Marine Parkway Shuttle Bus Leaves Cyclists At The Curb

In November 1999, the MTA Bridges and Tunnels agreed to hire a contractor to provide a shuttle service for cyclists during the reconstruction of the Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge from November 1999 to April 2001. Unfortunately, the small shuttle buses carry only four bicycles and seat 16 people. Because of this low bike capacity, the buses often refuse riders with bicycles and cross the bridge less then half full. Capacity for 15 bicycles could easily be added by attaching trailers to the buses, or removing seats and creating on board bicycle storage. Yet another option would be to replace the current buses with larger buses and allow cyclists to board with bicycles.

Not only are the buses crowded but they don't stick to their schedule. Cyclists regularly wait over half an hour for a bus. If there are more than four cyclists, the wait is even longer. This atrocious service is unacceptable. MTA Bridges and Tunnels must closely monitor the schedule of the buses and make certain that the buses run according to schedule - every fifteen minutes.

With the beautiful beaches beckoning large groups of cyclists, additional bike-carrying capacity and reliability is a must.

Write to MTA Bridges and Tunnels President Michael Ascher, and ask for bigger buses and more frequent service on the Marine Parkway Bridge.

Michael Ascher
President, MTA Bridges and Tunnels
The Robert Moses Building
Randall's Island
New York, NY 10035
fax: 212-860-1596

Read the latest news on this subject.