Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Judge Rules 14th Street Busway Can Move Forward
By
Jake Offenhartz
and
Adwait Patil
Published Aug 6, 2019
Modified Aug 6, 2019
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 .
By
Jake Offenhartz
and
Adwait Patil
Published Aug 6, 2019
Modified Aug 6, 2019
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
New York City can now move ahead with a planned busway on 14th Street, after a group of Manhattan homeowners failed to convince a judge that the planned street design should be permanently halted.
The lawsuit, brought by West Village resident Arthur Schwartz on behalf of several block associations, was filed just ahead of the project's expected implementation in July. The plaintiffs argued that the city had not undertaken a sufficient environmental review of the vehicle restrictions, which they claimed would cause “horrific traffic jams" on residential side streets while contributing to more pollution. The suit also demanded the removal of 12th and 13th Street bike lanes.
Shortly after, New York State Supreme Court Judge Eileen Rakower issued a temporary restraining order on the redesign—postponing the long-awaited transit project, and adding a combined 8,654 commuting hours for New Yorkers last month, according to advocates.
That restraining order has now been lifted, and the city is free to resume the project. According to Rakower, the Department of Transportation "went to great lengths to describe the consideration that went into the analysis, considering pedestrian deaths, dangerous intersections and not just the speed of the bus that is going to traverse 14th Street."
DOT
The city's 18-month pilot program, which has broad support from transit advocates, will restrict private through traffic in both directions between 3rd and 9th Avenues, in order to reduce heavy congestion on the corridor and speed up the notoriously slow 14th Street buses. Paired with the recent arrival of Select Bus Service in the area, the city estimates that bus speeds will improve by as much as 30 percent for 27,000 daily riders.
"We've argued all along that what the city is doing on 14th Street in prioritizing bus traffic and passengers is fully authorized," Marco Conner of Transportation Alternatives told Gothamist. "We called the lawsuit by Arthur Schwartz 'frivolous.' This shows the city has a mandate to prioritize the safety and the efficient moving of New Yorkers."
According to city officials, the busway will go into effect on August 12th. Following the hearing, Schwartz said he was still deciding whether to appeal the decision.
We the Commuters is a weekly newsletter about transportation from WNYC and Gothamist. Sign up below for essential commuting coverage delivered to your inbox every Thursday.
Loading...
Tagged
14th Street busway
arthur schwartz
dot
vision zero
we the commuters
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
Read more
Adwait Patil
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
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
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
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
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
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 .