A Bus Stop May Disappear, and Some Old Bones Groan
By
Kelly Crow,
The New
York Times
March 30, 2003
Ever since the Burden Center for the Aging moved its headquarters five
years ago to First Avenue near East 77th Street, the tiny bus stop outside
its front door has served as a transportation hub for its clients and for
patients visiting the upstairs offices of several doctors specializing in
geriatric care.
Dozens of people also line up at the bus stop outside Burden's nearby
senior center at East 74th Street and Second Avenue, especially after the
daily lunch program.
But the Metropolitan Transportation Authority plans to eliminate both
stops, along with 12 others (many on the Upper East Side), from the route
of the M15 bus, which loops up First Avenue and down Second between South
Ferry and East 125th Street. Extra space is needed between stops because
the M.T.A. plans to introduce a fleet of longer, articulated buses to the
route later this year.
Five new stops will be added, but none will be close enough to the
Burden Center, according to its executive director, William J. Dionne. The
nearest stop to the center will now be at First Avenue and 76th Street, a
block and a half away.
"Keeping these two stops is critical for us," Mr. Dionne
said. "I've often wished the city would add benches, because there
are always so many people at the stops, and now they're taking it all
away."
Deirdre Parker, an M.T.A. spokeswoman, said the city had studied which
stops were most essential and had made adjustments to fit the needs of
riders. For example, after receiving a complaint from State Senator Liz
Krueger about the impending loss of a bus stop outside the Lenox Hill
Senior Center at East 70th Street and Second Avenue, the M.T.A. said on
Wednesday that it would preserve the stop.
"We re-evaluated the situation and found that their concerns had
merit," Ms. Parker said.
Concerns about similar stops, like the one outside the Burden Center,
might have been addressed had the M.T.A. presented its plans to Community
Board 8, which covers the Upper East Side.
Dan Quart, the co-chairman of the board's transportation committee,
said the M.T.A. had altered its route with little advice from those who
would be affected by the decision.
"Eliminating a stop directly in front of a senior center has no
justification," Mr. Quart said. "But even if they have
legitimate reasons for moving stops, they should come and talk to the
community about it first. I feel like it's ad-hoc decision-making, and
that's not good for anyone."
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging
Terms of Use | Privacy
Policy | Contact Us
|
