STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — A redesign of a major Staten Island bus lane is moving forward, with construction expected to begin this summer. But community members and elected officials say the change will negatively impact residents, teachers, parents, students and businesses — and result in a multi-neighborhood parking nightmare.
“This is just a continuation of the pattern of ignoring the real needs of Staten Island and doing more harm than good,” said Borough President Vito Fossella, speaking of a project that will rework several sections of the Victory Boulevard bus lane and eliminate parking on the thoroughfare during peak travel hours. “This plan will disrupt the lives of so many people who live and work in that corridor and upend lives unnecessarily.”
The project, which the New York City Department of Transportation presented to Community Boards 1 and 2 last year, will refurbish existing bus lanes on Victory Boulevard between Bay Street in Tompkinsville and Wild Avenue in Travis, marking them with red paint and adding rubber speed bumps in some locations for traffic calming.
The portion of the project that Fossella is most concerned about is the installation of two new curbside bus lanes — one between Forest Avenue and Eddy Street in Grymes Hill and another between Seneca Avenue and Little Clove Road in front of Clove Lake Park. That part of the expansion will eliminate parking on Victory Boulevard from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. in the northeast direction (towards the Staten Island Ferry) and from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the southwest direction (away from the Staten Island Ferry)…