The MTA said it plans to eliminate 400 bus stops in the Bronx as part of a bus network redesign that will also include the addition of bus lines and more frequent bus service.
The agency says they are removing the stops based on feedback from transit advocates and riders who say the stops are too close together and cause traffic trouble and cause buses to become backed up.
The new, more balanced spacing of stops will help speed up travel times, according to an MTA press release, which also says that during peak hours, it can take anywhere from 20 seconds to one minute to re-enter the traffic from the stops.
Currently, the Bronx bus stops are only 882 feet apart, which is around three blocks. The new plan will stretch out the stops between 1,000 feet to 1,680 feet, averaging out to 1,092 feet between stops.
The MTA said it is considering factors like the frequency of bus stop use, and the location of nearby schools, hospitals, and retirement communities. Transit officials are also considering geographical challenges, like hills and how weather affects certain areas.
In addition to getting rid of 400 bus stops, the MTA will create two new local routes — the Bx25, and the M125 — to help underserved neighborhoods. There will also be a Manhattan- Bronx express route BxM5, which will give peak-hour service from the north Bronx to Manhattan. Additional crosstown service will be provided in the central Bronx.
Additionally, different services will be streamlined and extended to make riding on the bus a little more convenient. According to a press release, two express routes, BxM2 and BxM18, will change their routes to avoid Madison and Fifth avenues. The rerouting will go to Henry Hudson Pkwy from Riverside Drive to Midtown Manhattan.
The MTA is also adding more transfer points to service customers, and will increase the frequency on major corridors.
The agency is also seeking to add transit signal priority (TSP) and digital travel information. NYC DOT and the MTA are planning on installing more TSP and add real-time signs at stops. By 2021, they are planning on having the TSP software on the entire fleet.
The MTA will be partnering with the NYC DOT to give a few chosen bus corridors a makeover. The projects will begin in 2020, on the stations listed below:
• Pelham Parkway, Fordham Road, and West 207th Street, Eastchester Road to Broadway
• Pelham Bay Park Station Area
• Washington Bridge and West 181st Street, University Avenue to Broadway
• East 149th Street, River Avenue to Southern Boulevard
• L. Grant Highway, Cross Bronx Expressway to East 167th Street
• University Avenue, Kingsbridge Road to Cross Bronx Expressway
• Tremont Avenue, Sedgwick Avenue to Boston Road
• East 167th and East 168th streets, Jerome to Franklin avenues
• Story Avenue, Bronx River Avenue to White Plains Road
• East Gun Hill Road, Bainbridge to Bartow avenues
