What does it take to get people talking about increasing travel options for people whose commutes take them across the East River?

A futuristic proposal spawned in the mind of a Manhattan real estate mogul, evidently.

The East River Skyway proposal aims to address congestion on the L train between Williamsburg and Manhattan by carrying passengers on aerial trams (like the Roosevelt Island tram). With rapid (and continuing) growth in North Brooklyn, the L train has become increasingly crowded in the last few years. But is a gondola the best way to accommodate demand for trans-East travel?

Benjamin Kabak at Second Avenue Sagas summarizes the issue nicely:

In a certain sense, this plan gets to problems with the current transit set-up including overcrowded L trains, a need to serve the southern part of Roosevelt Island, especially with the Cornell development on tap and more capacity across the East River. On the other hand, the alignment is terrible in that it tracks subway lines such as the J/M/Z that are under capacity and mirrors preexisting ferry service.

Although the East River Skyway would provide some fantastic views, perhaps we should consider improvements to the rights-of-way that already exist.

1. Dedicated bus lanes on the East River bridges. When you add up all the dedicated bus lanes on the Brooklyn Bridge, Manhattan Bridge, Williamsburg Bridge and 59th Street Bridge, you get zero.

2. Pricing free bridges. Who’s going to ride a bus when it costs nothing to drive over the East River? Pricing free bridges, in a way like the MoveNY plan proposes, would help provide that incentive.

3. More frequent service on the M train. It’s scheduled to arrive much less often than other trains (8 minute peak-hour headways) and it’s likely to see more riders as new residential developments come to fruition in South Williamsburg and Bushwick.

4. Expand Citi Bike. Expanding Citi Bike not only north to Greenpoint and Long Island City, but also farther east into Williamsburg, Bushwick and Bed-Stuy, would open up access to more East River crossings to those who are currently limited to the L train. If you can bike to the 7 or the J, M, or Z  in the same time it takes to walk to the L train, you won’t just get a less crowded commute; you’ll also get natural light and the ability to check e-mail.