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Transportation & Environment
Application by Bolt Bus for a new passenger drop off location on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets and a new passenger pick up location on the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 28th Street.
WHEREAS, The Applicant, Bolt Bus, seeks to move its current drop-off and pick up locations for its intercity bus service to and from Philadelphia and Baltimore from their current location at 33rd Street and 11th Avenue to a new drop off location on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets and a new pick up location at the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 28th Street; and
WHEREAS, Due to overcrowding at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Bolt Bus uses city streets for pick up and drop off locations; and
WHEREAS, Bolt Bus is not required to move its current location from Hudson Yards at this time, but claims that that site will become un-usable in the near future due to construction; and
WHEREAS, Based on multiple location submissions from Bolt Bus, the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) determined these two locations to be acceptable; and
WHEREAS, The Applicant proposes to have 292 weekly drop-offs at the proposed location on Seventh Avenue and 131 weekly pick ups at the proposed location on Eighth Avenue; and
WHEREAS, MegaBus, a similar intercity bus company, currently operates at the proposed drop-off location with 485 drop-offs per week; and
WHEREAS, Neighborhood residents have expressed overwhelming and unanimous opposition to the new drop-off and pick up locations on a variety of grounds; and
WHEREAS, Specific concerns were voiced regarding the increase in hazardous emissions to the surrounding neighborhood and the escalation of traffic congestion caused by idling buses on 7th and 8th Avenues; and
WHEREAS, The re-location of the Applicant's drop-off activity to this corner would add thousands of passengers to the already over-crowded sidewalk between 26th and 27th Streets; and
WHEREAS, The proposed pick up location on 8th Avenue would potentially block access to the primary loading dock for the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT); and
WHEREAS, The residents of the Penn South residential complex, a naturally occurring retirement community (NORC) located across the street from the proposed pick up location, raised concerns regarding the additional traffic, noise, and emissions resulting from additional intercity buses at that location; and
WHEREAS, These proposed pick up and drop-off locations generated a substantial negative reaction from local residents, institutions, including FIT, and local elected officials, including Assemblyman Gottfried, Borough President Brewer, and Councilman Johnson; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends denial of Bolt Bus's Application for a new passenger drop-off location on the west side of Seventh Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets and a new passenger pick up location on the southeast corner of Eighth Avenue and 28th Street; and further be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five calls on DOT to engage the Manhattan community boards and the intercity bus operating companies in a master planning process for the siting of on-street intercity bus stops, with consideration given to possible locations beyond the west midtown area where many of these buses currently operate; and further be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five recommends that DOT specifically considerwaysto reduce the number of passengers currently being dropped off at Seventh Avenue between 26th and 27th Streets, by working with MegaBus to find additional appropriate locations in the City for drop-offs.