#bus-priority

#bus-priority

The city's beleaguered bus riders have languished at the bottom of the political food chain for decades forced to endure the city's slowest-in-the-nation buses as the political elite has prioritized the needs of drivers, businesses, app companies and, frankly, itself. Mamdani has promised to change that, but the history of transportation suggests it will be a struggle to get the people in charge to use their power to make the streets better for cyclists, pedestrians and bus riders.

Known as the Flatbush Avenue bus priority project, the goal is get city buses moving faster. According to the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), the average bus speed on Flatbush Avenue is often four mph. Citywide, bus speeds have been reported as slow as eight mph. DOT and transit advocates have said that center-running bus lanes and other enhancements on the corridor will speed up bus travel, in part, by reducing traffic congestion.

"Everything has to be assessed on its merits, and the merit that we are measuring these projects by is whether or not they deliver for working class New Yorkers who are currently taking the slowest buses in the country."