THE ASSEMBLY STATE OF NEW YORK ALBANY

STEVEN H. CYMBROWITZ Assemblyman 45th District Kings County

CHAIRMAN Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Committee COMMITTEES Codes Environmental Conservation Health Insurance Steering

June 29, 2012 Hon. Joseph J. Lhota, Chairman / CEO Metropolitan Transportation Authority 357 Madison Avenue New York, NY 10001 Dear Chairman Lhota, I have been and remain a strong advocate for mass transportation. Over 90 percent of my constituents regularly rely on our subways and buses. This is why I teamed up with Transportation Alternatives and Sheepshead Bites to sponsor a Mass Transportation Town Hall on May 17th. I am writing to inform you of the concerns that were raised at this meeting, by the over 70 Sheepshead Bay residents who attended, and to request that these issues be expeditiously addressed. Restoration of weekend and off-peak service on the B4 bus in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn was the major issue. While I understand the MTAs financial situation, thousands of residents are stranded without any viable transit option because of the lack of off-peak and weekend B4 service. The B4 is the only public transit link to the rest of the city. We heard from a Brooklyn Amity School faculty member who expressed concern about students who are often stranded after class because the B4, the only bus near the school, runs so infrequently or not at all. A large number of residents who send their children to Catholic high schools in Bay Ridge and Dyker Heights complained that they currently have no way of getting their children to and from school on public transit. Representatives from area senior centers and facilities, including the Sheepshead Bay Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, support reinstatement of B4 service because its the only affordable option for seniors on fixed incomes to access these facilities. Lack of fulltime B4 bus service not only hurts transit riders; it weakens local businesses and lowers property values. A board member of a Plumb Beach Co-Op related that many residents sold their units after the B4 was cut, and that sales in the building have fallen off as prospective tenants are put off by the lack of transit options.

ALBANY OFFICE: Room 627, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248, (518) 455-5214, FAX (518) 455-5738 DISTRICT OFFICE: 1800 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn, New York, 11235, (718) 743-4078, FAX (718) 368-4391 E-MAIL: cymbros@assembly.state.ny.us WEBSITE: www.assembly.state.ny.us

Hon. Joseph J. Lhota June 29, 2012 Page 2 Town hall participants also highlighted the need for more frequent subway and bus service and improved communication of bus schedules to the public, as issues that need to be addressed. With traffic congestion worsening, it is vital that we work to improve our mass transit system to provide current riders with the service they deserve and also entice motorists out of their vehicles and onto mass transit. Attached is a petition signed by community members urging the restoration of B4 bus service to a 24/7 bus line. I am requesting that the MTA do what is required to restore this essential bus route as well as what is necessary to address the other concerns raised at the Town Hall. I appreciate your concern for the mass transit needs of the residents of our community and look forward to working with the MTA to provide a long term sustainable solution for public transit. Thank you. Sincerely, Steven H. Cymbrowitz Member of Assembly

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ALBANY OFFICE: Room 627, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York 12248, (518) 455-5214, FAX (518) 455-5738 DISTRICT OFFICE: 1800 Sheepshead Bay Road, Brooklyn, New York, 11235, (718) 743-4078, FAX (718) 368-4391 E-MAIL: cymbros@assembly.state.ny.us WEBSITE: www.assembly.state.ny.us