Expert Opinion: Expanding transportation in Brooklyn

It’s been said many, many times before: Brooklyn is booming.

The borough’s economy is growing at an incredible rate, which has resulted in commercial expansion into new areas. With a strong innovation sector leading the charge, small business and manufacturing hubs – from Sunset Park to the Brooklyn Navy Yard – have sprouted up and created thousands of jobs along Brooklyn’s waterfront.

Now that the jobs are there, it’s time to get residents from DUMBO, Williamsburg and across Brooklyn and the five boroughs there efficiently, and that begins and ends with our transportation infrastructure.

New York City’s subway and bus systems are among the most extensive in the world, but connecting newly flourishing neighborhoods in Brooklyn is still challenging. In order to solve this issue, we must get creative, think of the big picture and embrace alternate means of transportation.

There’s no question that Mayor Bill de Blasio’s plan for ferry service would be perfect for connecting the neighborhoods along Brooklyn’s waterfront and Manhattan, but we also need to explore other options for moving people north and south along the innovation corridor and in the borough, such as bike share, Select Bus Service or express F train service to Coney Island during the summer season.

New York City and Brooklyn are always one step ahead – there’s no reason for our transportation infrastructure to be lagging behind. 

Carlo Scissura is president of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.