City: Select Bus Service Won't Affect Sheepshead Much

The MTA and Department of Transportation held a public workshop to push the benefits of Select Bus Service on Nostrand Avenue on Tuesday at Brooklyn College, and responded to concerns about the program in Southern Brooklyn by saying it will see relatively minor changes in the area.

The majority of those who attended the workshop were in favor of the project, saying that it will speed up bus service, lessen the amount of congestion, give truckers a place to unload and wont be a hassle to drivers. They added that the number of parking spots reduced – a primary concern for some local leaders seeking to protect businesses on the commercial strip – will be minimal.

“In the nine-mile corridor there’s about 5,000 existing parking spaces, and only around 100 parking spaces will be taken for increased bus stops,” said Rob Thompson, DOT’s project manager. In the Sheepshead Bay-area only five or 10 parking spots will be eliminated, he said.

“In general the Southern areas will not have as much parking changes because the existing bus stops are hemmed in by driveways, so there is less impact per mile in the Southern area,” said Thompson.

MTA’s Director of Long Range Bus Planning Ted Orosz is confident that traffic will run smoother with SBS and it will benefit the majority of the public.

“Generally the streets should operate as well as it does today… it will be more organized, there will be a place for trucks, a place for buses, and a place for mixed traffic,” Orosz said. “There have been considerable traffic and parking studies to make sure that operating conditions should be pretty good after this is built.”