Flatbush Avenue overhaul includes center-running bus lanes and pedestrian islands

New York City has proposed new center-running bus lanes along parts of Flatbush Avenue to improve safety and speed up service on one of the city’s most dangerous corridors. Unveiled Friday by the Department of Transportation (DOT), the project would convert two center car lanes into bus lanes from Livingston Street to Grand Army Plaza, better serving the nearly 70,000 daily bus riders who currently face average speeds of under 4 miles per hour—about the same speed as walking. The plan also includes pedestrian islands with covered public seating, shorter crossing times, and updated curb regulations to support local businesses.

Flatbush Avenue is designated as a Vision Zero Priority Corridor and is considered one of the most dangerous streets in Brooklyn, with 55 people killed or seriously injured since 2019. The stretch between Livingston Street and Grand Army Plaza also experiences some of the slowest bus speeds in the city.

Nearly 60 percent of households along Flatbush Avenue do not have access to a personal vehicle, making reliable bus service critical. According to a Pratt Center study, buses along the corridor primarily serve Black, female, and low-income riders. Most live in surrounding zip codes and have household incomes below $80,000.

Many of these riders report long waits in extreme weather, and one in three say slow service has caused them to be reprimanded at work, lose pay, or even fired.

The city’s plan would install two center-running bus lanes, creating a dedicated, physically separated space for buses and reducing conflicts with personal vehicles along the corridor. These lanes would include mid-street concrete bus loading islands, offering safe areas for pedestrians to board, disembark, and wait to cross the street.

“Right now, Flatbush Avenue above Prospect Park doesn’t work for anyone: almost 70,000 daily bus riders are stuck waiting too long for slow buses, drivers are caught in a mess of traffic, and pedestrians are left crossing intersections clogged with vehicles,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.

“Our proposal would address each of these issues and create a world-class, welcoming corridor for everyone. We look forward to refining this proposal closely with the community before implementation.”

Based on comprehensive traffic analysis and lessons from similar projects, DOT expects the redesign to reduce traffic along Flatbush Avenue, create a more welcoming corridor for pedestrians, and improve bus speeds.

The agency will continue community engagement throughout the spring, inviting residents, businesses, and commuters to share their feedback. DOT presented the proposal to Brooklyn Community Board 2 on Thursday and will present it to more community boards soon.

“Creating center-running bus lanes on Flatbush Avenue will increase bus speeds while bringing much-needed safety improvements to one of the city’s most dangerous traffic corridors,” MTA NYCT President Demetrius Crichlow said.

“This plan will drastically improve the commute times for the tens of thousands of daily riders who live on Flatbush Avenue – many of whom rely on public transportation to get to work. We look forward to working with the DOT on this ambitious project.”

In May, DOT unveiled plans for a dedicated busway on 34th Street between Third and Ninth Avenues in Manhattan. Modeled after the successful 14th Street busway, the new design could boost speeds by up to 15 percent for the more than two dozen bus routes that run through the corridor.

The agency has also proposed bus improvements for Madison Avenue. The plan would extend the avenue’s existing double bus lanes, which currently run from 60th Street to 42nd Street, further south to 23rd Street near Madison Square Park. This corridor serves 92,000 daily riders across 34 routes, including the M1, M2, M3, M4, and Q32 local buses, plus 29 express routes, as 6sqft previously reported.

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