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Transportation & Environment
Application by HJ Opco, LLC, for an intercity bus stop in front of 482 Lexington Avenue at East 47th Street, and in front of 722 Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street.
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, October 14, 2021, the following resolution passed with a vote of 36 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, HJ Opco, LLC (“Applicant”), seeks approval from the New York City Department of Transportation (“DOT”) of an application to operate an intercity bus service between New York City and Long Island in front of 482 Lexington Avenue at East 47th Street, and in front of 722 Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes up to 6 daily pickups or drop-offs Monday to Sunday between 7:50 a.m. and 9:20 p.m., with 1 dropoff every 2 to 3 hours; and use of these locations will be seasonal; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant, who operates Hampton Jitney bus service, purchased the defunct similar bus service HLL Hamptons Luxury, which operated at these two locations, and is therefore taking over existing HHL bus stop locations and service; and
WHEREAS, The Port Authority Bus Terminal currently operates at or above capacity; resulting in a dramatic rise in curbside bus companies operating within the district of Community Board Five over the past decade; and
WHEREAS, Without regulation, the rise of intercity bus services operating curbside in midtown Manhattan resulted in increased sidewalk congestion, traffic gridlock, and increased on-street bus parking and double parking, which combine 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, including to:
- prohibit intercity buses from loading or unloading passengers on City streets, except at designated on-street bus stop locations;
- require intercity 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;
- 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;
- authorize DOT to issue intercity 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;
- grandfather existing intercity 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 Applicant proposes to share an existing bus stop, currently used by New York City’s M101, M102, and M103 bus lines; and
WHEREAS, The Hampton Jitney 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, There is no other intercity bus service at 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, The Applicant is a known operator who has operated Hampton Jitney out of the community for years; and
WHEREAS, The proposed stops, pickups, and drop-offs are previously-existing curbside service, effectively maintaining the status quo, which has operated effectively and without overly-burdensome impact for the community; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends approval of HJ Opco LLC application for an intercity bus stop in front of 482 Lexington Avenue at East 47th Street, and in front of 722 Lexington Avenue at East 59th Street.