Victory is theirs.
At the packed-to-capacity Wednesday, July 24 meeting, MTA board members voted unanimously to give the green light to restore service on the B37, B70 and B8 routes, beginning in June, 2014.
B37 service will be fully restored along Third Avenue, but only between Bay Ridge and the Barclays Center from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. B70 service will be restored to Seventh Avenue and B8 service will be restored to 95th Street.
All of these routes were either cut or truncated during the June, 2010 cuts.
Residents from Southwest Brooklyn made the trek to the board meeting to testify about the much-needed B37.
“We spent three years collecting petitions,” said Violeta Maya, co-founder of the Restore the B37 Bus Coalition. “The lack of B37 service has deeply impacted the community.”
Murad Awawdeh, a representative of UPROSE, concurred.
“The B37 is a lifeline for those who need it most: seniors in the community, the disabled and young people,” he said.
Kevin Peter Carroll, representing Councilmember Stephen Levin, said that he takes the R train from his home in Bay Ridge to his office downtown, but not everyone has that option.
“There are a lot of people who can’t take the R,” he contended. “It’s a vital lifeline to our downtown and to hospital systems.”
