Fordham Busway, Boston Road, and Containerized Trash
For the 85,000 bus riders who use Fordham Road each week, a car-free busway was a popular, simple, and effective way to speed up their trips. Yet, Mayor Adams caved to powerful special interests and canceled the project. New York City’s buses are already the slowest in the nation, and the Fordham Road busway would have made a huge difference.
Mayor Adams' refusal to construct the Fordham Road busway leaves tens of thousands of bus riders, who are mostly women of color, behind. These are the facts: Last year, Mayor Adams vowed to complete Fordham Road and other bus priority projects. Yet, his administration failed to meet the NYC Streets Plan’s mandate of 20 new miles of bus lanes last year and is not on track to hit the requirement of 30 miles this year, either.
A survey of Fordham Road visitors found a majority arrived by transit or foot. Is prioritizing one person in a private car a more efficient use of space than prioritizing 50 people on a public bus? (Hint: It’s not) We know that converting car space into dedicated bus lanes is proven to create more jobs and bring significant economic benefits for small businesses and city budgets alike.
Mayor Adams has a legal mandate to make our streets safer. Decisions to water down projects like McGuinness Boulevard or cancel projects like Fordham Road make New Yorkers less safe. We can’t allow politics to get in the way of life-saving projects.
THREE THINGS TO KNOW
We need to make the Boston Road safe. Boston Road is a vital corridor in the northeast Bronx serving thousands of people every day. The current design of Boston Road — with its wide lanes, long crosswalks, diagonal intersections, and lack of bus lanes and bike lanes — does not serve the needs of most residents. Safety improvements are needed on Boston Road, and Mayor Adams has to fulfill his Streets Plan, so this project should be a no-brainer.
DSNY launched its latest containerized trash pilot in West Harlem — the department's biggest step towards modern waste management yet. West Harlem's new curbside containers put car space to higher use. By getting trash off our sidewalks, we can make our streets more accessible — and send rats packing.
In the news. Here's what we're reading this week:
Under a new MTA pilot program, which TA lobbied for this state budget session, five bus routes in each borough are now free, amNY reports.
East New York's longest protected bike lane was completed last week — measuring 3 miles, Patch reports.
Transportation advocates admit COVID has permanently changed how U.S. cities approach sustainable transportation, Streetsblog reports.
TWO THINGS TO DO
Join the NYC bike family to demand action to end cyclist deaths. We are on track to have the second-deadliest year for bike riders in recorded history. It doesn't have to be this way. To achieve Vision Zero, our leaders need the political will to put plans into action. This administration cannot ignore the NYC Streets Plan's legal mandates to build safe streets, including 50 miles of protected bike lanes this year. Join the NYC bike family on October 11 and demand ACTION from Mayor Adams and city officials to put an end to this epidemic of traffic violence.
Show your support for safe and accessible connections to the Kosciuszko Bridge. Between Queens and Brooklyn, the Kosciuszko Bridge serves as a major interborough connector for pedestrians and bike riders. In Queens, riders are unable to access the bridge through safe, protected bike paths, so they must use dangerous truck routes nearby. Queens residents deserve safe and protected bike connections to the Kosciuszko Bridge. Take action by signing our petition.
ONE ACTION TO TAKE NOW
Tell City Hall: Finish the Underhill Avenue bike boulevard. Underhill Bike Boulevard, Underhill Plaza, and Vanderbilt Ave Open Street provide safe walking and biking routes for New Yorkers. Every week, they provide New Yorkers with safe streets, public open space, cultural programming, and recreational activities, all for free. In an age of climate crisis and unprecedented traffic violence, they are a model to be replicated across the city. Make your voice heard and sign the petition to protect Prospect Heights streets.
