Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced a plan that he says will speed up MTA buses in New York City by 25 percent.
The centerpiece is a crackdown on drivers who park in bus lanes. That includes more tow truck teams to clear bus lanes of parked cars.
“No one wants to see cars towed. If you don't violate the law, you're going to be fine. But we're here to send a very strong message. There's no parking in our bus lanes. It will not be allowed and we're going to have the enforcement ability to address it,” de Blasio said.
The mayor said 2.5 million people take the bus every day, but the MTA buses only average 7.4 mph and even less in busy areas.
“It may be tough to find a parking spot, but I can tell you where you shouldn't even think about parking and that's in a bus lane because there will be consequences and it's not worth it,” de Blasio said.
The mayor’s proposal also includes adding more bus lanes and adding traffic-signal priority at 300 intersections for buses. There’s also an effort to speed up fare collection to improve the rider experience.
“We believe that we can, working together, make life better for all New Yorkers,” de Blasio said.
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