The select buses are a disaster. I now never get a seat boarding by Ave A; the buses are slower and more crowded; they separated the M14A and M14D bus stops at Ave A, so seniors and others have to run across several lanes of traffic to catch the other M14 bus, if they are waiting at the wrong bus stop. And to get a ticket at a machine is almost inaccessible because of construction. The machine is almost always located at the end of the block so people have to cross a full Avenue, and run to the machine at end of the block, only to have the bus drivers gleefully close the doors in front of their face.
There are no parking spaces, between the subway construction and bike lanes and bike rentals taking all the spaces.
Thank you for making NYC even more unlivable MTA!
1
The idea is to make the idea of taking a car into New York Just not worth the hassle.
So, this is working.
Ferdinand Bolatraat in Amsterdam runs north-south through the southern heart of the city and is mostly occupied by trams and bicycles. It has the same 1-block drive rule.
It is fantastic.
It's only been one day and already I can see that the 14th St. closure is a disaster. At 8pm last night, the West Side Highway heading downtown was backed up all the way to Midtown due to all of the cars trying to turn left at 16th and 14th St. None of this makes any sense. It doesn't reduce the number of cars and more cars idling in traffic means more air pollution, higher taxi/Uber fares, longer trip times, etc. This is on top of the years of removing traffic lanes, building new curbs and instituting extra long delayed green lights. All of this has done nothing but aggravate/intensify traffic while doing nothing about addressing the root of the problem - too many cars. Why are they not tolling all of the East River bridges in lockstep with the Hudson River crossings, i.e., $16 to enter the city? That alone would solve every traffic problem in Manhattan.
3
Unfortunately, this is going to make it extremely hard for any customers with disabilities using Access-A-Ride. I've already heard dozens of complaints, including my own, of the NYPD not letting AAR vehicles (including FHV's that work with AAR) go onto 14th st.
The city forgets that people with disabilities have long memories and we vote as well!
2
While I support this, I live on Avenue C - this won't help any of us east of 3rd avenue - the 14 bus will still travel at a snailspace up to 3rd ave, which is stupid since most of the people get off at the next stop which is Union Square. Why not make ban cars all the way to Avenue C?
1
I see the results and it is a disaster to the residents of the local neighborhood. Arthur Schwartz was correct in his Lawsuit to stop the Busway. 14th Street is empty and all vehicle traffic is jammed on street not meant to be thoroughfares. The economy on the Avenues is ruined. Bad enough that so many Stores are Vacant. The Mayor and Dot Commissioner Trottenberg should fired. The lifeblood of the City is to promote Commerce. The 14th street Busway is stifling the neighborhood.
6
From the And Finally section; “Drink at several design showrooms during a cocktail crawl in the Flatiron and NoMad neighborhoods. The event is Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.
Finally, unwind at the Heritage Ball and After-Party at Chelsea Piers on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m."
To me, the line-up of lectures, tours and films feels so educational, but this at the end sounds like a lot of drinking and not all that much solid food. If you decide to unwind from a cocktail crawl an an after-party, be aware there are cameras in everyone's phone, and your business rivals will see them and retweet them. :)
Tune of "Try to Remember" [an October vacation]
Try to stay sober
When you’re at Archtober.
And keep in mind a rule to follow:
Know in Archtober
If you don’t stay sober,
The “selfies” may be hard to swallow.
What’s at Archtober
Won’t stay at Archtober,
If you are not blessed with a leg that’s hollow
After October,
Those shots at Archtober still follow.
From the And Finally section; “Drink at several design showrooms during a cocktail crawl in the Flatiron and NoMad neighborhoods. The event is Oct. 23 at 6 p.m.
Finally, unwind at the Heritage Ball and After-Party at Chelsea Piers on Oct. 24 at 6 p.m."
