The wheels on the bus will no longer go round and round all the way to Tribeca, at least not yet. The Department of Transportation's plan to relocate commuter and tour bus parking from underneath the FDR Drive to a six-block stretch of West Street near Hudson River Park has been suspended as of last night, the Tribeca Trib reports. The parking plan became a white-hot controversy once the DOT informed the neighborhood, which was roughly two weeks before the buses were scheduled to arrive and make themselves comfortable, perhaps forever. This week, in the wake of mounting pressure from outraged Tribecans and local leaders, the DOT said it was actually moving up the start date of the program to Monday. So what happened?
According to the Trib, the DOT was willing to temporarily halt the plan if the city's Economic Development Corporation delayed closing the bus parking area under the FDR, which is necessary to start work on the East River Waterfront project. Hey, what's one more East River Waterfront delay, right? So the EDC complied and now, "there will be an intense process of coming up with [bus parking alternatives], which will involve DOT meeting with the elected officials and the community," said City Councilman Alan Gerson. We'll assume Tribeca will succeed in throwing another neighborhood under the bus(es), and Battery Place has already been suggested as an alternative parking site. The lesson is clear: Don't fuck with Tribeca.
· City Grants Reprieve on Tribeca Bus Plan [Tribeca Trib]
· Tribeca Bus Parking coverage [Curbed]
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