Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jay H. Walder today announced the start of construction on dedicated bus-only lanes - Select Bus Service - on First and Second Avenues from 125th Street to Houston Street, one of the slowest bus corridors in the city.
The new Select Bus Service on First and Second Avenues will benefit 54,000 daily riders of the M15 bus line, which currently takes 90 minutes to travel 8.5 miles between 125th Street and South Ferry - longer than a train ride from New York to Philadelphia, according to the press release from the city's Department of Transportation.
The dedicated lanes will remove buses from lanes used by passenger vehicles and bus passengers will be able to pay their fare at on-street machines before boarding.
In addition, some sidewalks will be extended to allow buses to pick up and discharge passengers without having to exit and reenter traffic, and buses will be given traffic signal priority and the new service will make fewer stops than the current M15 Limited.
According to the Department of Transportation, the new service is expected to improve overall travel time by 20 percent.
The Mayor, Commissioner Sadik-Khan, and MTA Chairman and CEO Walder were joined by Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, City Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, and Louis Reuter, Sr., Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate at New York Presbyterian Hospital at the announcement on First Avenue in Manhattan.
"Low-cost changes, such as off-board fare payment, new bus lanes and bus-priority signals, will transform Manhattan's busiest route from an exercise in patience to one of the city's best bus lines," declared Commissioner Sadik-Khan.
"SBS is the real deal, bringing together faster bus boarding, enforced bus lanes and signal prioritization to improve bus service for New Yorkers," said MTA Chairman and CEO Walder, adding that "We're working with the City to make it clear to drivers that bus lanes throughout the City are for buses only, and a new smart card pilot will pave the way for faster boarding on all of our buses."
The project, it said, is designed to maintain traffic flow and accommodate deliveries, drop-offs and short-term parking, as well as improve bicycle access on the East Side.
Implementation of the bus lanes will begin this month, with street resurfacing starting next week. By October, the dedicated lanes will be completed and in use, while additional improvements continue to be installed.
The first phase of the project will create dedicated bus lanes from 125th Street to Houston Street along the right side of the street on both First and Second Avenues. Buses will operate in general traffic within the Second Avenue Subway construction zone on Second Avenue between 100th and 68th Streets.
According to the announcement, NYPD enforcement will help keep the dedicated bus lanes clear of vehicles, and taxis will be deterred from using lanes through violations issued by the Taxi & Limousine Commission by using cameras.
Landscaped pedestrian islands will be installed on First and Second Avenues between Houston Street to 34th Street, and new bike lanes will be installed on other areas of First and Second Avenues between Houston and 34th Streets.
New shelters and fare collection machines will be installed in September, with bus operations slated to begin in October.
The new Select Bus Service on First and Second Avenues will benefit 54,000 daily riders of the M15 bus line, which currently takes 90 minutes to travel 8.5 miles between 125th Street and South Ferry - longer than a train ride from New York to Philadelphia, according to the press release from the city's Department of Transportation.
The dedicated lanes will remove buses from lanes used by passenger vehicles and bus passengers will be able to pay their fare at on-street machines before boarding.
In addition, some sidewalks will be extended to allow buses to pick up and discharge passengers without having to exit and reenter traffic, and buses will be given traffic signal priority and the new service will make fewer stops than the current M15 Limited.
According to the Department of Transportation, the new service is expected to improve overall travel time by 20 percent.
The Mayor, Commissioner Sadik-Khan, and MTA Chairman and CEO Walder were joined by Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer, City Council Member Daniel R. Garodnick, and Louis Reuter, Sr., Vice President of Facilities and Real Estate at New York Presbyterian Hospital at the announcement on First Avenue in Manhattan.
"Low-cost changes, such as off-board fare payment, new bus lanes and bus-priority signals, will transform Manhattan's busiest route from an exercise in patience to one of the city's best bus lines," declared Commissioner Sadik-Khan.
"SBS is the real deal, bringing together faster bus boarding, enforced bus lanes and signal prioritization to improve bus service for New Yorkers," said MTA Chairman and CEO Walder, adding that "We're working with the City to make it clear to drivers that bus lanes throughout the City are for buses only, and a new smart card pilot will pave the way for faster boarding on all of our buses."
The project, it said, is designed to maintain traffic flow and accommodate deliveries, drop-offs and short-term parking, as well as improve bicycle access on the East Side.
Implementation of the bus lanes will begin this month, with street resurfacing starting next week. By October, the dedicated lanes will be completed and in use, while additional improvements continue to be installed.
The first phase of the project will create dedicated bus lanes from 125th Street to Houston Street along the right side of the street on both First and Second Avenues. Buses will operate in general traffic within the Second Avenue Subway construction zone on Second Avenue between 100th and 68th Streets.
According to the announcement, NYPD enforcement will help keep the dedicated bus lanes clear of vehicles, and taxis will be deterred from using lanes through violations issued by the Taxi & Limousine Commission by using cameras.
Landscaped pedestrian islands will be installed on First and Second Avenues between Houston Street to 34th Street, and new bike lanes will be installed on other areas of First and Second Avenues between Houston and 34th Streets.
New shelters and fare collection machines will be installed in September, with bus operations slated to begin in October.
Architecture Critic
Carter Horsley
Since 1997, Carter B. Horsley has been the editorial director of CityRealty. He began his journalistic career at The New York Times in 1961 where he spent 26 years as a reporter specializing in real estate & architectural news. In 1987, he became the architecture critic and real estate editor of The New York Post.
6sqft delivers the latest on real estate, architecture, and design, straight from New York City.