To me, the line-up of lectures, tours and films feels so educational, but this at the end sounds like a lot of drinking and not all that much solid food. If you decide to unwind from a cocktail crawl an an after-party, be aware there are cameras in everyone's phone, and your business rivals will see them and retweet them. :)
Tune of "Try to Remember" [an October variation]
Try to stay sober
When you’re at Archtober.
And keep in mind a rule to follow:
Know in Archtober
If you don’t stay sober,
The “selfies” may be hard to swallow.
What’s at Archtober
Won’t stay at Archtober,
If you are not blessed with a leg that’s hollow
After October,
Those shots at Archtober still follow.
Finally the mayor does something genuinely helpful for the tyranny of traffic in the city. I remember waiting in a stalled bus for half an hour just to get from 8th to 3rd. Now he needs to step it up and ban cars on other crosstown thoroughfares like 34th and 42nd. Let’s see if he has the courage and vision to do so.
5
The mayor has ‘vision zero’, so to speak, on most things.
1
14th Street and Congestion Parking are ill informed efforts. As a New Yorker who votes, Cory Johnson or any city council representative will have a difficult time securing my support for a mayoral run. Some of us need to drive to work to be able to support the bureaucrats.
4
It is naive of Real Estate Lackey Bill De Blasio, and the ill-informed and unqualified Polly Trottenberg to think that 21,000 cars are just going to disappear. Instead, they are just going to travel on 12,13,15 and 16th Street, making life harder for everyone.
What these officials don't understand- ast hey are driven in their chauffeured vehicles with police escorts, is that car usage is up in New York City, and it's going to continue to increase. True, ridership on the mass transit system is up too- that's because our very own failed presidential candidate keeps giving land away to developers who build giant buildings, attracting more and more people to the city.
Mr. de Blasio and Ms. Trottenberg are engaged in a pipe dream if they think this will lead to even one less car. It is time the city had leaders who were capable of simple math.
8
Doesn’t mean a thing except traffic slowed on the side streets. Construction sites block bus lanes on 14th St and 23rd St.
Trucks will block lanes as will cars, taxis and Uber etc dropping passengers.
5
Houston St will need to pick up some of the traffic.
The corner of Broadway and Houston is always clogged.
Southbound Broadway always blocks crosstown Houston.
We need a traffic cop there.
Can the NYT lay a hand on a map of exactly what is and is not allowed now.
Eg., Can I travel south on Irving and turn onto 14th and turn left or right ?
2
To The New York Times:
It would be appreciated if the NYT would report on the MTA’s decision to eliminate several bus stops on the M14.
This is a significant problem for bus riders, particularly elderly and the disabled.
Worth noting: Bus service continues to be cut while the bicycling infrastructure is expanded.
8
@SLM , there are far too many bus stops, and the additional stops slows down the service. You can't have a stop every 100 ft. and expect to have a functional system.
2
Osito,
Of course additional stops will slow down the service, but I don't think anyone is looking for stops every 100 feet.
Just restore the stops that were eliminated.
4
@Osito
Lived here my whole life. Bus stops are not the problem.
A related issue is that since 2010, the MTA has also cut bus frequency . The “on-time” metric masks the lack of frequency
1
I don't really see how relocating traffic to surrounding streets will help ease congestion but rather just relocate it elsewhere with them carrying the burden.
8
The bus is a horror.
A pipe dream, of course, but imagine Midtown Manhattan without any honking cars. Automobile transportation on a crowded, narrow island is irrational but there appear to be no viable solutions. Still nice to dream though.
4
Forgive me if I do not feel that the inconvenience of a few people who choose to drive personal cars through the middle of Manhattan is relevant to a change that will benefit thousands of bus riders and pedestrians every day. I look forward to strolling down 14th St. as a pedestrian without the blare of horns and choking exhaust of frustrated drivers stuck in traffic.
25
@GW; Forgive me if I have a problem with massive amounts of cars being re-routed onto 13th and 12th Streets, which have been narrowed to ONE lane each, effectively.
