Bus lanes in New York City

Bus lane on Broadway in Manhattan, painted with the words "BUS ONLY"

New York City has a system of bus lanes that are intended to give priority to buses, which contain more occupants than passenger and commercial vehicles. In 2010 the city began enforcing the rule by placing cameras that take photos and videos of violators. There have been controversies on the legitimacy of the bus lanes due to the resulting increased traffic and the methods used to enforce bus lanes during their operating hours.

Types of bus lanes

A curbside bus lane is a bus lane that runs along the curb. Vehicles are not allowed to park or stand this lane.^[1][2]

An offset bus lane is a bus lane that is one lane away from the curb. In this setup, vehicles are able to park or stand at the curb, but are not allowed to double park or stop on the bus lane.^[1][2]

Notable corridors with bus lanes

The main routes on these corridors are listed.

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

In Manhattan:

• First Avenue (northbound, between Houston and 58th Streets as well as between 61st and 125th Streets) and Second Avenue (southbound, between Houston and 68th Streets, as well as between 100th and 125th Streets) – M15^[3][4]
• Third Avenue (northbound, between 36th and 58th Streets) – M101, M102, M103 northbound^[3][4]
• Fifth Avenue (southbound, between 34th and 86th Streets) – M1, M2, M3, M4, M5 southbound^[3][4]
• Sixth Avenue (northbound, between 40th St and 57th Streets) – M5, M7 northbound^[3][4]
• Seventh Avenue (southbound, between 23rd and 42nd Streets) – M7, M20 northbound^[3][4]
• Eighth Avenue (northbound, between 42nd and 57th Streets) – M20 northbound^[3][4]
• 34th Street (between 11th and 1st Avenues) – M34 and M34A^[3][4]
• 42nd Street (between Dyer and 3rd Avenues) – M42^[3][4]
• 57th Street (between 8th and 2nd Avenues) – M31, M57^[3][4]
• 125th Street (between Lenox and 2nd Avenues) – M60, M100, M101, Bx15^[4][5][6][7]
• 181st Street (between Broadway and 9th Avenue; for George Washington Bridge Bus Station) – Bx3, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35, Bx36^[3][4]
• 207th Street (between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue) – Bx12^[3][4]
• Broadway (southbound, between Bowling Green and Houston Street) – M5, Staten Island express routes southbound^[3][4]
• Church Street (northbound, between Battery Place and Warren Street) – M5, Staten Island express routes northbound^[3][4]
• Convent Avenue (between 135th and 145th Streets; for City College of New York) – School buses only (no MTA buses)^[3]
• Lexington Avenue (southbound, between 30th and 96th Streets) – M101, M102, M103 southbound^[3][4]
• Madison Avenue (northbound, between 42nd and 59th Streets) – M1, M2, M3, M4 northbound^[3][4]

In Queens:

• Archer Avenue (between Sutphin and Merrick Boulevards) – Bus routes leading to Jamaica Center^[3][8]
• Hillside Avenue (between Merrick and Francis Lewis Boulevards) – Q1, Q36, Q43^[3][8]
• Jamaica Avenue (between Sutphin Boulevard and 168th Street) – Q110^[3][8]
• Main Street (between Northern Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway) – Q20A/B and Q44^[8][9][10]
• Woodhaven Boulevard (between Queens Boulevard and Metropolitan Avenue) – Q11, Q21, Q52, and Q53^[8][11][12]

In Brooklyn:

• Flatbush Avenue (at Grand Army Plaza) – B41^[3][13]
• Fulton Mall and Fulton Street (between Boerum Place and South Oxford Street) – B25, B26, B38, B52^[3][13]
• Livingston Street (between Boerum Place and Flatbush Avenue) – B41, B45, B67, B103^[3][13]
• Nostrand Avenue (southbound, between Flushing Avenue and Flatbush Avenue) – B44 southbound^[13][14]
• Oriental Boulevard (eastbound, between Jaffrey and Norfolk Streets; for Kingsborough Community College) B1, B49^[3][13]
• Rockaway Parkway (between Glenwood Road and Flatlands Avenue; for Canarsie – Rockaway Parkway subway station) – B42^[3][13]
• Utica Avenue (between Carroll Street and Eastern Parkway) – B46^[3][13]

