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Transportation & Environment
Request on behalf of the Red Coach bus service (“Applicant”) to support its application before the New York City Department of Transportation (“DOT”) for an on-street bus stop located at 203 West 37th Street…
At the monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, November 14, 2013, the Board passed the following resolution with a vote of 28 in favor, 9 opposed, 2 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Red Coach, Inc. seeks approval from the DOT of an application to operate an intercity bus service between New York City and Washington, D.C. at an on-street location at 203 West 37th Street, West of 7th Avenue; and
WHEREAS, Port Authority currently operates at or above capacity; and
WHEREAS, In response, over the past 15 years several companies have begun offering low cost intercity bus services from on-street pick-up and drop-off locations, without formal authorization from the DOT; and
WHEREAS, Without regulation, a high concentration of intercity bus services has developed in certain areas of midtown Manhattan resulting in increased sidewalk congestion, traffic gridlock, increased on-street bus parking and double parking, and safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, local business owners, and residents; and
WHEREAS, The State Legislature adopted Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1642-a to address these concerns, empowering the DOT to create a permit system; and
WHEREAS, This law authorizes the City to:
1. prohibit intercity buses from loading or unloading passengers on City streets, except at designated on-street bus stop locations;
2. require intercity bus owners and/or operators to submit an application for each proposed on-street bus stop location;
3. establish criteria for assigning on-street bus stop locations, including traffic considerations and the applicant's preferences;
4. provide for consultation with the local Community Board and, where appropriate, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey;
5. authorize the Department of Transportation to issue intercity bus permits and to charge a fee;
6. provide for the relocation of an existing permitted on-street bus stop, upon 90-day notice to the permit holder and the local Community Board;
7. grandfather intercity buses that currently have designated on-street bus stop locations, by granting them a permit to continue to use those locations for up to three years; and
WHEREAS, Red Coach, Inc. does not currently operate in New York City; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant's busses are too tall to fit into the Port Authority bus terminal; and
WHEREAS, The 60 feet of curbside proposed for the bus stop location handles relatively little foot traffic or commercial activity due to several vacant storefronts on the block; and
WHEREAS, The applicant will operate from 6:00am to 12:00am 7 days per week, with 5 pick-ups / drop-offs Monday, 4 pick-ups / drop-offs Tuesday through Thursday, 7 pick-ups / drop-offs Friday, 5 pick-ups / drop-offs Saturday, and 7 pick-ups / drop-offs Sunday; and
WHEREAS, The applicant will provide an on-site dispatcher to manage the pick-up and drop-off operations and provide crowd control; and
WHEREAS, The city currently regulates the proposed location with muni-metered parking and standard street cleaning regulations; and
WHEREAS, The DOT will produce signage designating the site for bus stop use only during hours of operation but otherwise allowing muni-metered parking; and
WHEREAS, Despite some publicly expressed concern of interference with road traffic and pedestrian congestion, the DOT suggests the proposed location will prove to have a minimal impact on local businesses and traffic; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant would like to work with the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, Based on complaints and using its discretion, the DOT can revoke these permits in the future for non-compliance and in the case of bad actors; and
WHEREAS, Although Community Board Five recognizes that the management of intercity bus companies requires greater study, it is supportive of the DOT's efforts to decrease road and sidewalk congestion in midtown Manhattan, address safety concerns of drivers, pedestrians, travelers, and residents, and better regulate the increasing number of intercity bus services; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of Red Coach Bus Service application to the New York City Department of Transportation for an on-street bus stop located 10 feet West of 203 West 37th Street, West of 7th Avenue for the regulated pick-up and drop-off of passengers traveling between Washington, D.C. and New York City between the hours of 6:00am and 12:00am 7 days per week, with 5 pick-ups / drop-offs Monday, 4 pick-ups / drop-offs Tuesday through Thursday, 7 pick-ups / drop-offs Friday, 5 pick-ups / drop-offs Saturday, and 7 pick-ups / drop-offs Sunday.