Proposed MTA plan adds bus network, new routes, service frequency
The Metropolitan Transportation
Authority announced
that the date of the
public hearing on the proposed
fi nal plan for the Bronx
Bus Network Redesign will
be on Thursday, February 20.
The public hearing precedes a
vote by the MTA Board to implement
the local bus service
proposals in the redesign’s fi -
nal plan for implementation
this September while continuing
to refi ne the plan’s express
bus service proposals for implementation
in 2021.
The public hearing schedule
is scheduled from 6 to 8
p.m. at the Bronx Museum
of the Arts, 1040 Grand Concourse
in the South Wing of
the Lower Gallery. Registration
is scheduled from 5 to 8
p.m.
“We now have a rock-solid
plan to improve local bus service
in the Bronx, so we must
build on the momentum of the
Bronx bus network redesign
and push forward with making
these proposals a reality,”
said MTA NYC Transit president
Andy Byford.
The fi nal plan proposes
up to $2 million in additional
investments in the Bronx local
bus network, which have
largely remained unchanged
since they were converted
from trolley lines nearly a
century ago or absorbed from
private bus lines that were
consolidated into the MTA
decades ago. It took into consideration
the routes’ performance,
speed, ridership and
reliability on key corridors,
and how individual routes
contribute to the larger network.
Altogether, the proposed
fi nal plan establishes a
new baseline of local bus service
in the Bronx and a new
foundation upon which the
MTA can build as the borough
continues to evolve and
change. Once the redesign of
the local bus network is implemented
in fall 2020, the MTA
will closely monitor service to
ensure new levels are closely
aligned with ridership and
customer demand.
As bus customers adjust to
the new local bus network redesign,
the MTA will continue
to refi ne the proposals for a
new Bronx express bus network
with the goal of implementation
of those changes in
2021. The MTA has committed
to working with local stakeholders
on those proposals,
and will provide an update at
a later time.
Proposed Final Plan
New local service: Two new
local routes, the Bx25 and
M125, provide new connections
and service to previously
underserved neighborhoods.
More transfer points, frequency
increase on major corridors:
The proposal aligns
routes to provide new access
points for customers, including
route extensions to more
neighborhoods, new connections
to subway service in the
Bronx, a new link between
northern Co-op City to Bedford
Park, and route simplifi -
cations to bring customers to
major corridors. Four routes
will provide service to accessible
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,38 JANUARY 24-30, 2020 BTR
subway stations. Frequency
also will signifi cantly
increase on nine major corridors,
which will be served by
10 routes.
Balanced stop spacing: The
average time it takes for a
bus to re-enter traffi c from a
stop ranges from 20 seconds
to more than 1 minute during
peak hours. Bronx stops are
currently an average of 882
feet apart – just over three city
blocks. Stops in transit systems
around the world range
from 1,000 to 1,680 feet. The
fi nal plan proposes stop spacing
of an average of 1,100 feet,
resulting in a net reduction of
400 local/limited stops.
In considering bus stop
locations, NYC Transit considered
factors such as stop
usage, ridership, geography
and impact to the community
when making these operational
decisions.
Many retained stops serve
high ridership areas such as
retirement communities, hospitals
or schools for which a
stop removal would create a
signifi cant burden. Others
provide transfers to subway
stations or connections to different
bus routes, or access to
geographically challenging
locations where hills would
make walking diffi cult, particularly
during inclement
weather.
Proposals aligned with extensive
Co-op City community
feedback led to enhancements
and retained loop routing to
preserve area service and frequency.
Bx26 frequency will
be split with new route Bx25,
with current frequency levels
maintained along Allerton
Avenue. The Bx26 route will
maintain its existing routing
due to public recommendations.
Improved crosstown service
in central Bronx, which
was the result of popular customer
feedback. Three routes
will receive more frequent
service. Seven routes will be
streamlined, rerouted to reduce
duplicative service and to
provide more direct service to
subway stations, or extended
to new coverage areas.
Select Bus Service (SBS) improvements
and planning for
the future: The Bx6 SBS route
will be streamlined and extended
to bring SBS further
east along Story Avenue into
Soundview. SBS, which is
New York City’s version of Bus
Rapid Transit, has proven to
increase bus speeds by up to 20
percent while introducing customer
friendly features such
as all-door boarding, off-board
fare collection, improved signage
and digital travel information.
