Colton to MTA: Bring B64 to Coney Island

All the development at Coney Island has made top-notch publictransportation in and out of the area essential, and one locallawmaker has an easy idea – bring back the full route of the B64bus.

Assemblymember Bill Colton – who kicked off a petition to theMetropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) last year to restorethe full B64 route which was truncated in June 2010 and nowterminates at Harway Avenue and 25 Avenue, instead of StillwellAvenue –said with the development at Coney Island this summer,having the B64 run all the way there again is a no-brainer.

Those plans will require more people to get there. We believethe city has money available to improve transportation in thatarea, Colton explained. We want to know what monies are availableto reinstate the B64, which is essential to any plan to redevelopthe Coney Island area.

Colton’s petition is now not only getting individual signatures,but also soliciting letters to organizations whose members havebeen affected by the discontinuation of the B64 between 25th Avenueand Coney Island. At Most Precious Blood Senior Center, membershiphas gone down by a third, he said, noting that groups like theBensonhurst West End Community Council (BWECC) are also onboard.

Colton said he is also documenting the impact of the routetruncation, including its effect on seniors, people withdisabilities and children – especially those students attending therecently rezoned P.S. 101 and P.S. 212.

These are all examples of what we are trying to document as wedemand that the MTA rethink their very poor decision, Coltonsaid.

Jacqueline Banker of Bay Ridge said that although she does nottake the bus herself, I feel bad for the people that do. But if itcame back [to Coney Island] I would take it, she said. It’sbetter than taking the train, where you have to transfer. It’s hardfor me to go up and down the stairs.

Ida S. of Bay Ridge takes the B64 to her son’s gymnastics classevery Wednesday. It’s never on time and always late, she said.Of course I want it to go back to Coney Island.

Anthony Gaita of Bensonhurst simply stated, I hope it comesback.

An MTA spokesperson said the organization was unable to commentuntil the petition was officially submitted.