
With the L train shutting down in April the Department of Transportation earlier this year promised to add more Citi Bikes to neighborhoods affected in order to help with commuting issue. However, it was recently announced that there will be only five temporary dock stations opening in Bushwick.
Although commuters will find different ways to travel into Manhattan, five docks still seems small considering the overall volume of people commuting—which the MTA and DOT expect to be about 275,000 riders a day. According to Streetsblog, at the Brooklyn Community Board 4 meeting the Transportation Alternatives senior organizer Erwin Figueroa said: “Everyone was surprised by the low number. There’s another half of the community that’s not receiving this at all. These are areas that are poorer and have less access to transportation options.”
The temporary dock additions will be up for the entire 15-month shutdown. For the full L-train mitigation plan check out the PDF presented at this week’s Brooklyn Community Board 4 meeting.
In addition to increasing the number of bikes, the DOT plans to divert the displaced L-train riders to other train lines with increased services on the A,E,F,G,J/Z and M lines during rush hour, ferry access, and free shuttle buses along certain train routes. The DOT expects a “dramatic increase” in cyclers using the Williamsburg Bridge from the current amount of over 7,500 per day.
featured image source: photo modified: flickr/ Phil Roeder/CC by 2.0