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Transportation & Environment
Request by GO New York Tours Inc, dba Topview Sightseeing, for a sightseeing bus stop on 7th Avenue between West 40th Street and West 41st Street and 7th Avenue between West 47th Street and West 48th Street
At the regularly scheduled monthly Community Board Five meeting on Thursday, February 09, 2023, the following resolution passed with a vote of 33 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining:
WHEREAS, Go New York Tours, DBA Topview Sightseeing requests a sightseeing bus stop from the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) on 7th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets, with pickups and drop-offs every 30 minutes from 8:10am through 6:10 p.m.; and
WHEREAS, Go New York Tours, DBA Topview Sightseeing requests a sightseeing bus stop from the Department of Transportation (“DOT”) on 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets, with pickups and drop-offs every 30 minutes from 8 a.m. through 6 p.m.; and
WHEREAS, The requested location on 7th Avenue between 40th and 41st Streets is currently marked No Standing, is already licensed to the sightseeing bus operator Gray Line, and according to DOT the length of the current bus stop allows for the addition of another bus company; and
WHEREAS, The requested location on 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets is currently marked No Standing, is already licensed to the sightseeing bus operator Gray Line, would be a relocation of a current Topview Sightseeing location on 7th Avenue between 50th and 51st Streets, and according to DOT the length of the current bus stop length allows for addition of another bus company; and
WHEREAS, Community members expressed serious concern about either or both stops being prospectively licensed to two or more other sightseeing bus companies simultaneously, potentially causing major conflicts and congestion; and
WHEREAS, Community members expressed concern about sightseeing buses being a hinderance to MTA buses which share the same route through the busy Times Square area; and
WHEREAS, The Times Square Alliance expressed concerns about the amount of ticket sellers, agents, unauthorized canopies, and queueing customers blocking pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks, particularly when multiple sightseeing bus companies are operating at the same location simultaneously; and
WHEREAS, Gray Line, a sightseeing operator already licensed at both stops, advised the committee that it intends to restart service at this stop in the spring or summer of this year; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five continues to call on DOT to develop a comprehensive plan for street use in the district, including a comprehensive vision for overall placement and capacity of sightseeing buses due to the issues raised above; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five finds significant concern for the proposed bus stop at 7th Avenue between 40st and 41st Streets, including the number of agents operating on the sidewalk and the prospect of multiple sightseeing buses operating at the same location if multiple permits are issued or the operator Gray Line returns to operation; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five finds significant concern for the proposed bus stop on 7th Avenue between 47th and 48th Streets, including congestion conflicts with the MTA ‘s M7, M20, and M104 buses and the prospect of multiple sightseeing buses operating at the same location if multiple permits are issued or the operator Gray Line returns to operation.