14th St. car ban to start July 1
BY LINCOLN ANDERSON
The city’s “experiment” on 14th St. is set to kick
off Mon., July 1, as through traffi c will be banned
between Third and Ninth Aves. and buses and
trucks will rule the road.
On the same day, the M14A and M14D routes will
be converted entirely to Select Bus Service, with a total
of 16 bus stops eliminated and curbside payment instituted
to speed up bus times.
It’s all part of what’s being called a pilot project —
albeit one slated to last a full year and a half.
And in a huge relief to West Village seniors, the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority has agreed to wait
nine months to decide on whether to ax the Abingdon
Square loop at the west end of the M14.
The Department of Transportation announced the
changes on Mon., June 9, the Daily News reported.
Under the fi rst-of-its-kind plan in New York City,
cars and cabs would be able to come onto 14th St., but
only for one block for pickups and drop-offs, and would
then have to leave the crosstown boulevard at the fi rst
available right-hand turn. Cars would also be allowed
onto 14th St. to access garages. Left turns would not
be allowed.
The prohibitions on cars would be in effect from 6
a.m. to 10 p.m. every day. Moving traffi c would be reduced
to one lane in each direction. Midblock next to
the curb, there would be extra-wide space for loading,
pickups and drop-offs. At intersections, there would
also be a third, separate lane for a bus stop, and the
curbside space in this area would be reduced.
The scheme was previously called a “busway” when
it was pitched as part of the transit mitigation plan for
the L-train full shutdown plan. But this past January,
Governor Andrew Cuomo nixed the full L-train shutdown
and said the L line’s Sandy-damaged East River
tubes could be repaired on nights and weekends, with
one tube always left open for partial service.
The busway appeared kaput. But, in April, the idea
was revived and redubbed “Transit/Truck Priority”
lanes. Repairs on the L tunnel started in April.
D.O.T. will enforce the new T.T.P. lanes with cameras
along 14th St. But enforcement measures won’t kick in
until at least 60 days after the traffi c changes go into
effect. The Daily News also reported that seven new Police
Department tow trucks would patrol 14th St. The
Under the proposed Transit/Truck Priority lanes plan, to launch July 1, through traffic — including
cars and cabs — would be banned from 14th St. between Third and Ninth Aves. daily
from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Buses and trucks would be allowed.
T.T.P. scheme on 14th St. would be the fi rst of its kind
in the city.
As they feared with the busway, many nearby Village
and Chelsea residents worry displaced car traffi c and
ride-hail app cars would fl ood their small side streets if
the 14th St. traffi c ban goes into effect.
The Riders Alliance, a leading transportation advocacy
group, hailed the launch of what it termed a
“busway” — and is already eagerly calling for it to be
replicated citywide.
“The 14th St. busway is great news for transit riders
and neighborhood residents,” declared Danny Pearlstein,
the group’s communications director.
COURTESY D.O.T.
“By ensuring fast, reliable transit starting July 1, the
busway will provide an excellent alternative to jampacked
L trains and expensive, ineffi cient car trips. ...
We look forward to working with our elected leaders to
ensure that buses are prioritized on more streets across
the city... .”
West Village seniors — including many in Westbeth
Artists Housing — panicked after the M.T.A. recently
announced it would be cutting the Abingdon Square
loop from the M14 route. However, at local politicians’
urging, the agency is now saying it will keep the loop for
at least nine months after the new 14th St. scheme goes
into effect and “study” the situation.
M.T.A. drive for renewable-gas buses
BY ALEJANDRA
O’CONNELL-DOMENECH
The Metropolitan Transportation
Authority has made a bold move
toward reducing greenhouse gas
emissions.
Last month, the M.T.A. issued a
request for proposals, or R.F.P., to
purchase either biomethane, a gas
produced from the decomposition of
organic matter, or another renewable
natural gas derived from nonfossil
sources.
According to the R.F.P., the plan is
to use the renewable fuel in 800 city
buses by this August.
Joanna Underwood, founder of
Energy Vision, a renewable-energy
research nonprofi t located on E. 13th
St. that advocates for the use of the
biogas for fuel, hailed the exciting
news.
“For M.T.A. and any other bus or
truck fl eet that adopts it, this strategy
enables them to meet or exceed the
Paris goal not by 2050, but today,”
she said.
Biomethane is produced from the
anaerobic digestion of organic matter,
like plant material, sewage or manure,
which is then collected all together
into large vessels to create fuel.
Organizations like Energy Vision advocate
for the gas’s wide-spread use
since they believe it can potentially
put tons of waste to good use. The gas
is also chemically the same as natural
gas and can therefore be used in gaspowered
vehicles.
Other supporters of the fuel’s use
include Ydanis Rodriguez, chairperson
of the City Council Transportation
Committee, who last June wrote
a letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio urging
the city to explore using biomethane
as a means to fuel buses that run
on compressed natural gas, or CNG.
“This clean, domestic, renewable
fuel is already being used in heavyduty
vehicles around the country —
but not yet in New York City,” Rodriguez
wrote.
Buses in Santa Monica, California,
are all fueled by biomethane. In 2017,
the Los Angeles County Metropolitan
Transportation Authority purchased
295 compressed natural gas buses
with the intent of fueling the vehicles
with renewable natural gas, or RNG.
But some advocates, like Jim Walsh,
a renewable energy policy analyst for
Food & Water Watch, believe that
biomethane does more harm than
good. Like with any pipeline or structure
harboring a gas, leaks are bound
to happen. Those inevitable leaks
would release a greenhouse gas 25
times more potent as a heat-trapping
gas than carbon dioxide into the air.
According to Walsh, biogas combustion
emits the same contaminants as
conventional gas, like carbon dioxide,
ammonia, hydrogen sulfi de and nitrogen
oxides, which all contribute to
smog and climate change. Walsh also
added that the use of the biogas and
the federal government’s incentivizing
of anaerobic digesters enables
the existence of the country’s factory
farms, which produce greenhouse
gases, along with other air and water
pollutants.
Schneps Media TVG June 20, 2019 3