Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Cars Get Shaft In DOT's 34th St. Pedestrian, Transitway Plan
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 23, 2010
Modified Apr 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 7
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 23, 2010
Modified Apr 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
As promised, the DOT is moving quickly on a plan to radically transform 34th Street to prioritize buses and pedestrians over passenger cars. The proposal [pdf], which was completed at the end of February, would essentially cut 34th Street in half, with the section west of Sixth Avenue running one way toward the Hudson River, and the section east of Fifth Avenue running one way toward the East River. Buses would travel in both directions in their own special lanes, and in the middle there will be another pedestrian plaza on the block between Fifth and Sixth, the part of town informally known as Clusterfuck City.
"It’s going to improve the mobility along the corridor," NYC DOT commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan tells the Times. "We expect the bus travel times to improve by up to 35 percent, which is something that up to 33,000 passengers that currently travel crosstown will appreciate." Sadik-Khan points to a study showing that only 10 percent of people traveling along 34th Street use cars or taxis, while the rest walk or use public transportation. Thus, faster bus service will benefit "the majority of the people who are actually using the street."
As part of the "Transitway" plan, bus passengers would be able to buy tickets at sidewalk kiosks, and buses would be equipped with devices that signal traffic lights to remain green as the bus approaches an intersection. The DOT is meeting with the Community Board 6 transportation committee on May 3rd, and expects the project to be completed by the end of 2012, to the tune of $30 million.
Naturally, there are concerns. At a public hearing last night, one woman who resides on 34th Street descried the plan because it might block the loading zone for her building and make it less convenient for her to get deliveries. Local merchants are currently contemplating the proposal, and Dan Biederman, president of the 34th Street Partnership, supports it "for the most part." But he's warning fellow business owners to "please complain right now, or within the next few weeks. This is not your father’s D.O.T. This agency says they do something and they do it." Crazy, right?
Tagged
34th street
buses
department of transportation
dot
herald square
pedestrian plaza
transitway
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 4:22 p.m. ET
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
News
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
A transcript from an April court hearing sheds new light on what transpired at Fashion Institute of Technology.
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
NYC’s bridges can last 'forever,' if we take care of them
By
Clayton Guse
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .