By Joe Maniscalco
Manhattan Beach’s dissatisfaction with the two bus lines servicing the tiny community does not begin and end with bad bus drivers. Last month, the MTA/NYCTA dispatched a team of representatives to the Manhattan Beach Community group to address ongoing problems with some bus drivers accused of letting their vehicles idle too long, parking outside the designated layover site outside of Kingsborough Community College and engaging in various other acts of un-neighborly-like behavior. This month, residents are charging that many times they can’t even get on the B1 or B49 bus because the Falmouth Street stop on Oriental Boulevard is chronically “overflowing.” Local resident Alan Rosen complained at a meeting of the MBCG that the situation is especially bad during the summer months. To remedy the situation, Rosen called for the return of two bus stops going west on Oriental Boulevard at Ocean Avenue and Hastings Street. The present stops, according to Rosen, are an inconvenience to riders and force them to walk longer distances. Neighbors agreed and unanimously passed Dr. Oliver Klapper’s motion calling on the MTA/NYCTA to restore the bus stops at Ocean Avenue and Hastings Street. MTA/NYCTA officials have yet to respond to the request. Oriental Boulevard is one of only two main roadways in and out of Manhattan Beach and the only one serviced by mass transit. Traffic calming measures along the thoroughfare have been controversial in recent years, but the DOT insists that they have cut down on speeding. The problem still remains, however. According to the 61st Police Precinct, 25 citations for speeding along Oriental Boulevard were issued last month.