In Staten Island:

• Hylan Boulevard (between Lily Pond and Midland Avenues) – S59, S78, S79^[3][15]
• Father Capodanno Boulevard (between Lily Pond and Midland Avenues) – S61, S62, S81^[3][15]
• Richmond Avenue (near the Staten Island Mall and near Hylan Boulevard) – S59, S79, S89^[15][16]
• Victory Boulevard (between Forest Avenue and Bay Street) – S61, S62, S66, S91, S92^[3][15]

In the Bronx:

• Webster Avenue (between 166th Street and Gun Hill Road) – Bx41^[17][18]
• Fordham Road and Pelham Parkway (between Sedgwick Avenue and Southern Boulevard) – Bx12^[3][17]

Rules

Bus lane on Nostrand Avenue in Brooklyn

Emergency vehicles and buses are the only vehicles with unrestricted access to the bus lane during the hours that the bus lane is in effect.^[2] During that time, it is permitted to enter a bus lane and drive for a maximum of 200 feet (61 m) in order to make an immediate right turn, or to enter a driveway.^[1][2] It is also permitted to be in the bus lane to actively engage in curbside parking.^[1][2] Finally, delivery trucks can enter bus lanes to make drop-offs or pick-ups at residences or businesses, but only when bus lanes are not in effect.^[2]

Enforcement

In 2010, the city gained authorization from the state to begin placing hidden traffic cameras on gantries above the bus lanes. The cameras take photos of the vehicles driving through the bus lane, along with their license plates. A fine of $115 to $150 is then mailed to the registrant's address.^[1][2][19] The New York City Police Department also enforces the bus lanes by issuing parking and moving violations to violators.^[1] In 2014, according to the Independent Budget Office, ³⁄₄ of bus lane violations were captured on camera, contributing to $41 million worth of traffic violations captured by traffic cameras in that year.^[20]

Automated cameras have advantages over manual police enforcement because they don't make errors, are not disputable, free the police for more important issues, and add revenue to the city without the cost of human officers. However, there were cases where the cameras were reported to be used as traps and the legitimacy was disputed.^[21] Another disadvantage was that some drivers received violations for momentarily entering the bus lane to avoid a collision, or taking too long to exit the bus lane as a result of traffic jams.^[22]

Woodhaven Boulevard bus lane north of Metropolitan Avenue in Queens

Prior to installing the bus lane cameras, there were disputes between the MTA and the City of New York over who will get the revenue from the tickets. At first the MTA refused to allow the cameras until the city would agree to split the revenue.^[23][24] The city regularly reports revenue from violations issued by the automated cameras.^[21] In one instance a camera issued nearly 7,200 violations in a two-month period, translating to an average of 115 tickets a day, and raising about $823,000 in fine revenue.^[21]

Controversies

While bus lanes reduce the time for bus commuters, it creates traffic jams and increases travel time for other vehicles. On one bus lane, some drivers reported that travel times had more than doubled, and residents reported increased honking and pollution, despite a study by the NYCDOT indicating that there would not be increased traffic for other vehicles.^[25] The cameras allow for a temporary stop to pick up/drop off passengers at curbside bus lanes, but cab drivers are concerned that customers may take longer than usual to arrange payment, which may result in a fine.^[19]

