Buses
Streetsblog Basics
Give Your Line Some Love: Enter GOOD Magazine’s Best Bus Route Contest
While many Americans may not think riding a bus is the sexiest form of transportation, the reality is that a majority of public transit trips in the U.S. are taken by bus. Every one of the hundreds of thousands of passengers who boarded a bus in the last year has a story to tell and there are probably lots of Streetsblog readers who would love to share a tale about their favorite line. So why not nominate it as the best bus route in America?
November 5, 2010
Track 34th Street Buses From Your Computer or Phone
Since last August, New Yorkers waiting for a bus on 34th Street have been able to check electronic signs at bus stops to find out how long it will take for the next oneto arrive. As of yesterday, they don't even need to head to the bus stop. Riders can see the real-time location of every M16 and M34 bus on their computer or smartphone or track the buses via text message.
October 15, 2010
DOT Puts Big Changes on the Table for 181st Street
Following a series of public workshops going back to 2008, DOT has put forward some big plans for Manhattan's traffic-clogged 181st Street. Over the next few months, the department will choose one of three options to ease traffic and improve safety on the street. While every option offers some significant benefits for Washington Heights pedestrians, one keeps traffic patterns largely unchanged while the other two would truly transform the corridor.
October 8, 2010
High-Speed Rail vs. Low-Cost Bus
Last week I mentioned I was about to take Amtrak from DC to New York. Well, it cost over $200 (and there was nothing particularly "high speed" about that rail experience).
October 6, 2010
Riders Want Faster Buses Across Q’Boro. Are Bus Lanes Coming?
NYC DOT is studying how to speed buses across the car-clogged Queensboro Bridge, and data the agency collected over the summer [PDF] show just how great the need is. Buses are crawling and riders are fed up. Relieving the bottleneck for riders could make transit a far more attractive option for Queens residents. One potential solution -- adding dedicated bus lanes to the bridge and its approaches -- is a PlaNYC promise waiting to be fulfilled.
September 24, 2010
Feds Announce Winners of $293 Million in Transit Grants
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FTA chief Peter Rogoff announced the winners of $293 million in competitive grants for bus and streetcar projects today. The biggest chunks of funding will help build streetcar projects in Cincinnati, Charlotte, Fort Worth, and St. Louis, as well as rapid bus corridors in New York and Chicago. All told, the funding will be distributed among 53 projects, chosen from more than 300 applicants.
July 8, 2010
NYCDOT Prioritizes Sustainable Modes at Queens Approach to Triborough
Plans for a new pedestrian area between Hoyt Avenue South and Astoria Boulevard. Pedestrians already crowd this space, which is only set off from traffic by striping (visible under the simulated sidewalk). Rendering: NYCDOT NYCDOT has proposed a significant street redesign for the base of the RFK Bridge (a.k.a. the Triborough) in Astoria [PDF], a … Continued
June 1, 2010
If Bus Stops Disappear, What Will Happen to All That Space?
Starting June 27, 570 bus stops across New York City could disappear. Unless Congress delivers an 11th hour reprieve -- still a distinct possibility -- service cuts will axe or reroute dozens of bus lines, raising the question of what to do with all the curbside real estate at these potentially defunct stops.
May 26, 2010
There’s More to Bus-Pedestrian Safety Than “Crossing With Caution”
New York City Transit has updated its annual list of bus crashes, and 2009 data show E. 57th Street and Third Avenue, mapped above, to be the most dangerous intersection citywide, with 29 collisions. Sutphin Boulevard at Archer Avenue in Queens saw 20 crashes last year, while Brooklyn's Flatbush Avenue and Avenue U was the site of 19 bus-involved incidents. Manhattan's E. 59th at Third Avenue and Roosevelt Avenue and Main Street in Queens round out the top five, with 17 crashes each.
April 6, 2010