Bus boarding platforms coming to 14th Street
BY GABE HERMAN
As the city declares the 14th
Street Transit and Truck Priority
program for faster bus
service a success thus far, the MTA
and Department of Transportation are
starting the next phase of the program
by installing bus boarding platforms
along the M14 line.
The platforms, which will be put in
place at seven M14 A/D Select Bus Service
lines, would free up more sidewalk
space for pedestrians and speed up
bus service since buses wouldn’t need
to pull into a stop at the curb, offi cials
said. The MTA said pulling in can take
between 20 seconds and over a minute
during peak times at each stop.
The platforms, which are part of
DOT’s 14th Street Transit and Truck
Priority (TTP), have been previously
installed at other Manhattan locations,
including for the M23 SBS, M15 SBS,
and for routes along Seventh Avenue in
Midtown.
Construction at each bus stop will
take about six days and be done in
phases along the route. Buses will skip
the stop where construction is being
done. Work already began on Thursday
at the westbound Seventh Avenue stop,
and the overall project is expected to be
fi nished in December.
“DOT has installed bus boarding
platforms, where bus riders have found
Bus boarding platforms like the one above will be installed at seven
stops along the M14.
that a wider sidewalk makes hopping
on a bus even faster and more convenient,”
said DOT Commissioner Polly
Trottenberg. “Especially along 14th
Street, where our busway has helped
spur dramatic increases in M14 ridership,
this should be another step that
DEPT. OF TRANSPORTATION
should help our month-old pilot work
even better.”
The city previously announced that
the priority bus lanes on 14th Street
have led to increased ridership and
faster travel times. As a result, the
buses have seen 37 percent more riders
on weekends and 17 more on weekdays
compared to last year, according to city
fi gures.
The plan to install bus boarding platforms
was lauded by several local elected
offi cials, including Congresswoman
Carolyn Maloney, Council Member
Keith Powers, Manhattan Borough
President Gale Brewer and Council
Speaker Corey Johnson.
“The initial success of the 14th Street
Transit & Truck Priority has been one
of the most exciting transit developments
in the city in the last few years,
and these new bus boarders should
continue to improve the experience,”
said Johnson when the announcement
was made. “These platforms will make
waiting for and boarding the bus easier
and safer in addition to creating more
badly needed space for pedestrians. I
look forward to their debut on 14th and
hopefully to continued good news and
positive data about the busway.”
The DOT also announced that work
is being completed this week on adding
permanent pedestrian space at 14th
Street, just south of Union Square at a
former westbound traffi c lane. It will
be a painted pedestrian space with new
bollards and security barriers. DOT
noted the new permanent space is being
installed just ahead of the opening
of the Holiday Market nearby at Union
Square, which often creates more pedestrian
traffi c.
NYCHA tenants petition over East Side fl ood plan
BY GABE HERMAN
As the East Side Coastal Resiliency
(ESCR) Project begins its
process through the City Council,
there continues to be some community
pushback, including a petition
signed by over 1,800 local NYCHA
tenants who oppose the current fl ood
protection plan at East River Park.
A group called NYCHA Speaks is behind
the petition, which demands that
local offi cials, including Councilwoman
Carlina Rivera and State Senator Brian
Kavangh, reconsider the current plan,
which would raise the park by 8 to 10
feet along 2.5 miles of the park along
the East River.
“Our homes are next to the East River
Park,” the petition reads, “and we are
concerned about the impact that the
full-scale destruction of the park will
have on our health and quality of life.”
Concerns about the city’s plan, according
to Yvette Mercedes and Curtis
White of NYCHA Speaks, include
pollution from contaminants being released
into the air, and the loss of green
space, including nearly 1,000 trees. The
group said it has sent the petition to local
offi cials, including all City Council
members, state senators, assembly
members and Mayor Bill de Blasio.
The petition adds, “We also demand
temporary fl ood protection measures
that can be put in place immediately to
ensure that we are safe while the City
works on a better and less destructive
plan.”
Rivera and Kavanagh did not immediately
CITY DEPT. OF PARKS AND RECREATION
respond to requests for comment.
Another activist group, East River
Park ACTION, has recently presented
its own petition against the plan, which
collected around 2,000 local signatures.
In response to community protests
about the park being fully shut down
for the construction process, the mayor
announced in October that work would
be done in phases, allowing for some
of East River Park to always remain
open.
On Nov. 4, the current plan passed
the City Council Subcommittee on
Landmarks, Sitings and Dispositions.
The next vote is scheduled for Nov. 12
in the Land Use Committee, and then
a full vote in the City Council on Nov.
14.
Before the plan passed the subcommittee
vote, Mayor de Blasio announced
on Nov. 4 the formation of a community
advisory group for the project. The
group will include local stakeholders,
according to the mayor, who will give
input from the community about the
project before its scheduled groundbreaking
in spring 2020 and during
construction.
“The East Side Coastal Resiliency
Project will protect New Yorkers for
years to come, and at every step of the
way, we will continue to ensure the
community is kept informed of progress
and that their voice is heard,” said
de Blasio when the advisory group was
announced.
Schneps Media TVG November 14, 2019 3