An act to amend the vehicle and traffic law, in relation to excluding violations occurring within a certain distance from a place of worship, funeral home, or similar institution from bus operation-related traffic regulations
The Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) opposes S.8634 (Fernandez) – A.9565 (Taylor), which seeks to amend section 1111-c-1 of the vehicle and traffic law to clarify that certain bus operation-related traffic regulation violations shall not apply when such conduct occurs within one hundred feet of a place of worship, funeral home, or similar institution as part of participation in a ceremony or religious service.
While we appreciate this bill’s intent, we believe it is both detrimental to the needs of New York City’s two million daily bus riders and extremely difficult (if not impossible) to implement responsibly.
New York City’s buses are the slowest in the United States, largely due to double parking in bus lanes by single-occupancy and delivery vehicles. The Legislature first authorized automated enforcement for Select Bus Service in 2010. Recognizing the success of this program, Governor Hochul and the Legislature acted in 2023 to expand its use.
Today, bus operation regulations, including the MTA’s Automated Camera Enforcement (ACE) system, are active on 54 bus routes that carry over 980,000 average weekday riders, serving as a crucial tool to help speed up miserably slow buses, which average just over eight miles per hour. Data shows this program increases bus speeds by 5% and reduces collisions by 20%. Implemented in tandem with other improvements, such as transit signal priority and bus lanes, ACE is a powerful tool to speed up our slowest-in-the-nation buses.
Congregants and funeral attendees are bus riders too, often reaping the benefits of the ACE program. Creating loopholes in the program would set a disastrous precedent, creating uncertainty about where and when the program may be enforced, particularly because service times for houses of worship and funeral services can change daily, sometimes with little notice, making enforcement extremely challenging.
An alternative to this bill seeking to solve the same problem might instead encourage the New York City Department of Transportation to establish dedicated passenger loading/unloading zones for places of worship and funeral homes outside dedicated bus lanes. Dedicated passenger zones are safer and more efficient for passengers, particularly seniors and persons with disabilities, and could be placed to work in tandem with bus stops rather than in conflict with them.
We believe creating a piecemeal approach to the ACE program is a disservice to transit riders and a marked retreat from Governor Hochul, Mayor Mamdani, and the Legislature’s ongoing commitment to faster, more frequent bus service for millions of daily riders.
For these reasons, the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA (PCAC) urges New York State Legislators to oppose S.7785/A.8842.