Parking Spaces Restored in B82 Bus Plan, Brooklyn Pol Says

New York City streets are becoming more and more crowded by the day with cars, buses, vans and ride-sharing services like Uber all jockeying for space on the roadway.

But drivers in the Bensonhurst-Gravesend area will be getting a break, according to a Brooklyn lawmaker, who said transportation officials are re-configuring a plan that would have eliminated nearly 200 parking spaces on Kings Highway.

Assemblymember William Colton, a Democrat representing Gravesend and parts of Bensonhurst, said the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is responding positively to residents’ concerns over plans to change the B82 Select Bus Service and is adjusting the plans.

The MTA originally sought to have the city install bus-only lanes along several blocks of Kings Highway between Bay Parkway and Ocean Avenue. But the number of blocks that will contain bus-only lanes has been significantly reduced, according to Colton.

In addition, the original B82 plan would have eliminated 169 on-street parking spaces on Kings Highway. The revised plan still eliminates parking spaces, but fewer than 100, Colton said.

A proposal to ban left-hand turns on Kings Highway at West Seventh Street and West Eighth Street is being put on hold for additional study.

New parking meters will be installed on Kings Highway between West 12th and West 13th streets.

The new B82 plan will go into effect on Oct. 1, Colton said.

The B82 runs between Coney Island and Spring Creek Towers. The bus operates on Bay Parkway and on Kings Highway for a large portion of the route.

After residents revolted against the original Select Bus Service plan for the B82 earlier this year, Colton started a petition drive to convince the MTA to take a second look at the project.

Colton said he was pleased with the revised plan.

“I thank the elected officials, the community and their leaders for coming together and speaking up, I look forward to continue working together on numerous issues,” Colton said in a statement.

Under Select Bus Service, buses are used to connect neighborhoods to subway stations and major destinations, according to a description of the program on the MTA’s website.

SBS features an off-bus fare payment systems, the installation of lanes dedicated to buses, which would take away parking spaces, traffic signal coordination and longer distances between stops.

The MTA did not return messages from this newspaper.