MTA announces restart of Bronx Bus Network Redesign, encourages public engagement

There will be a virtual public meeting next month that is meant to promote public consciousness around the project and allow riders one more opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed final plan.

News 12 Staff

Oct 29, 2021, 11:32 AM

Updated 1,073 days ago

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The MTA announced Thursday the restart of the Bronx Bus Network Redesign process, which had previously been paused due to the pandemic.
There will be a virtual public meeting next month that is meant to promote public consciousness around the project and allow riders one more opportunity to provide feedback on the proposed final plan.
This meeting follows efforts by the Transit Authority over the last two months to reengage the community on the details of the proposed final plan, with summer of 2022 as the current implementation goal.
The plan is meant to reallocate resources to the portions of the borough where they will have the greatest impact, and is focused on improving local, limited, and SBS (select bus service) routes.
The MTA says it determined that customers also value the existing routing of the Bx28 and Bx34 over the proposed alignment changes that were outlined in the draft and proposed final plans.
Due to public feedback, the Bx28 and Bx34 routes will remain unchanged.
Because of the 18-month pause caused by the pandemic, Bx6 SBS implementation has been delayed until 2023 to coincide with the retirement of the MetroCard and the full deployment of OMNY across the city.
The MTA says officials determined that the logistics and expenses associated with installing and then uninstalling fare machines along the future alignment in Soundview for just one year is not an effective or efficient use of resources, so the associated change in Bx6 local and Bx5 frequencies will also be postponed until the full deployment of OMNY when the Bx6 SBS realignment is implemented.
"The redesign is key to providing the bus service that our customers in the Bronx deserve. As the pandemic made clear, Bronx bus customers rely on bus service more than New Yorkers in any other borough and this entire plan was crafted in partnership with Bronx residents," says Interim New York City Transit President Craig Cipriano. "It was truly a community-led approach and our final plan reflects their feedback. We listened carefully and I'm proud of just how well this collaborative process worked."
The meeting is scheduled for Nov. 9 at 6 p.m. Those looking for additional details can visit the project's dedicated website, where you can also register for the meeting.