After Frightening Bus Incident, Neighborhood Bicyclist Hopes To Connect With Others To Change Road Culture

Neighbor Julie recently wrote to us about an incident that occurred while she was riding her bicycle on Cortelyou Road in which an MTA express bus was attempting to pass her but did not have enough room. The bus driver honked at Julie, who was riding the recommended four feet from the parked cars, and she raised her hand to indicate he should not pass her. Instead, the driver passed her “at a high speed with little room between me and the bus,” Julie told us.

“I caught up to him to yell at him, and he ignored me,” Julie said of the incident that occurred as she was traveling eastbound on Cortelyou Road between E. 16th and E. 17th Streets on Saturday, September 13 at about 6pm.

Image via Google Maps

Afterwards, the neighbor tweeted to the MTA about it and placed a complaint on the MTA’s website, but she said she’d like to hear from others about similar incidents in an effort to compile information to take to the community board or government agencies.

“All bus drivers along this road speed,” Julie wrote in her complaint she filed with the MTA. “The most dangerous drivers on Cortelyou Road for pedestrians and cyclists are the MTA drivers.”

In response, the MTA sent a form email stating the agency is “committed to providing safe, courteous, reliable, and accessible service.”

“Please be assured that all comments, suggestions, compliments, and complaints we receive from our customers are forwarded to the appropriate managerial personnel for review and any necessary action,” the MTA said in the email to Julie.

What have others experienced with buses on Cortelyou – or other neighborhood roads? What do you think needs to change to make the area safer?