How the MTA will fix the Canarsie Tunnel on the L line
I'll admit that I haven't really been following the L line shutdown situation all that closely. But I do know that people have been pretty upset about its possible complete closure for a few months now. I get it. For some people, the L is the only connection that makes sense to get from Brooklyn into Manhattan (and elsewhere). So if the MTA is going to shut that down completely, why wouldn't you be upset?
But a lot of the commotion centers around how long the L train will shut down. Will it be 1.5 years with absolutely NO TRAIN SERVICE between Manhattan and Brooklyn? Or will it be 3 years with intermittent and unreliable service between Manhattan and Brooklyn? I don't live and commute from Brooklyn so I know my opinion here probably doesn't matter, but after watching this video above, I'm more inclined to choose a complete shutdown for 1.5 years with fantastic service after 1.5 years. I mean, think about that. 1.5 years is just one winter season -- the only real time that commuting between Brooklyn and Manhattan might not make sense to walk or bike over the Williamsburg Bridge. I would think that's doable assuming the MTA increases bus service and Citibikes install a ton of more stations along the usual L line stops. I could even imagine Uber/Lyft doing some clever marketing and business during this complete shutdown period of 1.5 years. Either way, what I'm saying is that I'd rather go through 1.5 years of inconvenience for excellent service than 3 years of terrible service that might also possibly mean no service in many cases.