Friday, September 29, 2017

CB3 calls on the MTA to address poor frequency and reliability of the M14A bus


[EVG file photo]

Back in July, CB3's Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee asked for input from residents about the frequency and reliability of the M14A bus.

Sen. Daniel Squadron's office had also made requests for improved M14A service — specifically the frequency of the buses.

On Tuesday night, the full Community Board adopted a resolution documenting the M14A's dismal service and called on the MTA to take "swift remedial action."

Here's part of the media advisory via the EVG inbox...

The CB3 resolution builds on more than a decade of community demands for improved M14A bus service.

“In response to past calls for better M14A bus service, the MTA has regularly taken the position that the M14A route is operating just fine. Our community knows full well that is not the case,” said Chad Marlow, chair of CB3’s Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee.

Marlow added, “the goal of our resolution is to document the shortcomings of the M14A bus service in extensive detail and to request corrective measures be swiftly taken. It is time to stop engaging in a false debate over whether problems on the line exist. Our resolution will hopefully and at long last put that debate to rest so we can get down to fixing the problems.”

The CB3 resolution points out that many of the MTA’s assumptions about the M14A’s adequacy are based on faulty data. For example, because young students do not swipe MetroCards when boarding busses, they are not counted by the MTA as passengers.

Likewise, when M14A passengers give up waiting for a bus and take the M14D bus instead, as they frequently do despite the long walks that await them at their destinations, they are counted as M14D passengers. CB3’s resolution points out that the M14A’s poor service has the greatest impact on local school children, elderly residents, and persons trying to get to and from work.

In addition to requesting services changes to improve the frequency and reliability of buses on the M14A route, CB3 also requested the MTA appear before its Transportation, Public Safety & Environment Committee to discuss why disparities exist between the community’s and MTA’s analysis of the route.

You can find the full resolution (PDF) at the CB3 website here. (It starts on the second page.)

10 comments:

Scuba Diva said...

The M14A is a disgrace, and I submit that the M9 should be brought back to being an Avenue B bus, as it was in the 60s and probably before. (It was originally a Red and Tan bus that became part of the MTA.)

Giovanni said...

Wait, 14th Street has a crosstown bus? Do you know how many times I have walked all the way crosstown and never had a single bus pass me? And all this time I thought those people standing at all those empty bus stops were just tired from walking. Thanks for the heads up.

Anonymous said...

m14a is a joke. a cruel sadistic joke.

Anonymous said...

it's funny how everyone's mileage may vary. i rely on the M14A daily and it rarely disappoints, compared to other crosstown routes. what always amazes me is how much higher the demand is for the M14D, seems like almost 3x as busy.

Anonymous said...

Kudos to CB 3!

Anonymous said...

Did M14A apply for a liquor license thus the reason why CB3 is on it?

Anonymous said...

"Did M14A apply for a liquor license thus the reason why CB3 is on it?"

Good one, post of the day! Thanks.

Scuba Diva said...

At 2:04 PM, Anonymous said:

Did M14A apply for a liquor license thus the reason why CB3 is on it?

They'd have to run a whole lot more buses if they served liquor—and hold AA meetings in the back.

Anonymous said...

Not just the M14 unfortunately. Bus service and route cuts throughout Manhattan especially since 2010.

Incredible that the MTA depends on data that does not include significant context like children and student users who do not swipe or people who give up.
And how does the MTA reflect bus usage when buses are rerouted due to street fairs and parades?
There are street fairs nearly every weekend - not even possible to find a bus when rerouted.

Another worrisome issue is the increasingly affluent young residents who are not interested in or support bus transit issues (they are Uber bicycle subway users)

Scuba Diva said...

At 10:48 AM, Anonymous said:

Another worrisome issue is the increasingly affluent young residents who are not interested in or support bus transit issues (they are Uber bicycle subway users)

People who use bikes are also people who might have a car for inclement weather; I heard one guy excuse his parking in a bus stop as: "Well, there just aren't enough parking spots!"

[sarcasm warning] I agree, there aren't enough cars in the city [/sarcasm], but there are those of us who have let our licenses lapse so we could avail ourselves of this great public-transit system.