BROOKLYN COLLEGE–The New York Department of Transportation announced the start of the Flatbush Bus Priority Project on Sept. 25. The goal of the project is to increase the speed and reliability of the B41, which follows Flatbush Ave and services many Brooklyn College and local high school students.
Center-bus-only lanes will be added to decrease traffic along the Flatbush corridor, according to the Flatbush Bus project presentation.
The center running lanes will first be added between Livingston and State Street. Work on the route will continue along the bus’s route to Grand Army Plaza and will be completed in late fall 2026.
The bus lanes are expected to speed up the B41 and reduce traffic along Flatbush Avenue. The project presentation reports increases in traffic speeds for past projects where center bus lanes were implemented. The presentation cites a 49% decrease in vehicle volume along Northern Blvd, Queens, after adding center-running bus lanes.
Currently, according to the DOT’s project announcement, “bus riders across all of Flatbush Avenue currently experience bus speeds slower than four miles per hour at rush hours—about the same speed as a pedestrian walking the corridor.”
The center lane bus design also includes adding concrete boarding islands for increased safety of riders awaiting the bus.
