M60 and M116 buses use the block between West End Avenue and Broadway on 106th street as a “staging area” between their routes, but the buses have been parking in the crosswalk and blocking the bike lane there.
West 106th street resident Jared Skolnick said that “The current situation is extremely dangerous and it is only a matter of time before an accident is caused by this congestion.” Skolnick wrote to Community Board 7 to urge them to fix the situation.
The community board and the city have devised a plan to ease the congestion, and it should be put in place in the next few months. CB7 Chairman Mark Diller wrote to Skolnick:
“The solution will be to move the M104 bus stop south on Broadway from 106th to just north of 105th; extend the bus stop between 106-107; and make that space the new layover and first stop for the articulated M60. There will be room at that site for 2 M60s, which we expect will cover the need for bus parking at most times. If needed, a third M60 bus can linger at the last stop on the inbound M60 route (which will remain at 106th between WEA and Broadway) without blocking lanes.”
Photo by Jared Skolnick.
I think we should also consider some other options —
1. Begin the M60 route closer to 96th street so commuters to La Guardia can access the bus directly off of the express 2 and 3 trains (as well as the local 1)
2. Close off the block of West End Ave between 106 and 107th during green market times and move the (or add an additional) Columbia green market to that location. There is a higher concentration of apartments at 106th street than 114th street.
3. The M116 bus should turn south on Broadway and proceed to 95th street (again better connection to subways) and then loop back up broadway from there.
Ernie – Great ideas. Makes sense. My only concern with it is that 96th & Broadway is already a ridiculously congested corner. People don’t understand the flow of how the lights work – with the exclusive turning lanes. Adding more buses there will add to the congestion.
I do believe that there should be a traffic cop in that intersection during morning and evening rush.
I live around the corner, ride my bike there daily, and the situation is not “extremely dangerous.” Pure hyperbole. It is probably a good idea to have the buses stage between 106-107.
As to the other ideas, there is no reason to have the M60 (or M116) continue to 96th street. Too much congestion there, and in any event both buses connect to the 2/3 lines up in Harlem (which also saves you about 15 minutes).