The local paper for the Upper East Side
WEEK OF APRIL - MAY TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS ◄ P.21
26-2 2018
EMERALD EMPIRE EVICTS AUTOS GREENING For the first time since the 19th century, Central Park turns its back on the internal combustion engine, embraces anew its original purpose as an urban refuge BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN AND CLARRIE FEINSTEIN
New York City Transit President Andy Byford’s plan to transform the city’s bus system includes a pilot program to test new double-decker buses on some express routes. Photo: Marc A. Hermann MTA New York City Transit
MTA UNVEILS BUS ACTION PLAN TRANSPORTATION Proposal calls for updated route network, expanded traffic enforcement and tech upgrades to speed up boarding and travel times BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
In response to a growing crisis on the city’s bus network — which has seen ridership drop 32 percent in Manhattan since 2007 and is the slowest of any major system in the world — the MTA announced this week an ambitious set of proposals intended to reshape bus service in New York, a comprehensive plan that New York City Transit President Andy Byford called “the first piece in the jigsaw toward the full scale modernization of New York City Transit.”
First and foremost, New York City has to address congestion in a concerted way.” MTA board member Veronica Vanterpool The plan aims to reverse the trend of declining bus ridership by providing faster, more reliable service through steps including technology upgrades to reduce the time buses spend at red lights and picking up passengers, a new command cen-
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It was November 13, 1899, when the city granted legal permission for the first automobile, by permit only, to drive into Central Park. After 119 years — and a backlash dating to 1906 that intensified over the past half-century — that green light is about to turn red. Beginning on June 27, the park will become car-free, and the oasis that Frederick Law Olmsted once dubbed the “lungs of the city” will breathe a little easier. “Our parks are for people — not for cars,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio, who unveiled the ban two days before Earth Day and described it variously as “permanent,” “forever,” “for all times” and “irrevocable.” His theatrical props were well chosen: Clad in a green tie and standing at the south end of the Mall, near the Balto Statue, Frisbee Hill and the Olmsted Flower Bed, the mayor declared, “Now, the Earth’s most iconic park will be car free.” For more than a century, he said in the April 20 announcement, “Cars have turned parts of the world’s greatest park into a highway. Today, we take it back.” Local elected officials were ecstatic. And City Hall rounded them all up for statements. “The perfect way to celebrate our planet,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “A historic decision,” said Council Member Keith Powers. “A long-overdue victory for all New Yorkers and our environment,” said
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Horse-drawn carriage driver Christina Hansen said a ban on cars in Central Park would improve safety, noting that bike-renting tourists are often unaware that cars drive through the park. Photo: Clarrie Feinstein Council Member Helen Rosenthal. “Countless families, joggers and cyclists can now enjoy an even safer, healthier park space,” said Council Member Mark Levine. “An oasis of calm and greenery is about to get even better,” said Assembly Member Richard Gottfried. Not everybody shared their enthusiasm. The 6.1-mile park Loop affords a route the subway doesn’t provide, said taxicab driver Frank Elais. It can also offer a shortcut from midtown to LaGuardia Airport. Closing off park access limits options and eliminates faster routes that can bypass traffic congestion, he said.
“It will definitely be an inconvenience” for cabbies, Elais said near Columbus Circle on Monday. “Ultimately, it will make traffic worse in the city.” Others interviewed near the park’s southern entrance applauded the ban,
CONTINUED ON PAGE 5 Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, April 27 – 7:30 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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