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A Department of Transportation plan to add dedicated bus lanes along 96th Street is creating controversy in the neighborhood, with some residents raising concerns about congestion and quality of life.
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The plan, first presented before Community Board 7, 8 and 11 back in May, would restrict general traffic on blocks along the route to a single lane, replacing the outermost general traffic lanes with dedicated bus lanes. It would also add three queue jump signals at 96th and Central Park West (eastbound), 97th and Fifth Avenue (westbound), and 96th and Third Avenue (both east and westbound).
c/o DOT
The DOT made the case that this would expedite bus travel on the route, which serves about 15,000 riders daily and where bus speeds can drop as low as 4 MPH during peak hours. The presentation also highlighted potential safety benefits on 96th Street, which is currently in the top 10% of streets with the most people killed or severely injured per mile, with 391 injuries on the corridor in the past 5 years (44 of whom were killed or severely injured).
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They pointed to two similar projects as case studies in success: 21st Street in Queens, where AM weekday peak bus speeds increased by 10% and injuries decreased by 8%, and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, where PM weekday peak bus speeds increased by 19% and injuries decreased by 24%.
“It will be a great opportunity that we are taking advantage of to redesign 96th Street in a way that the riderships of those buses move through 96th Street quickly and faster,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
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However, the West 96th Street Neighbors Coalition sees things differently, releasing a statement requesting that the DOT reconsider the bus lanes, arguing that “any delays in bus travel are due to loading many passengers through a single bus door.”
Rather than helping, they said, bus lanes will exacerbate the problem.
“Dedicated bus lanes will adversely affect residents’ quality of life by cutting residents’ buildings off from the street, preventing passenger loading and unloading for taxis, disabled people, and school children, and making it impossible to make deliveries… the bus lanes will increase traffic congestion by confining all traffic, including turning cars, to a single lane.”
The coalition also expressed concerns about the $250 fines levied on those caught stopping in the bus lane by bus-mounted cameras, adding, “Installing dedicated bus lanes on the two residential blocks will create very serious problems for residents and does not meet any actual need.”
The media advisory, sent to ILTUWS by coalition member Roger Bernstein, states that a press conference will be taking place on Thursday, September 5 at 9:15 a.m. on the southeast corner of 96th and Columbus Avenue. Per the statement, participants will include Council Members Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu.
these people are crazy, the bus lanes really work, check out 14th St or 21st as noted.
the problem is cars, not taxis or busses. time to stop complaining and do something about it.
96th is a mess and anyone that travels there knows it,
rob:
14th Street is much more commercial than West 96th.
See point about cutting people off from apartment buildings.
Bunch of car brained idiots shouldn’t be able to block a meaningful improvement to public transit
This is about one thing and one thing only:
People want to double-park with impuniity.
And people want to park for free. Get rid of parking and create a two-way bike lane. Dedicated bus lanes speed up traffic. Parking and double parking creates traffic.
Now everyone who has a different opinion about something is crazy or an idiot. Nice. I was at one of the CB7 Board meetings about this and the objections to this plan are completely valid. Jay is correct: 96th Street is NOT 14th Street, which is more commercial, as is 21st St in Queens. Cars are not even allowed on 14th Street except overnight, so of course the buses run better.
This is a solution looking for a problem. Is it justified to disturb neighborhoods all the way across town and spend taxpayer dollars for a *possible* 10% increase in bus speed and 8% decrease in injuries? Do we even know whether the better stats on 21st St are due to the changes? The Lexington Ave changes weren’t to offsets like DOT is proposing on 96th St. They also have SBS.
There’s so much that needs to be done to improve our streets, like repaving, which helps buses and cars, along with riders and pedestrians. Let’s get that done first.
Why do these people think they speak for the community? The vast majority of us support bus lanes (we don’t own cars), but a few people who are scared of change think they can form some fake community ‘grassroots’ organization so they can double park, pollute our air, and inconvenience public transit users. It would be great to name and shame them, so we can avoid supporting their businesses and their neighbors know what selfish people they are.
