Int. No. 1327
By Council Members Brannan, Levine, Yeger, Borelli and Carr (by request of the Staten Island Borough President)
A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to restricting the use of bus lanes by sight-seeing buses
Be it enacted by the Council as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision a of section 19-175.6 of the administrative code of the city of New York, as added by local law number 175 for the year 2018, is amended to read as follows:
a. The commissioner shall provide written authorization for on-street bus stops for sight-seeing bus companies pursuant to subdivision d of section 20-374 of this code on the basis of the following criteria: (i) traffic, bicycle and pedestrian flow, and public safety; (ii) preferences of the sight-seeing bus permit applicant; (iii) consultation with the local community board for the district encompassing the location to be authorized, including but not limited to a notice and comment period of 45 days prior to the authorization or permanent amendment thereto; (iv) the number of stops proposed and the viability of a proposed bus stop schedule as determined by the commissioner; (v) the availability and location of planned garage or other parking space for periods when buses picking up or discharging passengers at the authorized stops are not in use; and (vi) any other criteria deemed appropriate by the commissioner. The commissioner shall not authorize any such bus stop in any lane in which bus lane restrictions are in effect for use between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 a.m. and between the hours of 4:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays. The commissioner shall approve or deny such authorizations no later than 180 days from the date of the application.
§ 2. Subchapter 2 of chapter 1 of title 19 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 19-175.7 to read as follows:
§ 19-175.7 Sightseeing buses in bus lanes. Except for the permissible uses allowed under subparagraphs (iii) through (vi) of paragraph (1) of subdivision (m) of section 4-12(m) of title 34 of the rules of the city of New York and section 19-175.4, no sight-seeing bus may use a lane in which bus lane restrictions are in effect between the hours of 7:00 am and 10:00 a.m. or between the hours of 4:00 p.m and 7:00 p.m. on weekdays.
§ 3. This local law takes effect 90 days after it becomes law, except that section one of this local law takes effect on the same date that local law number 175 for the year 2018 takes effect.
NAB
LS #8560
12/20/2018