Mayor Rides Bus Down New 181st Street Lane In The Heights

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio was at 181st Street in Washington Heights on Friday morning to check out the new busway that launched earlier this week. The mayor strode onto the bus around 9:30 a.m., joining the early morning commuters coming from Upper Manhattan.

The new Washington Heights busway is a half-mile lane giving bus and truck priority to 181st Street between Broadway and Amsterdam going eastbound, and Amsterdam to Wadsworth going westbound.

De Blasio announced in March the busway would be coming to the Heights and has pushed the idea of the specialized lanes throughout the city.

"Washington Heights deserves faster, safer, more reliable bus transit. The 181st Street busway will help this iconic neighborhood come back stronger than ever," said de Blasio, in a news release at the time of the busway's announcement. "Busways have transformed transportation across the city — most recently in Flushing, where the new busway has dramatically increased speed in just two months — and I look forward to bringing these changes to even more neighborhoods citywide."

De Blasio seemed in good spirits Friday morning as he got handed an "I Took The Bus" sticker and fielded questions from reporters riding with him.

However, he did let reporters know he'd be driving back to city hall after the bus ride. He also mentioned that he could not remember if it was the first time he has ridden a city bus since the start of the pandemic.

Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer questioned why the mayor needed a press conference to ride the bus.

Would love to have celebrated with you as I’ve been the only one advocating for this since 2019. I also look forward to riding this stretch, although I won’t have a press conference for something I do everyday. @BNeidhardt @emmawolfe @JennieBergerNYC https://t.co/KMIiM6FnWB
— Gale A. Brewer (@galeabrewer) April 30, 2021

When asked about the ongoing demand for 30 additional miles of dedicated bus lanes to be built across the city in the next year, de Blasio said it would be discussed in the upcoming budget meetings and people will have to "stay tuned."

A major supporter of the additional dedicated bus lanes is Upper Manhattan Councilmember and Transportation Chair Ydanis Rodriguez — who rode with the mayor Friday morning.

Rodriguez led a rally on Wednesday at the steps of City Hall to demand the mayor to complete more bus lanes throughout the five boroughs.

Read More:

• Special Busway On 181st Street Coming To Wash Heights in April
• 181st Street Busway To Launch In Washington Heights On Monday