Parkchester Residents Still Fight For Bx14

Back in June, I wrote about the Bx14 & its upcoming elimination. I opined at how the elimination of the line did not surprise me as it seemed justified based on the limited ridership & its proximity to other bus routes & subway lines.

A few days ago, the Bronx Times took a look at how residents are still fighting for the route on the heels of the MTA announcing they will introduce a new line that will travel a similar route. Patrick Rocchio has more:

Residents of Parkchester are not giving up on getting their Bx14 bus back.

Service on the route, which once ran on Metropolitan Avenue from Hugh Grant Circle to Castle Hill Avenue through the housing complex, was discontinued as part of a service reduction plan put into effect in June.

In an effort to save $1.5 million the MTA discontinued the Bx14 completely, and rerouted the Bx5 and Bx8.

Now, the MTA has announced the creation of a Bx24 bus that will follow almost the exact same route as the old Bx14. However, it still will not go to Parkchester.

Residents joined Assemblyman Peter Rivera, 76th Assembly District Democratic leader Ken Padilla, Democratic State Committeeman Ronald Savage, and community advocate for the disabled Danny Porro in calling on the MTA to return Bx14 bus service to the Parkchester area during the evening rush hour on Friday, September 10.

Francisco Nazario, vice president of the board of directors for the Parkchester South Condominium, said that the loss of the Bx14 bus, spanning the length of Parkchester, has had a ripple effect on transportation and overall quality-of-life in the development.

“We are constantly getting phone calls from people who used the Bx14 bus to access medical facilities and visit family,” Nazario said. “They are now reliant on cab rides to get where they are going.”

Click here for the complete report.

I must say that I missed the MTA announcing a new bus route in the Bronx. I will take a look into it as I am extremely curious as to the point if it will be traveling a similar route to the Bx14. What is the justification in the eventual cost to run the service if all it is doing is replacing a line cut for cost reasons?

xoxo Transit Blogger

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