Why does the NYPD do this? Is there some police-work related reason for lining up cars this way? I see this every so often, and I don’t get it (I work on 42nd between Park and Lex, and every couple of months or so, cop cars line up along the block. They don’t seem to be doing anything though — just sort of hanging out, chewing gum).

But there was a sale at le chateau! They have to look nice for their awards dinner!

The other side of 34th St. has two car lanes. If they’re going to continue to do this, why don’t they park the cruisers in one of the car lanes?

By parking in the bus lane they’re inconveniencing many more PEOPLE–if fewer vehicles–than if they just left their cars sitting in one of the car lanes. They’re also perpetuating the infuriating notion that busriders are less important than everyone else.

Leaving their cars parked in either lane is illegal, but leaving them in one of the car lanes in the 2-lane north side of 34th is less unethical.

The PD has decided to use 34th as the staging area /parking for anti-terrorism surges. The rationale for these surges seems highly dubious, though any load of crap with “anti-terrorism” attached to it seems to trump public transit or anything else. And no, I’m not an anti-terrorism expert but they don’t do this crap in Israel or London, both of which have dealt with a terrorist threat for many decades. And yes, the mayor should directly tell PD to park elsewhere. That’s why we elect mayors, to tell the cops to stop doing stupid things. Key word: elect.

The NYPD really is like a “state within the state”, if you will. If they can be brought into line with the livable streets/pro-transit agenda, then so much of what we want to see happen will just fall into place. As it is now, they’re just an obstacle at best and an adversary at worst.

Rhywun, this isn’t a parking perk. These cops are parked there because some police commander decided the bus lane is the best place for the cops doing the surges to hang out between convoys. Nor is it parking for a police precinct. These are cops from all over the city pulled off regular duty to drive around with their flashers on scaring terrorists out of Midtown. It’s clearly worked. There has been no terrorism in the 34th street bus lane since they started doing this.

I don’t know for sure, Dave, but the NYPD does things like this with the stated goal of deterring and preparing for terrorist activity.

Cap’n, I’m familiar with the surge or swarm exercises (I like to fancy myself the coiner of the phrase “critical mass for cops” (which has since been improved upon by others), and that’s why I doubt that this is one of those.

The two instances of this bus lane thing that I’ve witnessed do NOT much resemble a surge exercise, aside from there being a handful of cop cars in a row.

Surges (the “terrorism deterrent” exercises), from my own narrow experience as a witness, have dozens of moving cop cars, rather than one dozen parked and unattended cop cars.

My (wild) guess is there’s some ceremony or function that goes on at some nearby hotel or something.

Of course I have little to base this on; the only reason I’m speculating “out loud” like this is in case someone really is looking into it, I’m hoping I might help them avoid barking up the wrong tree.

Streetsblog, I’d love to hear what NYPD says if they do reply to your request for an explanation.

Of the two times I’m aware Streetsblog featured this activity, it’s been in the exact same spot: south side of 34th between 5th and 6th Aves.

And parking a dozen cruisers “in the middle of the street” is exactly what I suggest they do. They’d screw fewer people that way: there are more people on a bus than people in a few cars, but of course busriders are sub-human.

If they parked their cruisers in the same east/west spot, but on the north side of 34th where there are two car lanes. This way they’d leave the bus lane completely clear and one car lane completely clear. Why not?