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Transportation & Environment
Application by Eastern Coachways, Inc. for an intercity bus stop in front of 175 Madison Avenue on the east side of the street between East 33rd and East 34th Streets
WHEREAS, Eastern Coachways, Inc. seeks approval from the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) of an Application to operate an intercity bus service between New York City and Syracuse, New York on the east side of Madison Avenue, between East 33rd and 34th Streets; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes 1 daily pickup at 11:00 am and 1 daily drop off at 5:30 pm; and WHEREAS, The Port Authority Bus Terminal currently operates at or above capacity; and
WHEREAS, In response, several companies began offering low cost inter-city bus services from on-street pickup and drop off locations without formal authorization from DOT; and
WHEREAS, Without regulation, a high concentration of inter-city bus services developed in certain areas of midtown Manhattan, quickly resulting in increased sidewalk congestion, traffic gridlock, and increased on-street bus parking and double parking, all of which combined to create safety concerns for drivers, pedestrians, local business owners, and residents; and
WHEREAS, The State Legislature adopted Vehicle and Traffic Law § 1642-a in 2013 to address these concerns, empowering DOT to create a permitting system; and
WHEREAS, This law authorizes the City to:
1. prohibit inter-city buses from loading or unloading passengers on City streets, except at
designated on-street bus stop locations;
2. require inter-city 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 DOT to issue inter-city 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 existing inter-city bus services that currently have designated on-street bus
stop locations, by granting a permit to continue to use those locations for up to three
years; and
WHEREAS, The number of curbside bus companies operating within community district 5 has
increased dramatically over the past 5 years; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes to share an existing bus stop, currently used by New York
City’s QM21 and BxM18 bus lines; and
WHEREAS, The city bus lines using this stop do not run on weekends; and
WHEREAS, The BxM18 bus line is an express service that does not make frequent stops; and
WHEREAS, Members of the public expressed concern over the number of buses currently
operating in and around the blocks immediately to the south of the proposed location; and
WHEREAS, DOT does not believe the Applicant’s use of the proposed location would interfere
with existing public bus service; and
WHEREAS, There is no other intercity bus service at the proposed location; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five believes the small number of proposed pickups and drop
offs at this location would not be overly burdensome; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of Eastern Coachways, Inc.’s
Application for a bus stop for drop-offs and pick-ups on the east side of Madison Avenue,
between East 33rd and 34th Streets.