Bus Rapid Transit
Streetsblog Basics
Eastern Queens Electeds Want Bus Lanes. Will DOT Deliver?
Council Member Rory Lancman and Assembly Member Michael Simanowitz have taken up the cause of opposing bus lanes for Select Bus Service in their eastern Queens districts. While the pair has gotten a lot of attention, they are outnumbered by almost a dozen city, state, and federal elected officials along the route urging the city to be bolder with its bus service upgrades.
February 19, 2015
RPA: Growing Outer Boroughs Need New Generation of Transit Investment
With the boroughs outside Manhattan adding people and jobs faster than the city core, New York needs to reorient its transit priorities, argues the Regional Plan Association in a new report. The authors warn that increasing travel in the other boroughs will strain the local bus system and lead more people to drive, causing more traffic congestion and imposing the burden of car ownership on more low- and middle-income New Yorkers.
February 11, 2015
Trottenberg: DOT Staffing Up to Add More Select Bus Service Routes
The City Council transportation committee held a hearing today on the de Blasio administration's Bus Rapid Transit plans, giving council members an opportunity to prod DOT about its BRT progress and show their support (or lack thereof) for bus lanes and more robust surface transit improvements than the Select Bus Service program has yielded so far.
February 10, 2015
Progressive Caucus to de Blasio: Let Us Help Build New York’s BRT Network
As a mayoral candidate, Bill de Blasio promised a citywide network of more than 20 “world-class” Bus Rapid Transit routes within four years. More than a year into his term, bus riders are still waiting. Now 17 City Council members are asking the administration to take bolder action on BRT and offering to help NYC DOT and the MTA bring the projects to fruition.
February 10, 2015
Bus Rapid Transit, Not Ferry Subsidies, Would Help Struggling New Yorkers
In today's State of the City address, Mayor de Blasio returned to his signature campaign issues of affordability and equity. Focusing mainly on housing, the mayor outlined a plan for growth centered around transit-accessible neighborhoods, and he recommitted to building several new Bus Rapid Transit routes.
February 3, 2015
The Koch Brothers Win: Nashville Abandons “Amp” BRT Plans
Nashville's bid to build its first high-capacity transit line is dead, the Tennessean is reporting today. It's a victory for the Koch brothers-funded local chapter of Americans for Prosperity and a defeat for the city's near-term hopes of transitioning to less congested, more sustainable streets.
January 23, 2015
Stuck in the Middle: When Transit-Dependent Communities Lack Good Transit
New Yorkers who live close to the center of town are mostly affluent and have great transit options connecting them to a wealth of job opportunities. On the edges of town, people are not quite as well-off, and most can get to work by driving their own cars. In between are the least affluent neighborhoods, where New Yorkers rely on transit but the number of jobs accessible by train or bus is much smaller than in the city core.
January 6, 2015
Vote to Decide the Best Urban Street Transformation of 2014
If you're searching for reasons to feel positive about the future, the street transformations pictured below are a good start. Earlier this month we asked readers to send in their nominations for the best American street redesigns of 2014. These five are the finalists selected by Streetsblog staff. They include new car-free zones, substantial sidewalk expansions, superb bike infrastructure, awesome safety upgrades, and exclusive transit lanes.
December 17, 2014
The Most Important Bus Routes in NYC Tend to Perform the Worst for Riders
The slowest bus in New York City is the M79, and the least reliable is the local M15, according to the Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives, which today awarded these two routes the "uncoveted" Pokey and Schleppie awards, respectively.
December 11, 2014
A 90-Second Appeal to Fix Woodhaven Boulevard With BRT
The BRT for NYC coalition recently released this short video that succinctly makes the case for change on Woodhaven Boulevard in southeast Queens. If you haven't personally experienced Woodhaven as a pedestrian or bus rider, it's a good introduction to what's at stake as NYC DOT and the MTA move forward with a project to improve transit service and street safety along more than 14 miles of this major corridor.
December 3, 2014