Special Reports

The Regional Plan Association has released a new plan to beef up bus and train service for L train riders who'll need robust transit once the western part of the line shuts down for Sandy-related repairs.

A capacity crowd of around 80 people gathered at a community center in Chelsea last night to brainstorm the future of 14th Street.

Volunteers from Transportation Alternatives rallied on the Brooklyn side of the Williamsburg Bridge last night to call on the city to prioritize Grand Street for buses, bicycling, and walking when the MTA shuts down the western portion of the L train for 18 months to make Sandy-related repairs.

As the city and MTA consider how to move thousands of L train passengers across Manhattan when the subway line shuts down for Sandy-related repairs, momentum is growing for a 14th Street "PeopleWay" free of private motor vehicles. But with 10,000 passengers during the peak hour in the peak direction, prohibiting cars alone won't prevent 14th Street from becoming a bus parking lot, according to Annie Weinstock and Walter Hook at BRT Planning International.

The 18-month shutdown of the L train between North Brooklyn and Eighth Avenue may be three years away, but officials still have to move quickly to help hundreds of thousands of L passengers get where they need to go. So far, city officials and the MTA have yet to provide much in the way of specifics.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer wants to prioritize buses, bikes, and pedestrians on Manhattan's 14th Street when the L train shuts down for 18 months beginning in January 2019. Brewer signed onto Transportation Alternatives' "PeopleWay" campaign yesterday after meeting with campaign organizers.

The primary benefits of the Move NY toll reform plan are reducing congestion and funding transit -- but don't overlook the huge potential to improve street safety.

The impending L Train shutdown should be a blessing in disguise -- the impact of losing service west of Bedford Avenue for 18 months is so great, there's no good option that doesn't involve carving out lots of street space for buses, biking, and safer walking. Major redesigns of 14th Street, the Williamsburg Bridge, and the streets connecting to the bridge are called for.