Approximately 9,400
current Bx5 customers will
benefi t from this extended
Bx6 SBS route, which will also
provide more direct access to
major destinations and transfer
points such as Yankee Stadium,
the Bronx Courthouse,
Borough Hall, and the Grand
Concourse. The route will also
serve upcoming developments
such as the planned Hunts
Point station for Metro-North
Railroad, and a future residential
development at 1125
Whitlock Avenue.
In collaboration with NYC
Department of Transportation,
NYC Transit identifi ed
major corridors for bus priority
projects to accompany the
network redesign. These corridors
were chosen based on
criteria such as ridership demand,
service reliability and
speed, proposed new service
levels, demographics and ease
of implementation. DOT will
work with communities to refi
ne details of these projects
this winter, in order to start
implementing these projects
later this year, along with
benches, real time information
signs, and other passenger
focused improvements.
The identifi ed corridors are:
Pelham Parkway, Fordham
Road, and West 207th Street,
Eastchester Road to Broadway;
Pelham Bay Park Station
area; Washington Bridge
and West 181st Street, University
Avenue to Broadway; East
149th Street, River Avenue to
Southern Boulevard; L. Grant
Highway, Cross Bronx Expressway
to East 167th Street;
University Avenue, Kingsbridge
Road to Cross Bronx
Expressway; Tremont Avenue,
Sedgwick Avenue to Boston
Road
East 167th and East 168th
streets, Jerome to Franklin
avenues; and Story Avenue,
Bronx River Avenue to White
Plains Road; East Gun Hill
Road, Bainbridge to Bartow
avenues;.
Message from Councilman Mark Gjonaj
COUNCILMAN MARK GJONAJ
In cooperation with Urban Upbound,
my offi ce is pleased to offer free
tax preparation services to eligible
members of our community, for a consecutive
year. Tax preparation is timeconsuming
and diffi cult for everyone,
and I believe that everyone, regardless
of fi nancial ability, should have access
to assistive services.
Last year’s free tax preparation
services proved immensely successful
and we were able to aid many, many
members of our community complete
their tax forms. It also, importantly,
indicated a high demand for tax assistance
in our community, which is why
this year’s program has been extended
in duration to maximize the number
of community members served. This
year’s program will begin on January
29, with services being offered
on Wednesdays and Thursdays from
9 a.m.-5 p.m.. This is by appointment
only, of course.
Constituents with an annual income
of 66,000 or less are encouraged
to call my district offi ce at (718) 931-
1721 to either schedule their free tax
appointment or to receive additional
information. My district offi ce, located
at 1478 Williamsbridge Road, is one
of many available appointment locations.
This free appointment can also
be completed at a number of tax offi ce
locations throughout the city, with assistance
available here obviously in
the Bronx, but additionally in Queens,
Manhattan and Brooklyn.
If you are a constituent eligible for
free tax assistance, please give my offi
ce a call so we can help reduce your
tax-related stress.
If you have made an appointment,
I would like to remind you that in order
for the tax-assistance professional
to properly assist you, you must bring
the following: a government-issued ID,
your Social Security card(s) or verifi
cation letter, an ITIN if you or your
spouse are without a SSN and proof of
foreign status is applying, birthdates
for you and your spouse on the tax return,
wage statements from all your
employers, interest and dividend statements
from banks, a copy of the previous
year’s federal and state returns,
proof of bank account routing and account
numbers, Affordable Health
Care Statements and copies of income
transcripts from the IRS and state, if
applicable. If you are fi ling electronically
a married-fi ling-joint tax return,
both spouses must be present to offer
their signatures.
I am gracious for Urban Upbound’s
partnership with my offi ce in putting
together this program, and connecting
their tax-assistance professionals to
you. Urban Upbound has a stated mission
of poverty alleviation, and works
extensively with low to middle-income
areas in matters related to taxation,
personal fi nance and employment.
More information about this wonderful
organization can be had at http://
urbanupbound.org/.
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/urbanupbound.org