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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.