'Save The B48': BK Electeds, Riders Decry 'Unacceptable' Bus Reroute

BED STUY, NY — A proposed redesign of a Brooklyn bus route would create a large transit desert in central Brooklyn, leaving riders in western Bed-Stuy and Crown Heights without public means to travel around the borough, frustrated lawmakers and riders told the MTA this week.

Thirteen electeds raised concerns about the "unacceptable" changes to the B48 bus line — which would no longer connect western Crown Heights to Greenpoint or run overnight — in a letter sent to transit officials Monday.

"We have significant concerns about these plans removing a vital connection between Western Crown Heights and Greenpoint without any adequate transit replacement," officials wrote in the letter, published by amNY.

Signatories include Brooklyn Assembly members Brian Cunningham and Phara Souffrant Forrest as well as City Council members Crystal Hudson and Lincoln Restler.

The plans, released late in 2022, would discontinue B48 service from the Meeker Street and Stewart Avenue stop in Greenpoint to Wallabout Street and Wythe Avenue in South Williamsburg.

Instead, the B48 would swing left, running along Flushing Avenue to end at the York Street F train station in DUMBO.

The MTA explained this addition would "provide a new connection from central Brooklyn east of Prospect Park to the Brooklyn Navy Yard, increasing north-south service to that employment center."

They note the B69, which runs through Park Slope, will travel the South Williamsburg-Greenpoint route.

But critics note that bus doesn't go through Crown Heights or Bed Stuy, only runs every 30 minutes and has no overnight service.

This, the electeds warned, leaves "constituents with fewer transit options for work or recreation in the late night and early morning," according to the letter.

The proposal also pushes the B43 bus farther east to run along Albany Avenue and Marcus Garvey Boulevard, leaving west Crown Heights without a direct connection to Greenpoint and Williamsburg.

Riders also noted the B69 route was redundant with the G line, leaving an unserved gap in intra-borough travel.

The plans have yet to be approved and the MTA plans to collect community feedback at a number of input meetings in April and May throughout Brooklyn.

"Listening to the voices of Brooklyn bus riders will be an integral part of the Brooklyn Bus Redesign” an MTA spokesperson told Patch.

"The MTA is in the early stages of modernizing the borough’s bus network for more reliable, frequent service with better connections, and we invite everyone to participate in that process."

Representatives will be at the following locations for feedback on the redesign:

• Wednesday, April 19 at the Coney Island-Stillwell Av subway and bus terminal from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Thursday, April 20 in Sunset Park at the corner of 5 Av and 44 St from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Thursday, April 27 at the Canarsie-Rockaway Pkwy subway and bus terminal from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Thursday, May 4 in Columbus Park at Borough Hall station from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Thursday, May 11 at the Broadway Junction station from 3 p.m.-7 p.m.
• Monday, April 17: 1-3 p.m. at the Red Hook Initiative/Red Hook Houses
• Tuesday, April 18: 3-6 p.m. at the Sheepshead Bay subway station
• Tuesday, April 25: 3-6 p.m. at the Flatbush Avenue subway station
• Wednesday, April 26: 3-6 p.m. at the Church Avenue subway station
• Tuesday, May 9: 7:30-10:30 a.m. at the Myrtle Ave-Wyckoff Ave subway station complex
• Wednesday, May 10: 3-6PM at the Classon Avenue subway station

Before lawmakers sent their letter, about 1,100 riders signed a Change.org petition pledging to push back against the proposed changes to their beloved bus route.

"These proposals leave the communities along Classon and Franklin Aves even farther away from a direct route to Williamsburg and Greenpoint," riders wrote.

"We hope that the MTA will recognize these community concerns about our beloved B48 before it publishes a final draft."