MTA Bus president rides new upper Manhattan busway with city officials

Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Bus Company President Craig Cipriano, along with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Department of Transportation Commissioner Hank Gutman, New York City Council Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez and other city officials, on a Bx36 bus ride on the newly launched 181 St. Busway.

181 St. is one of the busiest and most congested corridors in Manhattan, resulting in average bus speeds of less than four miles per hour prior to the busway, slowing connections for bus riders to the A and 1 trains and the six bus routes traveling on the north-south avenues.  Bus speeds on the busway have increased by 30 percent, with greater improvement expected as more automobile drivers become aware of the new rules.

The busway in Washington Heights will bring transit priority to 181 St. between Broadway and Amsterdam Av in the eastbound direction, and Amsterdam Av to Wadsworth Av in the westbound direction. Through-traffic is limited to buses, trucks and emergency vehicles. Cars, taxis and vans must make the next available right turn off the busway. Local access and parking are allowed, with improved truck loading and parking meter regulations.

In the coming weeks, bus lane enforcement cameras will be installed by NYCDOT to monitor the corridor, with drivers receiving warnings for the first 60 days. Following the warning period, bus lane violations will be issued to any prohibited vehicle using the bus lane. The violations, which start at $50 for a first offense and escalate to $250 for multiple violations, will work in tandem with transit signal priority, a technology that extends green lights when buses approach and shortens the time buses spend at red lights.

“With this latest edition of busways, we will ultimately benefit over 340,000 daily bus customers across 29 routes,” said Cipriano at a press conference prior to the bus ride. “And as Commissioner Gutman already said, tens of thousands of bus customers have already seen their commutes get better by about 30 percent. Bus speeds have been seen to increase preliminarily by 30 percent right here on 181 St. and we're excited about that.”