NYC buses are a paradox. Citywide they move slower than pedestrians, but occassionally they move fast enough to kill people. Although we've never ever been in danger of a speeding bus––nor has anyone as long as we've been riding them––the city has an interesting idea to get bus traffic moving. Sidewalk bulbs, or extensions, are being built that extend from sidewalks; planners hope that the non-median traffic mediators will pick up the pace of taking the bus.
In a program intended to help buses move more speedily down the traffic-and-construction-clogged streets of lower Broadway, the city is building a series of extensions to the sidewalk that should make it easier for buses to load and unload. In the taxonomy of traffic engineers, these extensions are known as bus bulbs.
Although the Broadway bulbs are rectangular, not bulbous, the term actually comes from the fact that in other parts of the world where bus bulbs have been used, like London, they tend to be rounded extensions near a corner.
The Broadway bulbs are concrete islands set just off the sidewalk. They are about 130 feet long and 9 feet wide.
If smaller streets and closer sidewalks are the solution to NYC's traffic problems . . . well, the implications are just mind-boggling. We personally like taking the bus when we have the opportunity because it makes us feel younger. When we're sure we've been travelling for at least 20 minutes, a glance at our watch assures us that we've been on the bus for over an hour.
(Bus, by specmotor at flickr)
