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Transportation & Environment
Application by bus operator Academy Express, LLC, for an intercity bus stop for pick-ups and drop-offs as part of an NYU shuttle service on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Wednesday, November 10, 2021, the following resolution passed with a vote of 29 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Academy Express LLC (“Applicant”) seeks approval from the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) of an Application to add pick-ups and drop-offs to its New York University (“NYU”) Shuttle bus service; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes this bus stop for pick-ups and drop-offs in place of and replacing its current bus stop at Lexington Avenue and East 31st Street, for service Monday through Friday from 7:29 a.m. to 11:44 p.m. and on Saturday and Sunday from 10:10 a.m. t 11:47 p.m.; and
WHEREAS, The current parking regulation is No Standing; and
WHEREAS, This is an existing Metropolitan Transportation Authority (“MTA”) bus stop for SIM6 and SIM11 Staten Island Express buses as well as M101, M102 and M103 Local and Limited Service buses and will be shared; and
WHEREAS, The SIM6 bus (Eltingville – Midtown Manhattan Express) departs from the Eltingville/Transit Center ending at Lexington Avenue/East 53th Street, and the SIM6 bus schedule overview is that it operates from 4:50 a.m. and ends at 9:06 p.m. on weekdays; and
WHEREAS, The SIM11 bus (New Dorp – Midtown Manhattan Express) departs from Mill Road/Ebbitts Street ending at East 57th Street/Lexington Avenue, and the SIM11 bus schedule overview is that it operates from 4:50 a.m. and ends at 7:53 p.m. on weekdays; and
WHEREAS, The M101 bus (East Village – Fort George) departs from Saint Nicholas Avenue/West 192nd Street ending at Astor Place/3rd Avenue, and the M101 bus operates daily; and
WHEREAS, The M102 bus (Harlem – East Village) departs from West 146th Street/Malcolm X Boulevard ending at Astor Place/3rd Avenue, and the M102 bus operates daily; and
WHEREAS, The M103 bus (East Harlem – City Hall) departs from East 126th Street/2nd Avenue ending at Park Row/Beekman Street, and the M103 bus operates daily; and
WHEREAS, Without regulation, a high concentration of intercity 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 2014 to address these concerns, empowering DOT to create a permitting system; and
WHEREAS, This law authorizes the City to:
- prohibit inter-city buses from loading or unloading passengers on City streets, except at designated on-street bus stop locations; and
- require inter-city bus owners and/or operators to submit an application for each proposed on-street bus stop location;
- establish criteria for assigning on-street bus stop locations, including traffic considerations and the applicant's preferences; and
- provide for consultation with the local Community Board and, where appropriate, the MTA and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey; and
- authorize DOT to issue inter-city bus permits and to charge a fee; 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; and
- 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, MTA buses SIM6, SIM11, M101, M102, and M103 stop on Lexington Avenue near East 27th Street, a location which is currently allotted to them; and
WHEREAS, The SIM6 currently has 33 pick-ups and drop-offs near Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street on weekdays; and
WHEREAS, The SIM11 currently has 39 pick-ups and drop-offs near Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street on weekdays; and
WHEREAS, The M101 currently has 174 pick-ups and drop-offs near Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street on weekdays, 111 pick-ups and drop-offs on Saturdays, and 95 pick-ups and drop-offs on Sundays; and
WHEREAS, The M102 currently has 91 pick-ups and drop-offs near Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street on weekdays, 83 pick-ups and drop-offs on Saturdays, and 77 pick-ups and drop-offs on Sundays; and
WHEREAS, The M103 currently has 88 pick-ups and drop-offs near Lexington Avenue near East 27th Street on weekdays, 79 pick-ups and drop-offs on Saturdays, and 74 pick-ups and drop-offs on Sundays; and
WHEREAS, MTA Service is subject to change due to traffic conditions; and
WHEREAS, The NYU Shuttle currently has 30 pick-ups and drop-offs Monday – Thursday, 29 pick-ups and drop-offs on Fridays and 16 pick-ups and drop-offs on Saturdays and Sundays; and
WHEREAS, The NYU Shuttle is provided to NYU students, staff, faculty, and alumni with identification for direct service to and from university facilities, including residence halls; and
WHEREAS, NYU Shuttle pick-ups and drop-offs will be made expeditiously; and
WHEREAS, DOT inspected this location and considers it appropriate; and
WHEREAS, The Transportation and Environment Committee assessed this application and viewed the location of Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street; and
WHEREAS, Neighbors and community organizations including Community Board Five generally had no objection to additional use at this location; therefore, be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of Academy Express, LLC’s application for a bus stop on the northwest corner of Lexington Avenue and East 27th Street so long as the stops do not interfere with other buses and there is no conflict in any way with MTA buses.