Riverside Drive Gets More Accessible Bus Stops In Harlem

New York Yimby reports that there is some good news for bus riders on the Upper West Side and in Morningside Heights. More accessible bus stops are in the works for Riverside Drive.

Last Tuesday, the Parks Department and the landscape architecture firm Quennell Rothschild & Partners went before the Landmarks Preservation Commission with their plan for 11 intersections. They would stretch from West 100^th Street to West 122^nd Street. In some cases, bus stops would be moved a bit. Repairs would be made and many new ramps would be installed. New paving would also be installed and new trees would be planted, where necessary.

The specific stops that would receive work are the northbound and southbound stops at

• West 100^th Street
• The northbound stop at West 103^rd Street
• The northbound and southbound stops at West 104^th Street
• The northbound stop at West 106^th Street
• The southbound stops at West 112^th Street
• West 113^th Street
• West 114^th Street
• West 116^th Street
• West 119^th Street
• West 120^th Street
• West 122^nd Street

New pedestrian safety islands would be installed at West 104^th Street. That is to help those pedestrians who can’t make it all the way across the street before the light changes. At West 120^th Street, the only bus shelter on the drive would be removed, as the Parks Department never wanted it there in the first place. The lawn would be reseeded there.

The project is expected to cost $1.875 million and would be paid for, in part, by a $1.5 million federal grant.

The commissioners had little to say about the proposal, with LPC Chair Meenakshi Srinivasan saying, “This is fine.” They voted in favor of it. However, Riverside Drive is a scenic landmark (designated in 1980), not an individual landmark or part of a history district. So, the LPC doesn’t actually have binding authority and just issued an advisory report. The Public Design Commission still has to issue final approval.

Click here to view the full presentation slides.