those stations were to be closed. Unfortunately after consideration, the MTA said that they wouldn't make any changes because the cost was too high to justify them.
Now Lander has issued another appeal, hoping that safety is a good enough justification.
In his letter, Lander asks Thomas Prendergast, president of New York City Transit, to consider some options that could increase safety:
-- a slight delay in this phase of the project, until the police make arrests that restore safety in our community, or until the spring/summer when it would remain lighter much later into the evening;
-- the MTA/NYCT could provide additional policing/security personnel in and around the stations; and/or
-- reconsideration of our request to extend the B68 bus to the 7th Avenue station, to provide a more convenient service alternative.
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Councilmember Brad Lander's letter to New York City Transit regarding the 15th Street-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway subway service changes:
October 20, 2011
Mr. Thomas Prendergast
President, New York City Transit
Metropolitan Transportation Authority
130 Livingston Street Brooklyn, NY 11201
Dear President Prendergast:
I am writing to request a meeting to discuss the second period of service suspensions on the F/G line in Windsor Terrace and Kensington in Brooklyn. As you may know, over the last six months, there has been an alarming string of sexual assaults in Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Greenwood Heights, and nearby neighborhoods. My office has heard from many residents who are concerned about the service suspension in light of these attacks. I am therefore asking New York City Transit to consider alternatives – either offering service alternatives, or changing the timing of the suspension – in light of these attacks.
When we met in January, I urged you to consider implementation of service alternatives during the first period of suspension, of northbound F/G trains at the 15th Street-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway stations – in particular, the extension of the B68 route from 15th Street to the 7th Avenue station, an alternative supported by a 1,200-person petition. However, the vast majority of commuters at these two stations were left with no alternative other than “backriding” for five months earlier this year.
While that was a significant inconvenience, it was not a safety issue. However, as we approach the planned suspension for southbound service at the 15th Street-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway stations (scheduled for November 2011 to March 2012), there is a very real safety concern. Over the past several months, there have been 20 sexual assaults, ranging from groping to rape, in the area surrounding these stations. Police believe that the assaults have been perpetrated by several suspects who target women exiting the subway and walking to their homes after dark.
Suspension of southbound trains at the 15th Street-Prospect Park and Fort Hamilton Parkway stations poses a risk that the first period of service suspensions did not, as it will affect commuters during the evening rush hour. Many commuters will walk a longer distance, after dark, from either the 7th Avenue or Church Avenue stations to their homes. On the other hand, commuters who “backride” to Church Avenue and wait for a northbound train will likely find themselves on an uncrowded platform. Given the clear pattern of attacks in the nearby neighborhoods, both options put women in a troubling position.
I appreciate that the upcoming service suspensions are part of a necessary and important capital project to rehabilitate the Culver Viaduct. However, in light of the recent string of sexual assaults, I urge New York City Transit to work with our community to develop plans that address not only hardship but also the real safety concerns raised by community residents. These might include:
-- a slight delay in this phase of the project, until the police make arrests that restore safety in our community, or until the spring/summer when it would remain lighter much later into the evening;
-- the MTA/NYCT could provide additional policing/security personnel in and around the stations; and/or
-- reconsideration of our request to extend the B68 bus to the 7th Avenue station, to provide a more convenient service alternative.
I look forward to discussing this important issue at a meeting at your convenience. Should you have any questions, please contact Catherine Zinnel, my District Director, at 718-499-1090. Thank you for your consideration of my request.
Sincerely,
Brad Lander
New York Council Member
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