Transit Chief Slams Mayor For Rockefeller Center Holiday Bus Ban

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — New York City Transit President Andy Byford is all for street safety projects, but not when they threaten bus service.

Byford slammed City Hall and Mayor Bill de Blasio on Friday for moving forward with a plan to ban cars from streets and avenues near Rockefeller Center as the area becomes inundated with tourists and holiday shoppers in the coming weeks.

In a harshly-worded statement, the city's transit boss said, "We are disappointed that the plan put forward by the Mayor gives no priority to MTA buses and ignores the needs of bus customers.

"This unilateral decision flies in the face of the work that the MTA has done with NYC DOT to speed up bus times, decrease dwell times and increase ridership across our system."

The city's plan, which was backed by a number of local elected officials and the city's Department of Transportation, will eliminate traffic lanes on portions of Fifth and Sixth avenues between 48th and 52nd streets. Closing the lanes to traffic will also get rid of bus priority lanes on the busy roads.

As a result, buses won't be stopping on streets that are included in the city's Rockefeller Center plan.

"The plan also lumps MTA buses in with cars and trucks – the exact opposite of our collaborative efforts with the City on the success of the 14th Street busway, the innovative bus lane camera enforcement (ABLE) program and transit priority citywide," Byford said in a statement.

"Thousands of buses travel these lanes every day getting riders where they need to go for the holidays to see family and friends, and the plan as put forward will only serve to increase congestion and result in slower speeds for our passengers."

Starting Friday Nov. 29, a pedestrian zone will be created on West 49th and 50th streets between Fifth and Sixth avenues and four blocks along Fifth and Sixth avenues will be granted more pedestrian space by eliminating vehicle traffic lanes, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday during his weekly radio spot on WNYC.

The mayor threw cold water on a similar plan in October, saying the safety plan had been publicized "prematurely."

"We found a good balance that will really focus on keeping people safe," de Blasio said of the plan.

The street changes near Rockefeller Center will remain in effect until Jan. 1, 2021.

Read more about the plan here.