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More info about 34th St. Select Bus Service
DOT's Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Straphangers FAQ (coming soon)
Who Supports Better Buses?
- Transit, Environmental and Civic Advocates (January 2011)
- CB4 Letter (January 2010)
- CB5 Bus Priority Improvement Resolution (May 2008)
Media
- Waiting for a Transitway on 34th Street
by Benjamin Kabak, 2nd Ave Sagas on January 27, 2011 - The other users of the 34th Street Transitway
by Cap'n Transit on January 21, 2011 - NYC Tries 'Rapid' Buses in Bid to Cut Transit Costs
by Nathaniel Gronewold on January 3, 2011 - Defending the 34th St Transitway
by Benjamin Kabak, 2nd Ave Sagas on November 22, 2010 - Tonight: Speak Up for the 34th Street Transitway
by Ben Fried on November 22, 2010 - Confronting the Mire on 34th Street
Editorial, April 26, 2010
34th Street Select Bus Service
Why does the Straphangers Campaign support Select Bus Service on 34th Street?
New York City is plagued by pokey and schleppie buses that move at a snails pace and often arrive bunched together or with big gaps in service. The M34 won the Straphangers Campaign's "Pokey Award" for slowest city bus in 2004 and 2005, before the terra cotta bus lane was added to 34th Street. This year, the M34 took 6th place in the Pokey Awards, clocking in at 4.4 miles per hour, or slightly slower than a Ringling Bros. elephant walking into Madison Square Garden. This results in frayed nerves, lower productivity and serves as a disincentive for working, shopping and living in the area. The 34th Street Select Bus Service (SBS) Project will address several problems, like:
- slow bus speeds
- long dwelling times to collect fares
- pedestrian congestion and safety
- projected population and job growth
- climate change
How can one project do all that?
The solution is Bus Rapid Transit. BRT represents the most economical way for New York City to speed up its dismally slow buses and meet the travel demands of its growing population. It uses the existing roadway and adds improved paint marking, signage, and sidewalks. On 34th Street the City and MTA have teamed up with community groups to build the first "real" BRT route in New York City. The bus serves 33,000 daily bus riders and will make 34th street easier to navigate and safer for the 5,000 hourly pedestrians at Herald Square alone (ref). Additionally, this forward thinking project will provide more transit capacity in an improved corridor that will function more efficiently than it does now. Some of the proposed improvements include:
- truly dedicated bus lanes that can be enforced by camera to speed local and commuter buses alike
- traffic signal priority for buses to make lights
- pre-boarding payment of fares and buses with three doors to lessen dwelling time at bus stops
- improved pedestrian safety by building curb extensions and median refuges
- smarter curb access regulations for deliveries and other curb uses
A robust Environmental Assessment (underway) and a through traffic analysis (starting in January) will provide a more detailed exploration of the issues.
Who will benefit from SBS?
River to river, 34th Street is a hub of activity. You’ll find residences, businesses small and large, community institutions, riders and pedestrians (to name a few). The SBS will increase activity along 34th Street for the thousands of businesses and community institutions while ensuring bus riders, pedestrians, and residents are safer. This will help 34th Street maintain its place as a vital commercial and residential corridor now and into the future.
What do you think? Let us know by leaving a comment below.
DOT has posted much more information and design concepts on their website.