125th St Bus Corridor Improvement Workshop

[Mysterious2train]

I share said sentiment. I've heard it, but not that much. Of course, when I was at the most recent workshop, I didn't voice my that opinion because I figure there wasn't much point, so I guess I'm not setting a good example.

 

A lot of dissenters probably feel the MTA/DOT is pretty much shoving all these changes down their throat. If they proposed all these changes at different times, I wonder if it some NIMBYs would be more receptive.

[BreeddekalbL]

I share said sentiment. I've heard it, but not that much. Of course, when I was at the most recent workshop, I didn't voice my that opinion because I figure there wasn't much point, so I guess I'm not setting a good example.

 

A lot of dissenters probably feel the MTA/DOT is pretty much shoving all these changes down their throat. If they proposed all these changes at different times, I wonder if it some NIMBYs would be more receptive.

 

i actually felt this was one that the  was trying to ram in to please themselves like they did with the s79 and wasn't it all rushed in too 

[Culver]

The SBS planning and studies already take years. How much slower do people want the process to be? The NIMBYs just don't want anything that they fear might upset their road-rage-drive-my-house-sized-SUV-and-double-park-it-on-the-street lifestyle.

[bobtehpanda]

The SBS planning and studies already take years. How much slower do people want the process to be? The NIMBYs just don't want anything that they fear might upset their road-rage-drive-my-house-sized-SUV-and-double-park-it-on-the-street lifestyle.

 

Not to mention, a community group started the whole damn thing two years ago.

[AndrewJC]

Makes me wonder. If a parking garage was built on that unused land at Lenox & 125th or somewhere nearby, would the parking NIMBY's be OK with that, and this project?

 

If a private developer opts to buy up a plot of land and build a garage, I suppose that's fine, although I highly doubt it would be profitable. But there's certainly no reason for the city to subsidize parking in a highly dense neighborhood with very low car ownership rates. (Or anywhere else, for that matter.)

 

If you ask me, the real objection may have been the offset bus lane...which would have set up an utter mess on the eastern end of 125 Street approaching the RFK Bridge with only one regular traffic lane.

 

The offset bus lane would have ended west of 3rd.

[BrooklynIRT]

..and I was told that driving in NYC is not bad and eschewing cars in this city is not the answer to our transit issues and so on. riiiiiight..

[BreeddekalbL]

bump  and can we sticky this if possible please?

 

an airport growth group has chimed in  and are basiclly saying who cares ram it in there...  they say the scrapping was over the wards island bus relocation    but it was over parking spaces right?

 

A coalition aimed at spurring improvements in the region’s airports is calling on the city Department of Transportation and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to reverse their decision to kill a high-speed bus route from Harlem to La Guardia Airport.

Leaders of the Global Gateway Alliance — which promotes airport growth — along with the heads of the Regional Plan Association and a labor leader wrote Wednesday to the DOT and MTA, urging that the decision to scrap a proposed Select Bus Service route along 125th Street to La Guardia be reconsidered.

“Despite the concerns of a few politicians in one neighborhood, killing the 125th Street route is a giant step backward,” the group wrote to DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and MTA President Thomas Prendergast. “ We strongly urge you to reconsider and allow the route to go forward.”

The 125th Street SBS route was scrapped in July after some community leaders in Harlem objected to the plans for the bus route. SBS routes, a joint effort of the city and MTA, use less-frequent stops, off-board fare collection, and, in some places dedicated lanes in an attempt to speed up the progress of buses through arterial routes around the city.

In July, after the announcement that the city would drop plans to extend an SBS route across Harlem on 125th Street and into Queens, community board officialsacknowledged that a significant part of their objection had been a lingering dispute with the MTA over the location of a bus stop that connects the 125th Street corridor with a shelter on nearby Wards Island.

In the letter dated Wednesday, the transportation advocacy groups urge the city and MTA to overlook those concerns in light of the advantage that a quicker connection to La Guardia would provide to business travelers in New York City.

In addition to GGA Chairman Joseph Sitt and RPA President Robert Yaro, the letter was signed by Stuart Applebaum, a GGA vice president and president of the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union.

“Progress shouldn’t stop at a few SBS routes.  NYCDOT and the MTA should also develop additional Rapid Bus Services to further improve public transportation from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island, and Manhattan to LaGuardia Airport,” the group wrote. “In particular, improving access from boroughs outside Manhattan is responsive to the reality of both residential growth throughout the City and the emergence of thriving business districts like Long Island City and Downtown Brooklyn.”

