The MTA recently announced massive cuts to its services and programs, including no more discounted and/or free student cards, the cancelling of two subway lines, and the restriction of bus services.
Meanwhile, buses continue to idle outside our doors, spewing toxic fumes to our children and ourselves, 24/7. Studies show that people who live near heavily-trafficked roadways face significantly elevated risks of asthma attacks and heart disease, stunted childhood lung development, adverse birth outcomes, lower IQ scores, cancer and other diseases contributing to premature death. In 2009, New York City was ranked one of the most polluted cities in the US according to the American Lung Association. What is the MTA doing to help combat this problem?
Every year, vehicles waste more than $45 million by idling. MTA’s budget woes can be addressed by saving fuel: installing automatic kill switches on its buses turn the bus off after a certain number of idling minutes. Creating incentive programs for conscientious bus drivers would also help reduce bus idling.
Here is just a partial list of MTA bus idling times with dates and bus numbers that we’ve started to collect. Look for a page soon which will allow you to add your own observations. Join us and keep the pressure on MTA to save money and respect our neighborhoods!
| DATE: | BUS NO: | TIME IN: | TIME OUT: | IDLING (mins): |
| 10/13/09 | 850 | 11:40 PM | 12:03 AM | 23 |
| 10/14/09 | 9509 | 11:55 PM | 12:08 AM | 13 |
| 10/18/09 | 9481 | 11:57 PM | 12:02 AM | 5 |
| 3/4/10 | 877 | 5:58 AM | 6:11 AM | 13 |
| 10/30/09 | 886 | 6:30 AM | 6:42 AM | 12 |
| 11/2/09 | 6605 | 11:38 PM | 11:50 PM | 12 |
| 10/21/09 | 9521 | 9:20 AM | 9:31 AM | 11 |
| 11/2/09 | 6597 | 9:35 PM | 9:45 PM | 10 |
| 10/13/09 | 8549 | 11:40 PM | 11:50 PM | 10 |
| 10/19/09 | 9301 | 12:08 AM | 12:17 AM | 9 |
| 10/21/09 | 854 | 10:25 AM | 10:33 AM | 8 |
| 11/4/09 | 7577 | 9:28 AM | 9:36 AM | 8 |
| 11/11/09 | 880 | 5:50 AM | 5:58 AM | 8 |
| 11/8/09 | 983 | 4:21 PM | 4:29 PM | 8 |
| 11/8/09 | 983 | 8:18 PM | 8:26 PM | 8 |
| 1/9/09 | 907 | 2:52 PM | 3:00 PM | 8 |
| 10/21/09 | 9462 | 5:42 AM | 5:49 AM | 7 |
| 11/2/09 | 6594 | 3:50 PM | 3:57 PM | 7 |
The legal limit for an MTA bus to idle is 3 minutes.
From the MTA:
For real-time bus idling complaints, MTA customers may call our Bus Customer Relations Center number at 888-692-8287 (Monday to Friday, 7am to 5pm). They should provide us with the Bus Number, the time, the bus location (street and cross-street) and how long the bus has been idling and request that immediate action be taken. The Customer Service desk can contact the Bus Command Center which can immediately address the problem by sending a supervisor to the bus or contacting the Bus Operator directly. As in all cases, the call will be registered and tracked in the Customer Service database so the MTA can determine whether there is a recurring problem at a location that needs further action.
The legal bus idle time is 3 minutes, in non-school zones. In school zones, the idle limit is 1 minute. 4 bus terminus points are located right outside a children’s school (Maple Street School). Three apartment buildings surround this narrow residential corridor. Add to that the fact that ALL of these posted times listed exceed the 3 minute idle law. Often, these infractions occur in full view of MTA supervisors on the street, who do nothing to enforce the $2,000 fines that should apply to each bus driver exceeding the idle limit.
Residents have long complained about MTA idle times, including calling the MTA directly. The fact that this issue continues to surface underlines the fact that “calling it in” does little to nothing to curb the problem.
The solution lies in making sure that idling DOES NOT OCCUR. Kill switches are one such option. Employee incentive programs for conscientious bus drivers are another.
I have lived on Lincoln Rd. between Ocean and Flatbush for the past 5 years. My apartment faces Lincoln Rd. and for that whole time I have lived with the constant noise and noxious fumes spewed by idling MTA buses at all hours.
I have called the MTA’s Bus Customer Relations Center to make my complaints of this issue. What resulted from my calls was a thank you note from the City of New York congratulating me on my diligence in bringing this issue to their attention. That was 3 years ago and the buses continue to idle.
Recently, while on Lincoln Rd. I confronted an MTA daytime supervisor (there is no nighttime supervisor) about an idling B16 bus. The bus had been idling for over three minutes. As I approached to remind the driver and supervisor to turn the engine off, the driver left the bus to go to a convenience store. I went up to speak to the supervisor to tell him that it is unacceptable for this bus to idle for longer than 3 minutes, and furthermore, to express my incredulity that there was a bus idling, its doors open, with NO DRIVER in sight! The supervisor had the gall to tell me that he “makes sure all buses don’t idle” (right in front of the open doors with the engine running), then not-so-kindly advised me to take it up with the appropriate governmental agency.
It clear to me that the MTA has regard for neither the safety nor the health of the people of this community.
[...] the other hand, this change will eliminate 1/3 of the bus traffic on our block. That means less noise, less air pollution & fewer bus riders, so potentially less litter. Bus traffic will be further reduced by service [...]
[...] buses continue to idle over the 1-minute limit set in the school zone on Lincoln Road. Despite our post and the ongoing attention this page is getting (eight months later, it continues to be one of the [...]