Transportation Alternatives, Riders Alliance Launch Brand-New ‘Miracle on 42nd Street’ Campaign for a Safer, Faster 42nd Street
Today, the M42 is the second slowest bus in all of Manhattan, despite serving more than 70,000 riders every day.
There are nearly three times as many pedestrians as cars along 42nd Street.
NEW YORK — Today, Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance are launching the Miracle on 42nd Street, a brand-new campaign for a better 42nd Street across Manhattan.
The Miracle on 42nd Street calls for the following improvements along the corridor:
Wider sidewalks for pedestrians
A car-free busway along 42nd Street to make bus travel faster and more reliable
A protected bike lane to make travel safer for everyone using 42nd Street
"We are looking for a massive reimagining of this iconic heart of New York City that will make 42nd Street a much safer, calmer and fun place to visit or transit through,” said John Noble and Paul Krikler, Manhattan activists for Transportation Alternatives.
The Miracle on 42nd Street will build off the successful 14th Street busway. Before building a busway along 14th Street, the buses here were some of the slowest in the city. After major improvements, bus speeds increased by as much as 24% and ridership increased by as much as 30% – today, the 14th Street busway has the highest crosstown ridership in Manhattan, with nearly 4.5 million rides in 2023. 14th Street is not just more efficient, but safer: after the redesign, 86% of pedestrians reported feeling safer on 14th Street, and Citi Bike trips jumped 94%.
“With two-thirds of street space dedicated solely to cars, 42nd Street isn’t serving New Yorkers,” said Emily Jacobi, Manhattan Organizer for Transportation Alternatives. “Slow buses, narrow sidewalks, and zero protected space to bike make it impossible and dangerous to get around. The status quo isn’t working for anybody – and we need a miracle on 42nd Street to design a crosstown corridor that prioritizes pedestrians, bus riders, and bike riders.”
"Congestion pricing presents a unique opportunity to improve service for crosstown bus riders and make our busiest streets work better for everyone," said Riders Alliance Executive Director Betsy Plum. "Five years ago, the 14th Street busway proved that crosstown buses don't have to suffer the dubious distinction of being New York's Slowest. Now we need Mayor Adams to seize this moment and scale the lessons of 14th Street north and south, starting with 42nd Street, where bus riders are long overdue for a miracle.”
