14th Street to get a busway during L train shutdown

For 17 hours each day during the L train shutdown, Manhattan’s 14th Street will be converted into a “busway” with very limited access to car traffic, reports the NY Daily News.

According to court documents from the MTA from a lawsuit regarding the shutdown, 14th Street, from Ninth to Third avenues eastbound and from Third to Eighth avenues westbound, will give priority to bus traffic from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., seven days a week in attempt to mitigate transit woes. Manhattan residents will be granted vehicle access to 14th Street for pickups and drop-offs only.

Additionally, the Department of Transportation has revised its bike path plan, now calling for two one-way bike baths on 12th and 13th streets instead of a single two-way bike path on 13th Street, notes the Daily News.

“We’re solving, hopefully, the local mobility and access challenge while discouraging through traffic on 14th Street,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg in a statement.

Public transit advocacy group, the Riders Alliance, gave their nod of approval for the plan. “With shuttle buses prioritized on 14th Street and the Williamsburg Bridge between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m., the MTA can provide a robust replacement for the crowded L train morning, noon, and night alike,” said Policy & Communications Director Danny Pearlstein. “L riders will have transit they can rely on. And residents along the L can count on riders to use transit rather than cause congestion and pollution by taking cars, taxis, and for-hire vehicles.”

Last week, City Council speaker Corey Johnson announced plans to propose new legislation that would require the city to open at least two information centers to update riders about the progress of the Canarsie Tunnel repairs, give transportation alternatives, and create an ombudsman job within the Department of Transportation to monitor comments and investigate complaints about transportation projects.

• 14th St. to become a ‘busway’ for most of day during L train shutdown [NY Daily News]