Bus Rapid Transit
Streetsblog Basics
Moving Beyond the Automobile: Bus Rapid Transit
Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) provides faster and more efficient service than an ordinary bus system. While a proper BRT route operates like a surface subway, the cost is much lower. In the latest installment of "Moving Beyond the Automobile," Streetfilms explains the key features of bus rapid transit around the world and how BRT helps shift people out of cars and taxis and onto buses.
March 8, 2011
City Scraps Pedestrian Plaza Option for 34th Street Transitway
Pedestrians who navigate Midtown's crowded sidewalks won't get as much as they could have from the proposed 34th Street Transitway. The Times reported last night that NYC DOT will not pursue plans for a pedestrian plaza between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue as part of the project.
March 3, 2011
Despite NY Post Report to Contrary, Stringer Supports BRT for 34th Street
The Post's unhinged crusade against the 34th Street Transitway appears to be bleeding over from the editorial page into news content. The paper ran a story yesterday strongly implying that Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer opposes plans for separated bus lanes along 34th Street (headline: "Beep blasts 34th St. plan"), while in reality, Stringer seems to support the basic idea of the plan, urging mainly that DOT proceed with care. Here's Stringer's statement to us, in full:
March 2, 2011
To Stay Connected to Jobs, New Yorkers Need Better Bus Service
Over the last decades, the economic geography of New York City has begun to shift. While Midtown and Lower Manhattan remain job centers without peer, more and more of the city's jobs are located outside of the central business districts. As employment shifts into the other boroughs, however, the transit system hasn't shifted with it. That means longer waits and worse service for many New Yorkers, especially for low- and middle-income workers, according to a new report from the Center for an Urban Future.
February 23, 2011
With 34th Street Design Due in Spring, CB 6 Is Ready For Busway to Fail
A preliminary design for the proposed 34th Street Transitway is due this spring, DOT said officials at a community board meeting last night.
January 4, 2011
Busway Opponents Pump Up the Volume at CB 5 Meeting on 34th Street
Manhattan CB 5, which is shaping up to be the "swing district" along the route of the 34th Street Transitway, is only at the earliest stages of formulating a stance on plans to build physically separated bus lanes and pedestrian improvements as part of a river-to-river redesign. Even so, two things were clear at a public input session last night: Curb access remains one of the thorniest issues for DOT street redesigns, and the Murray Hill anti-transit forces are organizing circles around bus lane supporters.
November 23, 2010
Kavanagh and Squadron Kick Off Bus Lane Camera Enforcement
Camera enforcement of the First and Second Avenue bus lanes began today. To mark the occasion, State Senator Daniel Squadron and Assembly Member Brian Kavanagh held a press conference gathering together community leaders and taxi drivers to get the message out to drivers: Block the lane and face the fine. As Squadron and Kavanagh explained, however, drivers may enter the bus lanes to turn right or to quickly drop off or pick up passengers.
November 22, 2010
MTA Touts Bus Lane Cameras in PR Blitz
After a long legislative battle, the MTA wants you to know about the automated enforcement that will be keeping Select Bus Service lanes clear of traffic.
November 11, 2010
Riding the East Side SBS With Assembly Member Jonathan Bing
To mark the first real weekday rush hour for the East Side's Select Bus Service, transit advocates took local elected officials on a bus ride down Second Avenue this morning. I caught up with Assembly Member Jonathan Bing during the trip to see what he thought of his district's new and improved bus service.
October 12, 2010