BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Following Thursday’s surprise announcement that the city plans to do an experimental program on 14th St. to prioritize buses and trucks, and force cars to veer off the street after just one block, some of the area’s politicians voiced concerns about the plan’s potential impacts on the community — and stressed that it must truly be treated as a pilot program.
Issuing the joint statement were Congressmember Jerrold Nadler, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, state Senator Brad Hoylman and Assemblymembers Richard Gottfried and Deborah Glick.
“The decision by the New York City Department of Transportation and M.T.A. to pilot a Transit/Truck Priority lanes on 14th St. raises many concerning issues for our constituents who reside on the blocks to the immediate north and south of 14th St.,” the politicians said.
“Our constituents have serious concerns, which we share, about the impacts of this plan on our neighborhoods, including how rerouted traffic could impact local side streets. The Department of Transportation must develop a comprehensive plan that truly mitigates traffic impacts on side streets in addition to ensuring that trucks are routed onto 14th St.
“The Department of Transportation has characterized this as a pilot program, and we strongly believe that it must be a true pilot, informed by data and with regularly scheduled, ongoing input by local residents, businesses, commuters, community boards and elected officials. The department must clearly define the metrics by which it will evaluate this program. We expect changes to be made as circumstances dictate.
“The impacted neighborhoods also must have a comprehensive and robust traffic enforcement agent presence to ensure that both 14th St. and the local streets to the north and south have consistent enforcement to move traffic safely and to protect pedestrians and cyclists.
“We will monitor this situation and we will be vigilant in fighting for what’s best for residents, businesses, mass transit users, pedestrians and cyclists.”
The so-called Transit/Truck Priority lanes program is slated to start in June on 14th St., between Third and Ninth Aves., and would run for at least around a year and a half. It would be daily and the hours being considered are reportedly 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
A scheme for a “busway” seemed to have been dropped when, earlier this year, Governor Cuomo scrapped the full L-train shutdown plan in favor of a “slowdown,” that will see repair work on the line’s East River tunnels be done on nights and weekends, but with trains always running in one tube. That work – and the L-train “slowdown” — was set to start Fri., April 26.
The 14th St. Coalition, a broad group of Village and Chelsea block associations, last year sued to stop the L-shutdown plan and the city’s proposed transportation mitigation measures, including the busway and new protected crosstown bike lanes on 12th and 13th Sts. Since the shutdown became a “slowdown,” the coalition has been watching warily to see what the city would try to do with 14th St.
Judy Pesin, a member of the coalition’s steering committee, slammed the latest plan as little more than “a retooled busway,” and said local politicians should not just be monitoring the scheme’s implementation — but must get out in front of it and critically assess it.
“We are angry about the mayor’s April 24 press release which introduced ‘an experimental new transit improvement on 14th St,’ piloting ‘Transit/Truck Priority lanes and disallowing through traffic from Third Ave. to Ninth Ave.,'” said Pesin, speaking on behalf of the coalition. “It’s a retooled busway that was said to support the 84,000 daily aboveground commuters resulting from the L-train closure. With the closure canceled and the hordes not arriving, the M.T.A./D.O.T. are continuing with this drastic plan with no reason except to speed up the buses — all while the L train is up and running.
“The experiment with a single lane of traffic in each direction and a 17-hour, seven-day vehicle ban doesn’t solve any problems on 14th St. How will buses speed up sharing a single lane with trucks and drop-offs and pickups? It will create problems on all neighboring streets by diverting cars and trucks — which don’t want the no-left-turn restrictions — over to our fragile side streets. And how will an emergency vehicle get through the single lanes? This plan puts us all at risk.”
Pesin continued, “According to the mayor, ‘This is an experiment that, if successful, could provide us another tool to move buses faster and save people valuable time for the things that matter.’ The mayor is saying that helping a commuter save 15 minutes travel time is more important than the safety and quality of life issues of those of us who live here.
“We are looking for our electeds to stand up for us and ask these questions before — not after — this pilot starts.”
Pesin noted that after the L-shutdown was scrapped, the M.T.A. and D.O.T. proposed two alternatives for 14th St., including one that allowed for four travel lanes, including two bus-priority lanes and two travel lanes.
“That plan has disappeared,” Pesin said of so-called “Option No. 2.” “Perhaps it was a sham all along. At least that design comes closer to addressing the real needs of both sides.”
Meanwhile, D.O.T. and Transit Authority officials were set to present updates on plans for M14 Select Bus Service and the 14th St. Truck/Transit Priority lanes pilot project to the Community Board 2 Traffic and Transportation Committee on Thurs., May 2. D.O.T. was also to make presentations on the 12th and 13th Sts. bike lanes, along with the new University Place “shared street,” at the same meeting. The committee meets at Meyer Hall / N.Y.U. Center for Neural Sciences, 4 Washington Place (west of Broadway), Room 102.
