Strong Support to Restore the B37 to Third Avenue

Brooklyn community and political leaders spoke out loudly and clearly on Saturday, June 15th, calling on the MTA to use some of the Authority's recently revealed surplus to bring back the B37 to Park Slope, Bay Ridge, and Sunset Park. Led by Congresswoman Nydia Velasquez, speakers ticked off a long list of reasons why the B37 -- cut in 2010 -- should be put back in service, pronto. Advocates for the disabled said that 20,000 disabled persons lived on or near the bus route -- and have no other way of accessing mass transit since elevators do not make the R and N trains accessible to Brooklynites in wheelchairs. One disabled advocate noted that the "dollar vans" aren't accessible, either. Bay Ridge State Senator Martin Golden, Sunset Park State Senator Felix Ortiz, Cobble Hill Assemblywoman Joan Millman, two Mayoral Candidates -- Bill Thompson and Sal Albanese -- and three sitting City Councilmembers -- Letitia James, Sara Gonzalez, and Vincent Gentile, were all up in arms about the lack of service, and the devastating effect the loss of the route has had on working people. Local 100 President John Samuelsen summed up the action when he said: "When the union, on its own, tried to restore service, we've failed. When community groups, on their own, tried to restore service, they've failed. But when we all come together, there's nothing that can stop us." The rally was co-coordinated with Local 100 by our community partner in Sunset Park, UPROSE, a member of the  Transit Forward Coalition.