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On Thursday evening, a group of politicians took a hike. That is to say, they schlepped seven avenues across Midtown Manhattan, to prove they could walk 34th Street faster than the M34 bus.
Strolling faster than the M34 isn't exactly a feat. The buses often crawl along at the agonizing speed of 3 miles per hour, despite the existence of curbside bus lanes. But this was a celebratory bus race: After years of equivocating, the Adams administration had finally gotten out of its own way and agreed to install a busway on 34th Street.
Mayor Adams, who once proclaimed himself "the bus mayor," abruptly and inexplicably stopped construction on the 34th Street busway in early July. This week, Manhattan Councilmembers Keith Powers and Erik Bottcher got the administration to un-pause the construction after some pointless political horsetrading.
The councilmembers were joined by transit advocacy groups like Transportation Alternatives and Riders Alliance, and other politicians like Comptroller Brad Lander (who quipped: "I came dressed to race today, but I could have worn my flip flops and gone faster than the bus"). Democratic nominee for mayor Zohran Mamdani, who made "fast and free" buses a central part of his winning campaign, over complaints that promises like that "don't hold up to scrutiny," was there to race too.
Also notably in attendance: Mayor Adams's Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez, who is charged with pretending like this is all business as usual and not part of a last-minute flurry of ass-covering governing to improve the mayor's reelection chances. If there was any awkwardness between Mamdani and Rodriguez, it didn't show. The two were extremely friendly with each other.
Pedestrians making their way through rush hour traffic looked on as the group gathered at First Avenue, curious. Mamdani, who wants to be the real bus mayor by actually installing the legally required number of bus lanes, said no one should ever feel like they can outwalk the bus. "These are the slowest buses in the United States," Mamdani said. Turning to a group that had come to heckle him, he shouted, "Heckle me if you hate slow buses!" Then he stopped to do a quick jig to the beat of their chants of "No to Sharia law!" Then the procession was off: Mamdani and Lander on foot, and the councilmembers on the bus.
The busway cannot come soon enough. When I was trying to take the bus to the starting line, Google Maps warned me of "significant delays," displaying MTA's service alert: "We're running as much service as we can with the bus operators we have available."
Cathy, who was waiting at the bus stop on the other side of First Avenue, equivocated at first when I asked her how the service on the M34 was. "Sometimes it's good, but sometimes…" Then she decided that she supports the busway. Cathy regularly rides the M34A to the Port Authority, and is frequently late because of its sluggishness. "You know, it's bad," she said. Sometimes the crowding is so bad, she can't even board. "It's crazy."
Portia, who was also walking down 34th Street along the route of the demonstration, said she'd like to see some of this energy brought to the Bronx, where she says they desperately need more bus lanes, and just more buses. "Even if this bus is slow, I've seen four of the buses come by while the people were speaking." On the M34, she said she's tired of the NYPD "harassing people and giving out tickets." When asked about Mamdani's bus plan, she said she's looking forward to it, if he wins. But she stopped short of saying she would support Mamdani. Calling herself "undecided," she said, "I'm trying to see the commitment. Politicians, they talk a lot, but I'm trying to see full commitment."