Here’s what you need to know – NBC New York (47)

Bronx bus system commuters began seeing changes in their commutes on Sunday, June 26, as the MTA began reviewing county routes as part of a redesign of the local bus network. The announcement came on Tuesday. At an event at Fordham Plaza alongside elected officials.

These changes go into effect in time to go Monday morning.

The redesigned network brings fundamental improvements that provide more reliable bus service, improve communications, reduce wait times and increase bus speeds, the agency said. In addition, it reallocates resources to the parts of the province with the greatest impact and establishes an adaptive framework to meet the travel patterns of current and future bus users.

In recent decades, the demographics of residential and commercial communities have changed, as have travel patterns. While making adjustments to the service along the way, the redesign provides the extensive improvements needed to better meet current passenger demand.

The new bus map adds two new local bus routes, changes 13 existing routes and removes about 400 stops, about 20% of the total.

Transit officials said the new plan would speed up bus service and help connect swathes of the Bronx not served by the subway.

“These commuters need and deserve a robust system, one that gets them from one place to another faster than walking,” capital city transport authority chief Jano Lieber said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“We believe that redesigning the Bronx bus network would be a huge step forward,” he added.

MTA officials said new bus routes are creating easier connections between east and west in the Bronx, such as the new Bx25 route that will run from Co-Op City to Bedford Park via Allerton Ave.

Another new road, the M125, will run along 125th Street in Harlem and The Hub at 149th Street in the South Bronx. This route will replace the southern portion of Bx15 Road, which will run from The Hub to Fordham Plaza.

Crews from the city’s Department of Transportation have installed poles and signs along some of the new roads, and officials said they will finish installing them after the redesign begins. MTA crews have plastered banners on poles at bus stops that will not be active next week, letting passengers know where their new stop is.

The MTA will continue the pre-implementation customer ambassador program and two weeks after its launch to help customers transition to the new bus network.

The MTA also overhauled the Staten Island bus network in 2018 and plans to redesign the bus route in the future in Queens, Brooklyn and Manhattan, in that order.

The redesign focuses on:

• faster speed. Increasing the distance between stations is an effective way to allow buses to travel faster. Bronx bus speeds are among the slowest in the country, with average distances between bus stops being 800 feet, compared to 1,000 to 1,680 feet, the international average.
• More direct methods. Streamlining winding roads and modifying roads in areas known for street congestion improves travel time due to fewer turns and avoids traffic.
• Better connections. Route changes are enhancing intercounty travel to Manhattan and improving accessibility to other areas of the MTA’s transit network, including ADA-accessible subway stations. Better east-west bus connections enhance travel within the province.
• More services throughout the day. The new local bus network includes additional trips during peak hours, on weekends, and increases the frequency of service on eleven routes and nine major lanes.

Customers will continue to arrive To the project sitewhich includes informational materials, such as road features Explanation of any changes to stops and frequencies, a map of the entire county with color-coded itineraries, a link to the trip planning tool on the home page, and New Bronx bus schedules.

Open here for more information.