Thursday, June 1, 2023 3:25AM
BRONX, New York (WABC) — At least 62% of households on the busiest road in the Bronx do not have a car, according to city data.
As such, many who live on or near Fordham Road rely on public transportation. But the city’s proposal to speed up buses in the area caused several business owners to write a letter to Mayor Eric Adams.
“Just because DOT has some new tools in the toolbox, and they wanted to upgrade the area. It’s not as easy as it sounds,” said Wilma Alonso, president and CEO of Fordham Road BID.
The proposal would create just one lane of regular traffic or create a car-free busway in one or both directions on Fordham Road. This would restrict car traffic between Morris and Webster avenues.
Some riders think the proposal would help alleviate the traffic they face on a daily basis.
“We’re always waiting 20 minutes for these buses because of the traffic,” Amina Sabaly said.
Traffic that is sometimes caused by cars illegally parked in the bus lane.
The Business Improvement District thinks the first step to a solution is better enforcement.
If traffic on Fordham Road gets worse, business owners in Little Italy fear that traffic on their side streets will back up as well. They think the proposal will hurt their business, as many customers drive to the neighborhood to dine out.
“When it’s a big traffic sometimes it takes us to get in 20, 30 minutes just from Fordham Road to come here. Imagine if you close the lanes? It’s going to be a disaster,” said Anton Raja the owner of O’ccaffe.
But the proposal from the DOT is just that, a proposal. No changes are official.
“We are committed to improving bus service and supporting businesses across the Bronx, and we’re working closely with the community to accomplish those goals,” said the DOT.
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