Res. No. 105
Resolution calling upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to investigate the benefits and costs of providing bicycle access on express and regular bus routes in New York City and conduct a pilot study on certain express bus routes between Manhattan and the other boroughs.
By Council Members Garodnick, Brewer, Fidler, Lander, Rodriguez, Nelson and Koo
Whereas, The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), New York State's public transportation entity, provides 2.6 billion trips for New Yorkers each year; and
Whereas, In New York City, two MTA subsidiaries, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCTA) and the MTA Bus Company, provide bus service throughout the five boroughs; and
Whereas, The NYCTA is the largest agency within MTA's regional network, transporting more than 7 million people on an average weekday by both bus and subway; and
Whereas, In 2008, the NYCTA operated 208 local and 36 express bus routes throughout the five boroughs using 4,578 buses; and
Whereas, The MTA Bus Company was created in September 2004, to assume the operations of the seven bus companies that previously operated private bus services under franchises granted by the New York City Department of Transportation; and
Whereas, As of 2009, the MTA Bus Company operates a fleet of 1,323 buses that serve approximately 400,000 riders daily on 45 local bus routes in the City, and 35 express routes between Manhattan and the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens; and
Whereas, The NYCTA alone provided 747 million bus rides in 2008, giving it the largest ridership figures among all bus systems in North America; and
Whereas, The MTA encourages the use of bicycles, permitting them on its subways and allowing folding bicycles on its buses; and
Whereas, Additionally, bicycle parking is available adjacent to certain subway stations, in an attempt to integrate bicycles with the MTA's transportation network; and
Whereas, While the MTA has bicycle friendly policies, transportation and bicycle advocates allege that the MTA can do more to foster bicycle riding amongst its ridership; and
Whereas, According to the United States Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration, a benefit of integrating the mass transit network and bicycles include increased transit ridership because of improved accessibility to the transit network; and
Whereas, Many jurisdictions have integrated bicycles into their mass transportation networks by installing bike racks on the front of buses, which allow passengers to load a bicycle on such a rack, board the bus, and then remove the bicycle from the rack once they arrive at their destination; and
Whereas, This equipment had been used since the mid-1970s and was improved and became more prevalent in the 1990s, according to the United States Department of Transportation; and
Whereas, Among major cities across the United States with bike racks on their public buses are Albuquerque, New Mexico; Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; Los Angeles, California; Phoenix, Arizona; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; St. Louis, Missouri; Washington, D.C., and other urban areas; and
Whereas, In Albuquerque, New Mexico, public buses transported approximately 330,000 bicycles in fiscal year 2008, underscoring the success and overall usefulness of this program; and
Whereas, Given the viability and low costs of the program, the MTA should analyze the feasibility of such program and other programs to accommodate bicycle access on express and regular bus routes in New York City and institute a pilot program on express bus routes travelling to and from Manhattan, as these routes generally connect consumers traveling across boroughs and provide a necessary link to transportation for the communities they serve; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls upon the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to investigate the benefits and costs of providing bicycle access on express and regular bus routes in New York City and conduct a pilot study on certain express bus routes between Manhattan and the other boroughs.
MB
Res. 1806/2009
LS# 269
3/10/10