The Evolving Brooklyn Commute

Subway and bus fares are set to rise considerably over the next few years, and that got us wondering about the commutes of old.

How long did it take our Flatbush predecessors to make it from our neighborhood to what is now Downtown Brooklyn? And did they have to deal with as many iPhone thefts?

1600 – Native Americans traveled an old Lenape trail that is now Flatbush Avenue by foot. The trek took about 1 hour, 30 minutes. The walking was free.

1700 – European-introduced horses carried those with the means to own or ride them north. A 1652 speed limit in Manhattan (then New Amsterdam) forbade horses from galloping at a fine of $150 in today’s money. In much more rural Brooklyn, speeds varied greatly. A trotting horse would have taken about an hour on average to travel between our neighborhood and the Brooklyn Bridge.

1830 – Smith Birdsall opened a stage line connecting the town of Flatbush and downtown Brooklyn to serve the increasingly suburban area. One stage left every morning at 8 a.m. and returned at 4 p.m. The price is unknown.

1860 –  The Brooklyn City Railroad opened a line down Flatbush Avenue, using horsecars and then horsedrawn-street cars. The commute was cut down to 50 minutes (about as long as the trip would take today) and cost 10 cents per ride. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $2.40 today.

1878 – Brooklyn, Flatbush & Coney Island Railroad (the forerunner to the present day B and Q Brighton line) opened. In 1896, it was a a 25-minute ride from our neighborhood to the foot of the Brooklyn Bridge.

1893 – Faster, cleaner, cheaper electric trolleys on Ocean Avenue charged a nickel to ride from Flatbush to the Brooklyn Bridge. Adjusted for inflation, that’s about $1.20 today.

1905 – The Brighton Beach Railroad was considerably upgraded from two to four tracks and from an overhead trolley line to a third rail for subway trains. The ride cost a nickle. Based on 1905 inflation (the year it opened), that’s $1.20 today. Based on 1948 inflation (just prior to the beginning of a steady rise in fares that continue to this day), that’s $0.45.

Since 1948, prices have risen, generally with increasing frequency.

Although our commute by car can be mighty painful at times, let’s look at the bright side: The romantic horse-drawn commuting days were not as lovely as they sound. New York paid a monumentally smelly price for its 19th century fleets of well over 100,000 horses that taxed the city’s finances and health. Compared to horses in New York City, cars are an environmental upgrade. Go figure.

Sources include Brooklyn Historic District Reports.

Photo: Works Progress Administration, 1936