MTA Schedules “Open House” on Controversial M14 Changes
14a bus on Grand Street. File photo.
Proposed changes to the M14 A and D bus routes will be discussed at an upcoming public event.
New York City Transit will be holding an “open house” Tuesday, April 2 at the 7th Precinct, 19 Pitt St. from 6-8 p.m. The MTA is planning to cut stops throughout the Lower East Side and convert the M14 A and D into Select Bus Service. The scheme has already proved controversial. Last week, City Council member Carlina Rivera and other local elected officials called on the MTA to add a real M14 SBS route with supplemental local service. In a statement, she said:
Our M14 bus is the second-busiest bus route in Manhattan and sadly also the second slowest: I believe we must and can do better in serving our East Side residents. We need solutions for both those who need faster transit options and those will be forced to walk over half a mile between the proposed new bus stops and their homes, with no other affordable options. The current M14 SBS plan not only fails seniors and low-income New Yorkers – it also diminishes how transformative an SBS route could be for the area.
News of the M14 changes first surfaced earlier this month in documents obtained by Streetsblog.