Press Releases
IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 10, 2024
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov
NYC DOT Completes Transformative Bus Lane Redesign on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, Improving Service and Enhancing Safety Along Corridor
Project delivers new physically protected bus lanes to better connect bus riders to seven subway lines
NYC DOT also redesigned seven intersections to calm traffic, create more pedestrian space, and enhance safety
A B41 bus travels along newly redesigned bus lanes on Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Credit: NYC DOT
NEW YORK – New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced the completion of the redesign of Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, from Boerum Place to Flatbush Avenue. The project delivers about a mile of newly designed bus lanes, the majority of which are physically protected, and seven intersection redesigns to make bus service faster and more reliable for 50,000 daily bus riders while greatly improving traffic safety on a corridor congested with illegal parking. With the completion of this project, NYC DOT installed more than 18 miles of new, enhanced, or protected bus lanes in 2023, among the most annual miles in record-keeping history, improving service for more than 300,000 daily bus riders.
“Our redesign of Livingston Street has transformed what was a congested, double-parked corridor into two-way fully protected and dedicated bus lanes to get bus riders where they’re going faster—while also preserving access and enhancing safety for everyone,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. “Bus riders deserve fast and reliable service so that they spend less time in transit and more time with their families and friends, or at important appointments.”
“Bus lanes are the most effective way to speed up buses,” said NYC Transit President Richard Davey. “Millions of New Yorkers depend on buses, and we are committed, with our partners at DOT, to improve bus service reliability and help bus passengers reach their destinations faster and safer. With our ongoing rollout of expanded automated camera enforcement, customers can look forward to even quicker bus journeys.”
BETTER BUSES
The redesigned Livingston Street corridor serves four bus routes, the B41, B45, B67, and B103, and better connects those riders to seven subway lines—2, 3, 4, 5, A, C, and G—as well as important destinations like the Fulton Mall and Brooklyn Borough Hall.
Livingston Street was converted from two-way to one-way westbound for general traffic to provide fully separated dedicated space for buses. The innovative design physically places two-way bus lanes on the south side of the street and general traffic, parking, and loading on the north side. With the installation of new concrete bus boarding islands and plastic barriers, the buses are physically protected from traffic. NYC DOT will also work with MTA to expand automated enforcement along the corridor.
NYC DOT installed new loading regulations, including commercial meters, on the north side of the corridor throughout the length of the project to better manage deliveries and improve parking availability for drivers.
ENHANCING TRAFFIC SAFETY
Livingston Street is located in a Vision Zero Priority Area, defined as locations around the city with a high density of traffic deaths and serious injuries. There were 13 traffic deaths or serious injuries recorded on this stretch of Livingston Street between 2016 and 2020, with the most common pedestrian injury involving turning vehicles striking pedestrians legally crossing with the traffic signal.
To calm turning drivers and better protect pedestrians, NYC DOT redesigned seven intersections along the corridor with either newly painted pedestrian sidewalk extensions or concrete pedestrian islands. The new pedestrian space significantly reduces the distance between crosswalks and helps calm vehicles as they make turns.
“I applaud the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) for completing the installation of newly designed bus lanes along Livingston Street,” said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. “Downtown Brooklyn serves as an important economic and administrative hub for the borough, and the newly designed bus lanes and intersection redesigns will help ensure that Brooklynites can reliably get to destinations like Brooklyn Borough Hall, the municipal courts, and Fulton Mall. I look forward to continuing to work with NYC DOT on measures that will bring speedy, reliable bus service to more Brooklynites!”
“The redesign of Livingston Street will allow tens of thousands of bus riders to more reliably get to work, school, and everywhere else they need to go,” said State Senator Andrew Gounardes. “It will also make the street safer and more accessible for everyone. I'm thankful to the Department of Transportation for making these much-needed improvements.”
“The redesigned Livingston Street bus lane is terrific news for Brooklyn’s transit passengers,” said Assemblymember Jo Anne Simon. “Many of us use these buses every day and will now have faster, more reliable, and safer rides.”
“50,000 daily bus riders have been stuck in endless traffic on Livingston Street on one of the slowest bus routes in all of Brooklyn,” said Councilmember Lincoln Restler. “Thanks to DOT implementing a brand new design, those days are over with the new Livingston Busway! This is a terrific model to keep buses moving that should be replicated across Brooklyn and beyond.”
“Protected bus lanes are critical for getting traffic out of the way and speeding up bus service around the five boroughs,” said Andrew Albert, chair of the New York City Transit Riders Council and MTA Board member. “50,000 bus riders in Downtown Brooklyn— one of the most congested areas in New York— will benefit from faster trips and safer boarding thanks to new concrete bus boarding islands and plastic barriers that will keep cars and trucks out of the bus lane on Livingston Street. We thank NYC DOT and New York City Transit for working together to speed up buses for riders in 2024.”
“Downtown Brooklyn is full of bus routes that carry transit-dependent riders across the borough, including many students and low-income riders,” said Renae Reynolds, executive director of Tri-State Transportation Campaign. “This area is notoriously congested and buses have historically moved at a snail's pace. The changes NYCDOT has made on Livingston St will increase bus speeds and pedestrian safety, and reduce rampant illegal lane blocking by cars. These improvements will dramatically improve the ability of riders to have the frequent, reliable, and safe transport that they need and deserve.”
“New York’s bus service is the slowest in the nation because most streets cater to private cars, but projects like this have us headed in the right direction. Buses are a lifeline for everyday New Yorkers; for students, our working-class neighbors, and tens of thousands of riders with disabilities,” said Sara Lind, co-executive director at Open Plans. “By redesigning streets for their speed and efficiency, we rebalance our priorities to serve the majority of New Yorkers who do not own cars. We’re eager to see more of these projects across the five boroughs in 2024 so that New York City can move toward being a safer, accessible, more climate-friendly city for everyone.”
“The redesign of Livingston Street to prioritize the speed and reliability of buses for 50,000 daily riders is the kind of game-changing infrastructure improvement that New York City’s straphangers have been clamoring for,” said Eric McClure, executive director of StreetsPAC. “Reorganizing the street to keep private and commercial vehicles out of the newly protected bus lanes while providing needed dedicated space for commercial loading and unloading will keep both bus commuters and businesses happy. Kudos to Commissioner Rodriguez and the NYC DOT team for these crucial upgrades.”