While not as dramatic as in Queens where more than 50 percent of the bus stops are proposed for elimination, the MTA is proposing to eliminate 18 percent of bus stops in the Bronx.

There are many fallacies in the MTA's logic for the removal of bus stops, some of which have already been highlighted in the original petition. The MTA contends that the major reason for bus delays is that there are too many bus stops too close together.

Any regular bus rider knows the major reason for bus delays is bus bunching even when routes are scheduled 20 minutes apart. It is not always due to traffic, but due to poor or non-existent measures to control bus bunching in spite of the available technology such as BusTrek. How many are in charge of regulating the 6,000 city buses? Twenty, perhaps? How could they possibly do their job efficiently.

In the few cases where bus stops are exceedingly close without a major landmark causing this, the MTA is correct in removing those stops, but they have gone overboard in this regard.

The MTA contends: "Each time a bus stops, it must exit traffic, load and unload passengers, and wait to reenter traffic, resulting in decreased speed and increased travel time... This is untrue. Many times, a bus can reenter traffic without having to wait any significant amount of time or can immediately reenter traffic without waiting at all. So what is the rationale in eliminating those stops or stops that are lightly used and are skipped most of the time anyway?

The MTA goes on to say: "The waiting time for a bus to re-enter traffic can range from 20 seconds during off-peak travel times to more than one minute during peak rush hour."

That problem when it does exist can be solved without bus stop removal if a state law is passed requiring all non-emergency vehicles to give the right way to buses reentering traffic which I first proposed over five years ago in numerous articles I have written. Not one single state elected official has introduced such legislation.

The MTA misleads by making it appear that many have bus stops in front of their door and the inconvenience is minor. The percentage of riders with bus stops in front of their door is minuscule. A much larger percentage of riders will now have to walk a half mile or more to a local bus stop despite MTA guidelines which call for a maximum walk of only a quarter mile.

From the article in the Norwood Times: https://www.norwoodnews.org/final-bronx-bus-redesign-plan-may-involve-the-removal-of-18-percent-of-bronx-bus-stops

"However, Dinowitz said when it comes to potentially removing bus stops, there are some factors which NYCT officials may not have taken into account during their analysis, such as topography e.g. hills or key landmarks. Where residents believe that one or more of the impacted stops which NYCT plans to remove should not actually be removed, the assemblyman suggests that they provide feedback to NYCT via the following link: https://mta nyc.custhelp.com/app/comments_bronxbus."

Now is the time to save our bus stops. We have exceeded 2,050 signatures. Let's get to 2,500 by sharing this petition everywhere on social media even if you do not live in the Bronx or Queens. The MTA is coming for your Brooklyn bus stops next and they will not wait for the Bus Network Redesign to begin. They have already unnecessarily removed half the bus stops in Queens on the Q66.