The letter also urges the completion of a direct rail link to La Guardia — a perennial and perpetually elusive goal of the city’s transportation planners.

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/08/28/calls-for-return-of-scrapped-harlem-bus-line/

[Mysterious2train]

Both issues had a part in the decision to cancel the project although the 2nd blog post does a good job of making it sound like the M35 stop is a cause.

 

M35 or not, I think the intersection of Lex and 125 will always be congested. Moving the M35 stop won't address the problem of people from Wards Island loitering.

[AndrewJC]

bump  and can we sticky this if possible please?

 

an airport growth group has chimed in  and are basiclly saying who cares ram it in there...  they say the scrapping was over the wards island bus relocation    but it was over parking spaces right?

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/08/28/calls-for-return-of-scrapped-harlem-bus-line/

 

CB11 withdrew support for M60 SBS in "retaliation" for the MTA's not agreeing to move the M35.

 

http://www.cb11m.org/files/MTA%20Bianco%20DOT%20Forgione%20-%20CB11%20letter%20on%20M60%20Select%20Bus%20Service%207-10-13.pdf

 

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/07/17/issues-with-one-bus-stop-scrapped-an-entire-line-in-harlem/?mod=WSJBlog&mod=WSJ_NY_NY_Blog

 

I agree fully with Josiah's comment on the WSJ article:

•  

• 11:29 am July 18, 2013

• Josiah wrote:

I don’t get it. The MTA doesn’t listen to you on an issue, so you punish bus-riding working-class people to get back at them?

Shame on you, Mr. Washington.

 

 

[Mysterious2train]

So they want the M35 to pick up on 125 St. Alright, I can see the logic in that, but I feel like having the M35 sharing a bus stop with the Bx15, M60 and M100 is just asking for trouble. If we assume the M60 SBS would have its own stop space further up the block, I guess that would make it a little better. Where would M35s from Randalls Island drop people off and layover? Would CB11 be ok with the current spot, or would they want it on 126 St or something? I guess the X80 would have to do whatever the M35 does. It seems like CB11 will resist any big change the MTA tries to implement until the M35 stop is moved.

[BreeddekalbL]

bump

ABOUT DOT Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Release #13-55

October 11, 2013
Seth Solomonow (212) 839-4850 NYC DOT, MTA and State Sen. Perkins Announce 125th St. Select Bus Service to Start in April 2014, Streetscape Improvements to be Installed Along the Entire Corridor M60 SBS to bring faster, more reliable bus service to one of the borough’s most-used routes, reducing congestion on Harlem’s busiest corridor Project includes addition of attractive street lights, new pedestrian wayfinding signs to corridor

New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast and State Sen. Bill Perkins today announced that M60 Select Bus Service (SBS) will launch in April 2014, speeding the commutes of more than 30,000 bus passengers who travel on 125th Street routes daily. Using dedicated bus lanes, consolidated stops and allowing passengers to pay before boarding the bus, the streamlined service will improve one of the borough’s most-used local bus routes, reducing congestion and providing faster, more reliable connections throughout Harlem and with LaGuardia Airport. DOT and MTA conducted more than 50 meetings with the community and elected officials over the last year, and following extensive outreach to address specific concerns with the community this summer, the project is now proceeding with support from local elected officials, including Sen. Perkins, State Sen. Adriano Espaillat and City Council Member Melissa Mark-Viverito. DOT also announced streetscape improvements planned for 125th Street, including the planned installation of the city’s first City Lights—62 attractive and energy-efficient new LED street lights from Morningside Avenue to Fifth Avenue using $500,000 in funding from Assembly Member Keith Wright. The project will also bring the City’s new pedestrian wayfinding system to 125th Street, with maps at all 12 SBS stations, and equipped with real-time bus arrival information and new parking spaces will be established along parts of 124th and 126th streets. DOT and MTA will continue to advise the community and inform them of details as the project moves forward.

“With new businesses and historic destinations drawing record numbers of visitors to the heart of Harlem, 125th Street has never been more dynamic, yet congestion has kept buses at a standstill,” said Commissioner Sadik-Khan. “By bringing dedicated bus lanes and speeding up boarding times, SBS will provide a lifeline to thousands of residents and visitors and bring world-class streetscapes to one of the world’s most famous streets.”

“The 125th Street corridor is a vital thoroughfare for Harlem residents and businesses alike,” said MTA Chairman and CEO Thomas F. Prendergast. “I’m glad we will be able to improve service for our customers while still maintaining commercial loading zones for businesses in the area. Select Bus Service will speed up bus service by as much as 20 percent on the M60 where half of the route’s boardings and alightings happen right on 125th Street.”

