The NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) has decided on a street redesign plan to improve bus speed on a busy Brooklyn corridor, the agency said on Wednesday.
The plan was chosen out of three options to improve bus speed on the corridor. It includes center-running bus lanes from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza. A boarding island in the street is part of the design to provide places for passengers to board and disembark buses, and wait to cross the street.
The agency recommended this approach because it would be the best option to increase bus speeds by creating physically separated spaces for buses and reducing conflicts with personal vehicles traveling the corridor.
The DOT’s plan would replace two car lanes within the stretch. Accents on the pedestrian islands would include benches and canopies for commuters waiting for buses.
Parking availability would likely decrease, but it is unclear by how much.
Nearly 70,000 people ride the buses in the traffic-heavy corridor each day. According to the DOT, bus riders on Flatbush Avenue experience bus speeds that do not even crack five miles per hour during rush hours.
“Right now, Flatbush Avenue above Prospect Park doesn’t work for anyone. Almost 70,000 daily bus riders are stuck waiting too long for slow buses, drivers are caught in a mess of traffic, and pedestrians are left crossing intersections clogged with vehicles,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said. “Our proposal would address each of these issues and create a world-class, welcoming corridor for everyone.”
The DOT plans to present the design to various community boards.
“We look forward to refining this proposal closely with the community before implementation,” Rodriguez said.
Demetrius Crichlow, president of the MTA’s NYC Transit, said center-running bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue will increase bus speeds while bringing “much-needed safety improvements” to the corridor.
“This plan will drastically improve the commute times for the tens of thousands of daily riders who live on Flatbush Avenue, many of whom rely on public transportation to get to work,” he said. “We look forward to working with the DOT on this ambitious project.”
Meanwhile, bus advocates are urging Mayor Eric Adams to adopt the plan.
“After decades of delays, riders, labor unions, and community institutions won a transformative vision for Flatbush Avenue, now it’s up to Mayor Adams to make it real,” Danny Pearlstein, policy and communications director of the Riders Alliance, said. “ Riders need our mayor to get on board, implement NYC DOT’s bold plan for center-running priority lanes along the spine of Brooklyn, and give us our time back.”
