NYC unveils plan for dedicated busway on 34th Street
Images courtesy of NYC DOT
New York City plans to transform a busy stretch of 34th Street in Manhattan into a busway to improve sluggish crosstown commutes. The Department of Transportation (DOT) unveiled plans for a dedicated lane along 34th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues for buses, trucks, and emergency vehicles, which could boost speeds by up to 15 percent for the more than two dozen bus routes that use the corridor. Modeled after the successful 14th Street busway, the plan would still permit other vehicles to enter but require them to make the next available legal turn off the street.
The proposal aims to address notoriously slow bus service along the corridor, including the M34/M34A Select Bus Service, which averages just 5 miles per hour during peak hours, and as low as 3 miles per hour, according to DOT. The M34 route serves roughly 28,000 riders daily.
Like the 14th Street busway implemented in 2019, the proposed corridor would prioritize buses and trucks while preserving local access for pick-ups, drop-offs, and loading. The busway would require all other vehicles to turn off at designated intersections to avoid penalties.
The installation of the 14th Street busway increased bus speeds along the corridor by up to 24 percent and reduced crashes by 42 percent. Although local residents initially worried that the busway would increase traffic on surrounding streets, DOT data shows no such impact.
On Monday, the agency presented the proposal to Manhattan Community Board 5, which expressed support for the project and said it would back other community boards if they sought to expand the busway from river to river, as reported by amNY. The board also requested more details from the DOT to ensure businesses along 34th Street have sufficient loading space.
“The vast majority of commuters in Midtown are traveling by transit and they deserve world-class, fast, and reliable buses,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
“After seeing tremendous success on 14th Street—where buses have sped up, traffic has virtually disappeared, and far fewer New Yorkers are getting hurt in crashes—we are excited to propose a similar design on 34th Street. We look forward to refining the design with the community.”
The 34th Street busway would also include pedestrian improvements such as shorter crosswalks and brighter markings, while enhancing connections to 16 subway lines along the corridor and the commuter rail service at Penn Station.
Expected to roll out in the summer or fall of this year, the project would be New York City’s eighth busway and the seventh added since the 14th Street project debuted in 2019.
On Tuesday, the DOT also proposed bus improvements for Madison Avenue. The plan would extend the avenue’s existing double bus lanes, which currently run from 60th Street to 42nd Street, and further south to 23rd Street near Madison Square Park. The corridor serves 92,000 daily bus riders across 34 routes, including the M1, M2, M3, M4, and Q32 local buses, as well as 29 express routes.
After the DOT installed similar lanes on Fifth Avenue, speeds on local bus routes increased by 6 to 12 percent, while express routes saw gains between 11 and 20 percent.
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