Thursday, August 8, 2019

New 14th Street busway regulations go into effect on Monday


[Click on image to go big]

On Tuesday, a judge lifted a temporary injunction on the 14th Street busway... and the city is quickly putting the new bus- and truck-only route into effect starting on Monday (Aug. 12).

Here's a quickie overview via the DOT:

6 a.m. to 10 p.m.: Buses and trucks only between Ninth Avenue and Third Avenue. All other vehicles may make local trips, but must turn at the next available right.

10 p.m. to 6 a.m.: All vehicles may make through trips along the corridor.

In late June, right before the new busway was to launch on July 1, a coalition of block associations filed a last-minute lawsuit to block the project, arguing that the city failed to complete the proper environmental review for the work.

However, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower stated on Tuesday that the city "went to great lengths to describe the consideration that went into the analysis, considering pedestrian deaths, dangerous intersections and not just the speed of the bus that is going to traverse 14th Street." (Quote via Gothamist.)

The busway was to coincide with the arrival of the new M14 Select Bus Service, which launched July 1 featuring off-board fare payments and all-door boarding... all in an effort to speed up the notoriously sluggish M14 line during the L-train slowdown.

Analysis from Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance found that rush-hour M14 bus riders spent a combined 8,654 additional hours commuting over the last month than would have been the case under the city’s plan to transform 14th Street into a busway.

9 comments:

noble neolani said...

this is going to be interesting. Will drivers understand this system other than taxi, limousine (Uber)? I guess the best way to go east or west downtown is to avoid 14th street period.

ban_cars said...

Next up: Houston to 13th streets!

Anonymous said...

The idea that this will "improve" bus service is absurd. I travel crosstown on 14th St. frequently, and one recent Friday evening at 10 PM, the MTA advised me via text "there are no buses on this route" - which turned out to be true: when I got home & looked online, EVERY LAST M14 BUS was at its terminal on the far LES. Between the far west side and the far LES, there was NOT EVEN ONE bus in service. Estimated wait time: 25 to 30 minutes. I took a taxi, since I needed to get home the same day.

Anonymous said...

what a shitshow

Anonymous said...

That map makes no sense.

Anonymous said...

The map makes complete sense and this change will work to speed up buses and reduce traffic on 14th street. Not only will it work here, it will expand to other cross town streets in NYC and when you throw in the impending congestion pricing, we'll start to see some relief. Cars will never be banned so just get over it.

Gojira said...

Anon. 12:52 PM, this is at least the second post from you today in which you advise Grieve readers to "get over it". And I in turn advise you to stop telling us what to do - this blog is a valuable forum for those of us who aren't human magpies enthralled by the cheap, the shiny, the new, to learn about, comment on and mourn the loss of so many of the valued places, people and history that helped to make New York the city we love.

If our grieving (hence the name of the blog! Get it? Get it?!?) bothers you, then stop reading it and go start your own on another forum. I assure you, your smug, arrogant and doubtless undeserved feelings of superiority won't be missed.

Anonymous said...

@12:52: They are just shifting the cars to 13th & 12th Streets.

tom said...

This reminds me of those two people from the movie Airplane directing people which way to go in the airport. The red line is for exit only....funny movie.