Ridership Climbs After Bus Route Improvements in New York City

"The 14th Street Busway in Manhattan has sped things up for commuters in a big way," reports Mark Hallum.

That conclusion comes after the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released new data to show increasing ridership levels on the M14 since the city blocked cars from using 14th Street between Third and Ninth avenues in October. "With ridership up by an average of 19% on weekdays, and 25% during morning peak hours, the M14 appears to be a preference among commuters," according to Hallum. Commute times on the route have also dropped substantially, according to Hallum: 36 percent.

MTA officials also credited some of the success of the bus route to bus-mounted camera enforcement of cars breaking the rules on the corridor.