New York DOT Backs Out on Bronx Busway

The New York City Department of Transportation (NYCDOT) is backing out of plans to build a busway on Fordham Road after encountering opposition from local business improvement districts (BIDs) that claim the busway would harm local businesses that “rely on car-dependent customers” and that have won support from local institutions such as the Bronx Zoo and St. Barnabas Hospital. Writing in Streetsblog NYC, Dave Colon points out that “A litany of surveys debunk this claim — including one this past March that found just 6 percent of people who drive to Little Italy on Arthur Avenue oppose a busway.”

According to Colon, the revised plan, which will “shift existing bus lanes away from the curb and extend them by several blocks” instead of a full busway, “will provide the least benefit for long-suffering bus riders.” City Council Member Pierina Sanchez expressed concern that the new plan won’t offer “significant improvements” in travel times. “DOT predicts a 20-percent bus speed improvement from the offset bus lanes versus a 30-percent speed improvement from a busway, according to a DOT spokesperson, who added that every project is unique, and as such cannot be compared to others.”

In a petition, the Riders Alliance calls on the Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden to “stop fighting against better bus service now and use their substantial power to amplify riders’ demand for a busway.”