4 Upcoming Meetings About MTA's Proposed M14 Bus Service Changes

EAST VILLAGE, NY — Learn about and give feedback to the MTA at four upcoming meetings regarding proposed changes to the M14 routes this week.

The MTA and Department of Transportation are expected to implement a select bus service route by June in order to speed up the notoriously slow M14A and M14D bus routes — which run from the Lower East Side through the East Village to the West Village and Chelsea.

Early last month, an MTA presentation leaked to Streetsblog showed the proposed SBS plan would entirely eliminate local stops — outraging East Village and Lower East Side politicians and neighbors.

Downtown politicians slammed the SBS proposal last month — demanding in a letter that the MTA create an SBS plan that would include supplemental local service similar to the M15 route along First and Second Aves. rather than entirely eliminate local stops.

The MTA stood by its plan — noting how SBS routes citywide have improved bus speeds.

The MTA says 18 other SBS routes citywide have seen 10 to 15 percent more satisfied bus riders since 2008. SBS routes citywide are 27 percent faster than local or limited-stop bus routes, according to the MTA.

Along another east side route, the M15 SBS route saw increased ridership and better travel times when it was first implemented along First and Second Aves. in 2010, according to an MTA report released in 2011.

M15 total ridership increased by 12 percent between July 2010 and 2011, according to the report.

Local ridership decreased, but the MTA said at the time that nearly two-thirds of M15 bus riders used the SBS route. Fare payments on the sidewalks instead of when entering buses largely resulted in an 18 percent improvement in travel times, Streetsblog reported at the time.

The M14A/D SBS proposal would eliminate local stops along Grand St., East Houston St., Essex St. and Avenue A, Avenue D and Columbia St., Avenue C, as well as four stops in the West Village where the MTA is proposing to relocate where buses turnaround on the west side, according to the proposal on the MTA's website.

The M15 SBS in particular does not have any stops between East Houston and 14th Sts., though there is a separate M15 local route with several stops between East Houston and 14th Sts., MTA bus routes show.

Below are upcoming transportation meetings regarding the bus changes and other L train repairs updates:

Monday, April 1

Manhattan Community Board 6 Transportation Committee
Location: 433 First Ave, NYU School of Dentistry, Room 210
Time: 7 p.m.

Tuesday, April 2

MTA/DOT Lower East Side Open House
Location: NYPD Seventh Precinct, 19 1/2 Pitt St., First Floor, Muster Room
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

Thursday, April 4

Manhattan Community Board 2 Transportation Committee
Location: NYU Silver Building, 32 Waverly Pl., Room 520 (Accessible entrance is located at 31 Washington Place)
Time: 6:30 p.m.

Monday, April 8

MTA/DOT Manhattan East Side Open House
Location: 14th St. Y, 344 East 14th St. between First and Second Aves.
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.

See the MTA's past presentations at other community boards regarding the M14 changes here.