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Attention B61 riders and IKEA shoppers, Curbed reports that the bus line may be splitting up in the future. They say the line "will be split into two routes in an effort to improve service. One line run from Red Hook to Downtown Brooklyn, and the other from Downtown Brooklyn to LIC (dubbed the B62). The change would reportedly go into effect in January 2010 if it gets approved by the MTA." We spoke to Paul Fleuranges at NYC Transit and he confirmed the news, saying, "We have in fact had discussions with the community on rationalizing this route in the hopes of providing more consistent and efficient service for our customers while maintaining a high degree of operational reliability." Just like what parents say before you suddenly get two Christmases.
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Nooo!!! I'd much rather wait longer on one end and eventually get to my destination than have to get off and wait for a SECOND bus! Arggh.
Maybe it's sad that I pay attention to what's posted on Gothamist than the staff does, but this was already in yesterday's "Extra, Extra."
On the other hand, certainly important enough for a re-post: a bus route might be changed in six months!
I don't think that was a mistake on Gothamist's behave. They've done this before whenever they feel the story warrants more attention. (As you mention as well.)
As far as the bus splitting up? It COULD be a good thing, maybe not for those wanting to get ALL the way to Ikea from say Greenpoint, but it may be a good thing overall. Maybe?
Despite the extension of the "G", the B61 is one of the few methods of travel from the Red Hook end of Brooklyn to Williamsburg which doesn't require a trip through Manhattan.
What would be the benefit to the rider of having to change at Jay Street?
Rationalization indeed.
I'd guess the benefit would be that two shorter lines have less occurrences of bunching and delays, because an incident at one end doesn't affect service on the other. And it's likely that the number of riders who make a trip in either direction passing Jay Street is small compared to the total ridership on the current line, so inconveniencing them a bit is looked at as worth it overall.
My expectation would be no major changes in the number of buses in total, or on the scheduled times between buses throughout the route. Just that each individual bus only travels half the distance and makes have as manny stops as they do currently should make it more likely for them to stay on schedule.
Definitely a very interesting route. I rode it end to end a few weeks ago, from LIC to Ikea, saw lots of Brooklyn that I had never frequented before. I'm sure this will make it more reliable, though.
Rationalization:
1) Nearly everybody that gets on the B61 is going from either Red Hook to the Jay Street or Borough Hall station (or vice versa), or from Greenpoint to the Bedford or Court Square station (or vice versa), or from the Wallabout area to downtown Brooklyn.
2) Because of the ludicrously long route, the B61 constantly bunches up in traffic, so that by the time it gets to Jay Street, three of them come at the same time.
3) Because of the ludicrously long route, posted schedules are for entertainment purposes only.
The simple fact is that 90% of the B61 riders use the bus to get from subway starved areas like Red Hook or Wallabout or Greenpoint to the nearest subway station. Very few go from Greenpoint to Red Hook. So, this helps the many with no other way to get to a subway stop at the expense of the few that want to go across Brooklyn without using the G.
Amen to that! I've been riding the B61 to/from Red Hook and Downtown Brooklyn since 2001. There's nothing more frustrating that waiting at Jay Street for 40 minutes because it's the only public transportation home and then having 3 buses show up. I've taken to riding the IKEA water taxi home just to avoid the rush hour B61 mess. Between the hours of 4pm and 7pm it's faster to walk/sail to Red Hook.
Sorry about the ones that ride the whole route, but you are too few and have more options than the majority. You want to get to IKEA? Take the G to Smith/9th and grab the free shuttle!!!
Coming to Gothamist in 2010: stories about Ikea-encumbered hipsters being mugged while they waited for their B61 connection to pick them up in downtown Brooklyn
I recognized my photo instantly, thanks Jen! I completely agree with what cutlass said and as a daily B61 rider, I see this happen frequently too. I think this change will have a positive impact.