NEW YORK (PIX11) — Getting around New York City can be a challenge.
Some riders want the city to consider a busway along one of the busiest crosstown corridors.
Manhattan’s 42nd Street is known as both a popular destination and also a place to avoid, depending on the plans.
While it connects to the busiest subway station in the system with multiple lines, the crosstown bus is often crawling along the route.
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42nd Street does have a dedicated bus lane in each direction. Some commuters are organizing an effort to get support for a dedicated busway that prioritizes bus travel.
“We are great at doing uptown and downtown, not good at crosstown,” said Paul Krikler, who takes a bike, bus and train most days.
A busway is in place along Manhattan’s 14th Street from Third Avenue to Ninth Avenue.
It’s “local access” during the hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. with trucks allowed and vehicles dropping off and picking up passengers. It has been credited with improving bus travel times.
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Supporters said improving crosstown public transit can help reduce traffic.
Some drivers who PIX11 asked about additional busways blamed the lane changes for causing traffic.
In a statement to PIX11 News, a spokesperson for the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) said the agency has developed a “robust network of dedicated bus lanes” in Manhattan to make service faster and more reliable.
“We are building on that success by both upgrading existing lanes and developing new, crosstown projects for buses along 34th Street and 96th Street in Manhattan. We will review the concept,” the spokesperson wrote.
A new report from NYC DOT called “Connecting to the Core” outlines some of the new and existing proposals:
Work with the community to develop a plan to get buses moving faster on 34th Street in Manhattan
Hillside Avenue bus priority from Queens Boulevard to Springfield Boulevard
Richmond Avenue bus priority from Arthur Kill Road to Forest Avenue in Staten Island
Bus priority connecting Allen, Pike and Madison streets in Lower Manhattan
Grand Avenue bus priority from Union Avenue to Queens Boulevard in Brooklyn and Queens
NYC DOT said it also plans “to continue outreach for recently proposed bus projects” for upper Broadway in northern Manhattan, Church Avenue in Central Brooklyn and Tremont Avenue in the Bronx.
Current bus lane enforcement has also been an initiative of the city and MTA.
Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group, has named the latest campaign “The Miracle on 42nd Street.” Organizers are asking people to contact the New York City Council and the mayor’s office.
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