The MTA has finally released details on the much-needed new bus line that is to connect Williamsburg Bridge Plaza to Court Square in LIC, via the Williamsburg and Greenpoint waterfront. Needed as it may be, though, the proposed route has some problem areas. The worst appears to Wythe Avenue, which would serve as the south-bound route for buses returning from Queens. Ever since Kent went one way, Wythe has been a minor nightmare, with traffic routinely backing up from Broadway to Grand Street during the afternoon rush, as well as backups from North 6th with even the slightest congestion.

This isn’t really a “bus” problem, but rather a planning problem. For years, there have been calls for DOT to tackle North Brooklyn’s changing transportation needs in a comprehensive fashion. Instead, we’ve been handed piecemeal changes over and over again, with each change causing a knock-on effect elsewhere in the community. Absent a broader and more comprehensive approach to transportation planning in Greenpoint and Williamsburg, this new bus route – great as it may be – is in danger of being just another piecemeal change.