Typical hyperbole with no evidence.
I don’t own a car, Carl. I ride the bus. And you apparently know nothing about the people who are lobbying against the proposal. Have you attended a CB meeting and listened? Seems unlikely because if you had you would know that these aren’t “fake community ‘grassroots’ organizations.” If you have, your comments are only specious and rude. What community organization are you a part of?
Residents along 96th Street – yes, the West 96th Street Neighbors Coalition is made up of RESIDENTS of the block where the proposed changes are to be made – have real concerns about this proposal. You discount others’ views until the City wants to change something on your block and then OH NO they shouldn’t do that! Then you’re called a fake organization.
This is why we have Community Boards and Street Coalitions. Many of the recommendations are only that: advisory to agencies, not binding. But they’re an important part of the government structure even though they remain hidden to most people with opinions but little to back them up.
Susan rode the bus once and now she thinks she can speak for the community lol…
The vast majority of us don’t agree with you. The reason we don’t attend community board meetings is because we have lives and aren’t interested in sitting around listening to old people complain. BTW, Streetsblog wrote about how almost all the talking points are lies (see below):
“Dedicated bus lanes will adversely affect residents’ quality of life by cutting residents’ buildings off from the street, preventing passenger loading and unloading for taxis, disabled people, and school children, and making it impossible to make deliveries.” This is not true; the Department of Transportation design calls for an offset bus lane, which will still allow access to the curb (but won’t allow double-parking — hint, hint).
“Anyone stopping in the bus lane for even the briefest drop off will be subject to a $250 fine because of automatic ticketing by bus-mounted cameras.” This is not true; bus lane violations are issued only when a person blocking the bus lane is captured on camera by two consecutive buses — and at least five minutes apart, so not “the briefest” of moments. Also, bus lane tickets are $50.
“West 96th Street traffic, including bus traffic, now moves freely on these two blocks [Central Park West and Amsterdam Avenue].” This is not true; according to the DOT, buses move at 6 to 8 miles per hour on that stretch — and lower than 4 miles per hour on other stretches of 96th Street.
“The DOT has not shown any actual benefit from converting traffic lanes to bus lanes in these two residential blocks.” This is not true; the DOT has demonstrated repeatedly that offset bus lanes Improve bus speed andreliability while still maintaining curb access as well as traffic flow for other vehicles.
It’s a shame, Carl, that you want to remain stuck in your ignorance, insisting you know things about people you have never met. I’m glad you’re willing to admit that you don’t attend these meetings because it makes your ignorance even more evident. One day you’ll be an old person sitting around complaining. I hope you get the same treatment you give.
Quoting the Coalition’s challenges to the proposal followed by quotes of DOT’s response doesn’t advance your argument a scintilla. We know already.
I’ll save anymore comments for people who actually like facts.
So your rebuttal to all of carls points is essentially saying “fake news” over and over. Great response..
Street parking car owner here who drives this route often. I think the real solution is to eliminate street parking on both sides so that there is a permanent (and one would hope, enforced) loading zone in the parking lane that would allow for clear driving lanes. So often this thoroughfare is down to one lane due to all of the delivery trucks double parked. Seems a much simpler solution.
UWScar,
Well, overnight street parking was illegal in Manhattan until 1950.
I think that law needs to return, and big new buildings need to follow the law and have parking, not get variances for basement Targets or Trader Joe’ses, etc.
Congrats to the naysayers who obviously never need to travel by bus. For the rest of us, we definitely need select busses and bus lanes on 96th. I’ve been wishing for this for a decade. Wish it were around when it would take me over an hour to get my daughter across the park after school.
Eliminating the turn on Madison and crossing on 97th Street would be a vast improvement for all traffic but especially the bus traffic. And it would also increase safety decreasing the number of pedestrian and vehicle accidents with those turns. This is a hellish and dangerous area for all…
There is PLENTY of room to widen the 96th/5th Avenue WestBound vehicle entry to the Park – why hasn’t this been done already? There is a small under used pocket park that would just need to be made smaller. The Chinese would have this completed in a weekend….