Res. No. 1212 Title Resolution calling upon the appropriate committee of the City Council to hold an oversight hearing on the introduction of articulated buses by MTA New York City Transit to discuss their impact on service and safety in communities throughout the City. Body By Council Members Miller, Moskowitz, Freed, Quinn, Reed; also Council Members Eisland, Fisher, Harrison and Michels Whereas, The introduction of articulated bus service on the M79 and M86 crosstown bus routes in Manhattan commenced in November 1999 and is expected to be complete by March 2000; and Whereas, Articulated buses are replacing standard buses at the ratio of three articulated buses for every four standard length buses during peak hours, and four for every five at non-peak hours, resulting in a severe reduction in bus service; and Whereas, Articulated buses are twenty feet longer than standard buses, requiring MTA New York City Transit to lengthen or remove certain stops to accommodate them and inconvenience riders, especially senior citizens, such as those visiting Beth Israel Hospital on 88th Street between York and East End Avenues; and Whereas, The longer buses have greater carrying capacity, requiring more time to load and discharge passengers causing longer waits at stops and thereby further slowing down service and exacerbating bus bunching; and Whereas, Passengers report that when exiting the rear of an articulated bus, they must often disembark into a lane of traffic instead of at the curb because the rear section of the bus remains in the outer lane, raising serious safety concerns; and Whereas, Riders also report a hazardous situation resulting from articulated buses attempting to make sharp turns on heavily congested streets, such as those on Manhattan's Upper East Side, tying up traffic and endangering pedestrians and passengers alike; and Whereas, Interior safety concerns include fewer drop handles on the bar for standing passengers to hold onto, a bar that is excessively high for many riders to reach and too few poles to hold onto while the bus is in motion; and Whereas, While on standard buses wheelchair accessibility is available through the rear doors of the bus, the Multiple Sclerosis Society, in correspondence submitted to the City Council on January 26, 2000, has concluded that the front door wheelchair accessibility on articulated buses is more time-consuming, cumbersome, requires additional passenger cooperation and causes the disabled greater difficulty in maneuvering onto and off the bus; and Whereas, MTA New York City Transit failed to hold hearings or notify the community in advance of their intention to remove stops and introduce articulated buses; now, therefore, be it Resolved that the appropriate committee of the City Council hold an oversight hearing on the introduction of articulated buses by MTA New York City Transit to discuss their impact on service and safety in communities throughout the City. ls#2672 2/10/00 NMR:lc |10
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