14th Street Busway

The 14th Street busway that was supposed to go into effect today and would have banned cars on a portion of 14th Street has been stalled due to a last-minute appeal in the state's appellate court. Last week, a judge had lifted an injunction against the plan, giving it the go-ahead to start this morning.

Originally planned for July 1st, the ban on cars – which has been in the works for two years – on 14th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues would ease congestion and speed up busses during the L train shutdown. The 18-month pilot project would be in place every day, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cars would be able to pick-up and drop off passengers on 14th, but would have to immediately turn right at the next intersection and be unable to make a left turn.

The fight against the busway came from a lawyer representing a coalition of local block associations, arguing a lack of environmental review on the impact on nearby residential streets. A judge gave the project the green light last week but opponents filed a last-minute appeal, again putting the busway on hold.