Also, you don't seem to care that someone coming home from a hospital or medical visit in a taxi is going to pay through the nose for this re-routing. Too bad if you went to your doctor on 1st Avenue and need to get home to your apartment on 14th and 8th Ave. - just crawl on your hands & knees, that's de Blah-sio's plan, I guess. He doesn't care, b/c HE is always in an SUV convoy.
7
Going one block south or north is "paying through the nose"? What is the cost to society of all the congestion?
Also: "Drivers are allowed onto the street only to make deliveries and pick up and drop off passengers from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week."
9
Regarding costs in general. I think many drivers will risk the $50 fine for the convenience, if they have enough money that losing $50 won't hurt, which I'd think so many who absolutely MUST use their car on 14th Street will be able to afford. But the $250 after that will likely make individuals think twice.
Yet for businesses needing to use 14th Street, it'll be just like trucks needing to illegally double-park to pick up or deliver, where they rack up the fine as a necessary cost of doing business.
1
Anybody familiar with that obstacle course known as 14th Street has every reason to be dubious about this new plan.
Like just about everything else the MTA undertakes, it looks great on paper (the new Select Bus Service comes to mind, with it's faulty machines that periodically break down or run out of paper which means a $100 fine if the Controllers come on board or a trip to Brooklyn to fight it).
The neighboring side streets are sure to bear the brunt of this decision -- but maybe that means buses will now be able to crawl at 4.6 miles per hour.
7
On the radio I heard a DOT spokesperson say that on 14th Street the average speed of buses is 5 mph and that this nit-wit plan was expected to speed buses up by 20%.
If that pans out buses will now speed up to a whopping 6 mph.
This is worth the inconvenience and the harm to businesses who depend on car traffic?
10
@MIKEinNYC: Of course it's NOT worth it, but that never enters into the MTA's or the DOT's thinking!
3
We have congestions because we have 13,000 cabs and over 100,000 Ubers and more and more deliveries. Right now, 41% of New Yorkers receive a package at least 2X per week. Think about that! South of 60th Street, 85% of people either walk or bike or take transit. Cars and trucks just take up a disproportionate amount of space, especially the SUV TLC's, which roam and clog the streets. On the buses: 14th Street has the slowest buses in the city, averaging about 4 mph. We need to move people in this city, not cars. And many more people are moved by foot, bike or transit.
21
@Janet Liff: And what about the elderly, the disabled, the infirm? Do they just need to leave NYC?
NYC needs to take Ubers off the streets, and problem solved. But the mayor is too cowardly to do that.
7
How? How do you legally stop Uber, Lyft and all the other ride hailing services?
It's no wonder there is congestion when so many cross streets and avenues have been reduced to one lane - instead of two or three - Buses run about every ten minutes, so the lanes are empty for nine - that when they run on schedule - When they don't the lanes are empty for up to 15 - 20...
Traffic turning in to narrower streets will create even more congestion.
What about the bikers?
6
@Anne: The bikers have their own lanes, which doesn't matter to them, since so many choose to ride IN traffic. The bikers are the least of my concerns; they have their own lobbyists. I'm concerned that as a senior citizen, I can't take a taxi home from a medical appointment BECAUSE I live on 14th St.
7
Yesterday evening traffic on the east side of manhattan backed up beyond the Queensboro bridge at 60th st in areas that usually do not have traffic tie ups, as no one could drive downtown due to the 14th st closure. Closing down a major crosstown street reverberates throughout the city. This is an irresponsible move. A wider plan should evaluate how changes reverberate throughout the city
I have been using 12th and 13th Streets instead of 14th Street to go crosstown for decades. Banning most traffic on 14th Street can only be successful if the surrounding streets are kept clear so that traffic can flow smoothly. I have my doubts.
9
The traffic on 14th Street may be eased, but the nearby streets?
The residents and businesses that depend on the firehouses on 13th, 14th, 18th, and 19th Streets will just have to wait longer until help arrives.
10