As the MTA prepares for another public meeting on the overhaul of the L line, a new survey finds a clear preference by riders for how they want the repairs to proceed. NY1's Jose Martinez filed the following report.
From one end of the L line in Canarsie to the other on Manhattan's West Side, the choice of riders is clear: fix the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, and fix it fast.
"I would say that if you could do it quicker, the better. Eighteen months," said one commuter.
That's the option that would halt all L service west of Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn for a year and a half to repair corrosion caused by the storm. It's emerged as the preferred choice in a survey by the Riders Alliance.
"Riders' preferences were clear in our survey. 77 percent of the L train riders we surveyed prefer the 18-month full shutdown option," said Nick Sifuentes, deputy director of Riders Alliance.
The other option being considered by the MTA would stretch the repairs over three years to allow for limited service between Brooklyn and Manhattan. The transit agency says that choice would create longer waits for trains and even more crowding on the fastest-growing line in the system.
"We've been calling it in my household the 'Lpocalypse.' It just, everything about it would be horrible," said one commuter.
The advocacy group also surveyed riders on how they want the sta te-run MTA and the city to ease their pain during the lengthy repair job. The survey found suppport for dedicated bus lanes on the Williamsburg Bridge and 14th Street, more bike share stations and additional ferry service.
Riders also want additional service on lines that link Brooklyn and Manhattan, like the A, C, J, M and Z, which all connect to the L.
"If the MTA does its work correctly, it could leave commuters with a host of robust alternatives that will serve them well during the shutdown, and hopefully beyond, too," Sifuentes said.
The transit agency expects to settle on a repair plan within three months. And after public meetings in Williamsburg and in Chelsea, the agency wants to gather more input from riders who'll be affected by the work, which is to start in 2019.
The MTA has scheduled its next public meeting on the L train repairs for Thursday at 6 p.m. at the Beraca Baptist Church, 9602 Flatlands Avenue in Brooklyn.