BusTalk

[Q65A]

Friday, June 29, 2007Bus-Only Lane for Lower Broadway Beginning Monday, July 2

Beginning on Monday, July 2, from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday to Friday, only buses will be allowed to travel in the lane adjacent to the west curb lane on Lower Broadway from Houston Street to Ann and Vesey Streets. However, vehicles making right turns may enter the bus lane as they approach the intersection at which they need to complete their turns. Vehicles illegally parking or standing in the lane will be subject to summons by the New York City Police Department and a $115 fine. Motorists illegally driving in the lane are subject to points assessed against their driver's license, a fine not to exceed $150 or imprisonment not to exceed 15 days for the first offense. The lane will be demarcated by a solid white stripe on its eastern edge, "Bus Only" messages on the lane's roadbed, and overhead signs indicating the lane and its hours of operation. The new lane is part of DOT's Lower Broadway Transit Priority Plan designed to mitigate the impacts of construction of the Fulton Street Transit Center. Construction currently occupies one lane of Broadway from Ann to Fulton Street. As construction moves forward, another lane will be intermittently taken out of service. To minimize delays caused by these closures and improve travel times for 26,000 daily bus riders, DOT developed a package of measures to keep buses moving. In addition to the bus only lane, four "bus bulbs" were constructed at Spring, Grand, Walker and Franklin Streets. These sidewalk extensions allow buses to continue in one lane without pulling out of or back into traffic, speeding up loading and unloading of passengers. Additionally, curb regulations on the east side of Broadway were changed to extend loading/unloading times by three hours to prevent any disruption to deliveries to
local businesses.
This information is available on the DOT Web site at http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/home.html.