New York, NY – Mayor Bill de Blasio announced during his State of the City address a series of proposals to increase the average speed of city buses by 25% by 2020. The proposals included expansion of bus lane installation to 10-15 miles per year, creation of a dedicated NYPD team to tow bus lane violators, installation of traffic-signal priority at 1,200 intersections in the next two years, and advocacy for other improvements outside of city control. Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz (D-Northwest Bronx) released the following statement in response:

“Mayor de Blasio’s plan to dramatically increase DOT’s commitment to improving bus service in New York City is tremendous news and a significant victory for my constituents in the Northwest Bronx. It is imperative that NYCT and NYC DOT successfully coordinate on improving bus service for the two million bus riders that rely on buses to traverse our city’s streets, and today’s announcement is a strong indication that those two agencies will do so as we move forward with the Bronx Bus Network Redesign launched by NYCT President Andy Byford in September.

“Expansion of traffic-signal priority, widespread installation of bus shelters and countdown clocks, and acceleration of bus lane installation combined with improved enforcement are all important steps that can be accomplished at the city level. I fully support passing state legislation to permit camera enforcement of bus lanes and will continue working with my colleagues to enact legislation that accomplishes this goal. I hope the MTA will join Mayor de Blasio in this step forward by accelerating the implementation of their new fare payment system to allow for all-door boarding so their customers can spend more time moving and less time waiting.

“While I thank Mayor de Blasio for his leadership today, there is still more work to be done to reduce commuting times and improve service quality for bus riders in the Northwest Bronx. We need more frequent bus service during morning and evening rush hours: 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm, when Northwest Bronxites experience the most overcrowding. We need a second MetroCard transfer so that people who don’t have access to the subway aren’t charged two fares just to get to work or school. We need more reliable express bus service so riders can regularly complete their commutes within the expected time. The best way to get people to drive less is by making mass transit a clearly superior option, and improving bus service is a huge step forward in that direction.”