Busway On 14th St Comes Monday After City Clears Legal Hurdle

WEST VILLAGE, NY — A plan to make way for buses on 14th Street is coming to Manhattan Monday, the Department of Transportation said.

If this sounds familiar, you're not mistaken.

The city was expected to implement a bus and truck priority plan along the crosstown corridor July 1 — but the street changes, originally conceived to help out L train riders during tunnel repairs, was thwarted when a group of block associations in the West Village and Chelsea sued.

Tuesday afternoon, State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower ruled the busway could move forward, lifting a temporary restraining order previously issued, according to several reports.

"We prevailed in our legal fight to speed up buses on 14th Street!" Mayor Bill de Blasio wrote on Twitter. "With this hurdle clear, [DOT] is moving ahead with final roadwork so we can get New Yorkers moving on one of the city's busiest thoroughfares."

The block associations who sued, represented by West Village district leader Arthur Schwartz, had argued the city did not look close enough at how overflow traffic would impact narrower side streets with respect to noise and pollution.

Rakower ruled from the bench Tuesday, saying "This is all within DOT’s expertise and these are the considerations that they have looked at and analyzed," according to AM New York.

The 18-month pilot program would only allow for trucks and buses along 14th Street between Third and Eighth avenues from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Private vehicles could turn onto 14th Street for pick-ups and drop-offs, though would have to turn right off the street at the next opportunity.

"The ruling allows us to move ahead to improve bus service along the corridor," DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel said.

"We are beginning work immediately and Transit and Truck Priority will go into effect Monday, August 12," Gastel said.

Transportation groups had fought against the lawsuit, framing it as a class issue between wealthy westside Manhattanites and low-income bus riders who rely on the M14 routes. The Riders Alliance and Transportation Alternatives calculated that more than a year's worth of time had been wasted for bus riders in just a few weeks.

"When riders organize, the whole city wins," Riders Alliance policy director Danny Pearlstein said in a statement Tuesday. "The 14th Street busway will provide faster and more reliable bus trips, saving precious time for tens of thousands of people who badly need it."

Schwartz did not immediately respond to whether he planned to appeal the decision.

Rakower ruled from the bench, and a written ruling has not yet been released.