Council speaker to propose new information booths to aid in L train shutdown

City Council speaker Corey Johnson plans to introduce new legislation that aims to calm commuter chaos

The MTA's 15-month L train shutdown is set to begin in less than a year, and the agency's mitigation plan is still causing anxiety among New Yorkers. In December, the MTA proposed new bus routes, bus-only lanes during rush hours, new bike routes in Manhattan, and increased subway service along the J/M/Z and G lines. Despite this, many feel like the MTA is not equipped to handle the disruption that the shutdown will cause and as a result, City Council speaker Corey Johnson is planning to introduce new legislation that aims to calm commuter chaos, reports the NY Daily News.

"New Yorkers from Manhattan to Brooklyn and beyond are getting more and more anxious about the coming L-pocalypse every day, and I am right there with them," said Johnson in a statement. "The L train shutdown will be a massive shock to the city's system and I am worried that the city is not ready for the levels of disruption this will cause."

Johnson will propose bills that require the city to open at least two information centers to update riders about the progress of the repair project and give transportation alternatives, as well as create an ombudsman job within the Department of Transportation to monitor comments and investigate complaints about transportation projects.

City Council is expected to hold a meeting regarding the shutdown in Chelsea next week.

• Council Speaker Corey Johnson to introduce bills to cope with upcoming L train shutdown [NY Daily News]
• L train shutdown: everything you need to know [Curbed]
• Impending L train shutdown is still causing anxiety among New Yorkers [Curbed]