Congratulations, Lower East Side commuters! The 14a bus route has won this year’s “Pokey Award” from the NYPIRG Straphanger’s Campaign and Transit Center.
After analyzing average speeds on high ridership routes, the public transportation advocates found that the M14a clocked in at just 4.3 MPH. As the Daily News quipped, “cows move faster than the slowest bus in the city.” “For years, the M14A has been one of the slowest buses in New York City, so this year’s Pokey Award should come as no surprise,” said Jaqi Cohen of NYPIRG Straphangers Campaign. “The recent implementation of SBS along the route has been a welcome change for M14 riders. Still, there is no better way to speed up service along the route than by rolling out the red carpet for bus riders with a dedicated busway.”
The dedicated busway was blocked, at least temporarily, by a state supreme court judge. Neighbors in Chelsea and the West Village filed a lawsuit against the MTA’s busway plan.
A spokesperson for the MTA told Channel 4, “NYC Transit is working with NYCDOT and NYPD to enforce existing traffic rules and to keep moving lanes cleared of double parked vehicles or cars blocking bus stops.”
