Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Concern for Seniors Runs High at Low Turnout CB 11 Meeting

Low_floor_bus.jpgSelect Bus Service's new low-floor buses will make it easier for seniors to get on and off the bus. Image: Second Avenue Sagas.

Last night the MTA and DOT continued their tour of East Side community boards, presenting plans for better bus service and safer streets to the Manhattan CB 11 transportation committee. Attendance was low, but the community board made clear that its chief concern was the plan's impact on senior citizens.

CB 11 represents the area east of Fifth Avenue between 96th and 142nd Streets. Because the MTA and DOT are still determining whether buses will run next to the curb or in an offset lane in this district, Joe Barr, DOT's director of transit development, noted that he's looking to hear specifically where the bus lane should run. The committee lacked both a quorum and its chair, however, so a more thorough discussion of the two designs was tabled until next month's meeting.

The few questions that surfaced from CB members mainly underscored concerns for seniors. Concerns that were, for the most part, easily resolved. After Barr mentioned that the sidewalk on bus bulbs would be raised to make boarding more level, one board member asked whether bus riders would have to step up onto the higher curb. Her worry dissipated after Barr explained that there wouldn't be a step up, only a gradual slope.

It didn't come up in the Q&A session, but older New Yorkers stand to benefit from the plan's safety improvements, with pedestrian refuge islands creating shorter, more manageable distances to cross on the East Side's wide avenues. 

Another issue that didn't surface last night but falls right in the middle of the CB 11 district is street safety near the Triborough and Willis Avenue bridges. When the East Side plans were first presented last month, Elena Conte of the Pratt Center for Community Development suggested that planners consider improvements for pedestrians and cyclists who use the Willis Avenue Bridge and encounter extremely hazardous conditions near the foot of the Triborough.

"It would be a mistake if they don’t look at the bike-pedestrian safety around the Triborough Bridge, even though it technically might be outside the scope" of the project, Conte told Streetsblog. "That area is crying out for it, it’s a horror show, and it’s important to both the South Bronx and East Harlem."

The presentation did reveal a few new details about the plan. Barr said planners are looking at creating a midday window when regulations against parking in the exclusive bus lanes would not be in effect, so businesses can receive curbside deliveries. Under current plans, he said, SBS service would run on weekdays until 11 p.m.

In addition, Benson told the crowd that some of the pedestrian refuge islands would only consist of paint at first. "We won't be able to build them all in one season," he said. "We'll be playing a bit of catch-up." Finally, while the renderings of the design still show flexible bollards between the bike lane and the floating parking lane, those bollards are no longer part of the plan. Instead, there will only be paint, as on Grand Street.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Fixing Canal Street Means Rethinking the Manhattan Bridge Itself: Experts

Canal Street needs a fix, but the city must go straight to the source.

July 24, 2025

Lower East Side Panel Joins Growing Chorus Against Tisch’s E-Bike Criminalization

Another New York neighborhood is calling for an end to the “disproportionate consequences” that e-bike users face under the NYPD’s sweeping crackdown.

July 24, 2025

Restaurant Row: Cars Need to Go

“People like to sit outside and not be bothered by the cars,” said one restaurant manager. 

July 24, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Double Vigil Edition

With this much carnage, Wednesday featured two rallies for safe streets. Plus other news.

July 24, 2025

‘King’ Trump’s DOT Secretary Is Acting Like A Child on Congestion Pricing: Legal Scholar

The Transportation Secretary's claim that the federal government has "sovereign prerogatives" is a silly kid's argument.

July 23, 2025

Eyes on the Street: UPS Blows Off DOT’s ‘Microhubs’ Delivery Pilot

"Microhub" parking zones reserved for e-commerce firms to offload parcels from trucks to cargo bikes and hand-carts routinely go unused.

July 23, 2025
See all posts