“I am happy to announce Select Bus Service will come to the 125th Street corridor after a thorough community task force vetting which included the residents, businesses, disabled communities and the local community boards,” said Senator Perkins. “I am satisfied that this a service that will be of benefit to the community and look forward to its successful use by my constituents and the community at large. However, the task force and I will continue to monitor its progress and share input with DOT as this service moves forward.”

“I’m very pleased that the DOT has been able to bring a home a project we’ve long awaited,” said Assembly Member Wright. “The new lighting, the first of its kind in New York City, will bring much added value to the commerce along our busy corridor. The 125th Street BID, led by Barbara Askins, deserves to be commended for its perseverance.”

“Streetscape improvements represent a major concern for both property owners and merchants across 125th Street,” said Barbara Askins, President and CEO of the 125th Street Business Improvement District. “The Select Bus Service is a critical first step for developing a comprehensive Streetscape and Transportation Plan for 125th Street. The state-of-the-art wayfinding signage and the attractive LED lights are critical aesthetic elements and amenities consistent with the BIDs goal of providing a safe, walkable environment for residents and visitors alike. We look forward to continuing our work with the DOT, MTA and the community to improve safety and accessibility and create a vibrant 125th Street.”

The M60, which serves more than 17,000 riders alone, is one of the slowest routes across 125th Street, often traveling slower than pedestrians on the route. The new M60 SBS will be the city’s seventh SBS line and is expected to reduce bus travel times by about 20 percent— cutting crosstown trips by five minutes, and helping increase ridership. SBS routes across the city already serve more than 100,000 daily riders.

The M60 SBS will replace the M60 local, and the number of stops on 125th Street will be reduced from 11 to six, maintaining connections to Metro North and all subway lines at St. Nicholas Avenue/Frederick Douglass Boulevard, Lenox Avenue, Madison Avenue/Park Avenue, and Lexington Avenue, as well as M15 Select Bus Service at Second Avenue. In order to provide faster bus service on 125th Street and balancing the needs of other motorists on the corridor, offset, dedicated bus lanes for buses will be installed in both directions between Lenox Avenue and Second Avenue, at the approach to the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge. These bus lanes, which will be available to right-turning vehicles at intersections, are expected to reduce congestion for all vehicles on the corridor by preventing double parking and reducing the need for frequent lane changes—one of the biggest contributors to delay. To further reduce double parking, commercial loading zones during the morning rush hour will be added at select locations, allowing delivery trucks access to the curb, and the existing alternate-side parking regulations east of Fifth Avenue will be converted to metered parking, increasing parking turnover. Additionally, new left-turn restrictions at Fifth Avenue and Lexington Avenue will improve safety for pedestrians by eliminating potential conflicts and further reducing congestion caused by vehicles blocking through traffic.

All 11 existing bus stops will continue to be served by the others routes on the corridor: the Bx15, M100 and M101, and these local routes will also use the dedicated bus lanes and will see quicker travel times through the improved lane configuration. At these six M60 SBS stops, riders will also use off-board fare machines to pay for their ride before boarding, and then using any door to board the bus, eliminating the need to swipe cards upon boarding, and reducing the amount of time the bus spends at each station. New bus shelters will be installed at 12 SBS stations, and each will be lengthened to allow buses to more easily reach the curb.

The announcement route is in the City’s efforts to expand faster, more reliable and sustainable transportation choices for New Yorkers as set forth in PlaNYC, the City’s long-term sustainability agenda. The M60 will be the seventh SBS route since the start of Bx12 SBS service on Fordham Road in 2008. Improvements on this line and the M15 and M34 routes in Manhattan, the S79 in Staten Island, and on recently launched the Bx41 SBS service on Webster Avenue have improved bus speeds by as much as 20 percent and attracted new riders, with passenger satisfaction at up to 98 percent. Additional SBS routes will be launched later this year on Nostrand and Rogers avenues in Brooklyn, and the MTA recently announced enhanced service on the Q70, connecting Woodside and LaGuardia Airport.

• Download a one-page summary of the project (pdf)
• Download a rendering of the new street lights (pdf)
• Download a flyer on the project (pdf)
  http://a841-tfpweb.nyc.gov/dotpress/2013/10/125th-select-bus-service/

[qjtransitmaster]

More Q70s? I guess it caught on faster than I thought.