In one incident in 2014, the city delayed mailing out the violations for a few months, causing violators to receive multiple tickets that added up to as much as $7,000.^[26] According to one commentator for The New York Times, this did not serve the purpose of the cameras, which were to educate drivers and keep the bus lanes empty of cars.^[19] The city agreed to review the violations and to keep each driver liable only for the first violation they received.^[26] There was a bus lane camera on Staten Island that gave tickets to drivers who failed to make an immediate right turn, even though it was not possible to make the right turn, since the next possible turn was a private driveway or a one-way street that had traffic running in the opposite direction. One retired police officer showed that his ticket was withheld by the judge and the appeals system. The city eventually turned off the camera.^[21][27]

See also

• Select Bus Service – a MTA bus route variant that uses exclusive bus lanes

References

1. New York City. "Bus Lane Rules". New York City. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
2. "5 Things You Should Know About New York City Bus Lanes" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
3. "Bus Lanes in New York City" (PDF). nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
4. "Manhattan Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
5. "Transit & Bus Committee Meeting February 2014" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). February 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 24, 2014. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
6. Solmonow, Seth. "NYC DOT, MTA and State Sen. Perkins Announce 125th St. Select Bus Service to Start in April 2014, Streetscape Improvements to be Installed Along the Entire Corridor". nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 12, 2013.
7. "LaGuardia Airport Access Alternatives Analysis Public Meeting #1" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. June 22, 2011. Retrieved December 24, 2015.
8. "Queens Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
9. "Flushing To Jamaica Select Bus Service: January 22, 2015: Public Open House" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation. January 22, 2015. Retrieved July 6, 2015.
10. "Flushing to Jamaica Select Bus Service Public Workshop October 7, 2014" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transit Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation. October 7, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2016.
11. "Woodhaven / Cross Bay Boulevard (Q52/53) Community Advisory Committee Meeting #5" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation. December 15, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2015.
12. "Woodhaven / Cross Bay Boulevard (Q52/53) Public Design Workshop: Woodhaven Blvd from Union Tpke to Rockaway Blvd" (PDF). nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation. April 16, 2015. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
13. "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
14. "Nostrand Ave. Trolley Makes Way for MTA New York City Transit Select Bus Service". mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York). October 10, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
15. "Staten Island Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
16. "Bus Rapid Transit – Hylan Boulevard". nyc.gov. Metropolitan Transportation Authority (New York), New York City Department of Transportation. September 2, 2012. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
17. "Bronx Bus Map" (PDF). mta.info. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
18. "Bus Rapid Transit – Webster Avenue". nyc.gov. New York City Department of Transportation. June 30, 2013. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
19. HUGHES, C. J. (November 22, 2010). "Cameras Monitor Trespassing in Bus Lanes". New York Times. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
20. Rivoli, Dan (January 30, 2016). "NYC will crack down on drivers using Harlem bus lane". NY Daily News. Retrieved April 4, 2016.
21. Editorial (July 31, 2014). "Bus lane cameras are a 'reversible error'". Slive.com (Slive.com). Retrieved March 4, 2015.
22. Editorial (October 14, 2013). "Ticket burden on the DOT: Bus lane cameras mistakenly cited law-abiding drivers on Staten Island". Slive.com. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
23. Kabak, Benjamin (June 14, 2012). "Reaping the spoils of bus lane enforcement". 2nd Avenue Sagas. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
24. Susan (June 12, 2012). "MTA wants to share revenues from bus lane tickets". The Transit Wire. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
25. Sharp, Sonja (January 13, 2014). "Crown Heights, Prospect Heights & Prospect-Lefferts GardensTransportation Brooklyn's New B44 Express Bus Causes Traffic Nightmare, Residents Say". DNAinfo. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
26. Ned, Berke (July 29, 2014). "City Agrees To Nix Nostrand Ave Bus Lane Violations After Finding Backlog – Here’s How To Fight Your Ticket". SHEEPSHEAD BITES. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
27. MOCKERPIX11 AND GREG MOCKER (September 5, 2013). "Bus lane camera in NYC turned off after drivers complain". PIX 11. Retrieved March 4, 2015.

External links

• MTA official website