The Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden, both idyllic Father's Day destinations, are surprisingly opposing improvements to the vital bus route that connects them to the city. Late in May, senior officials from these institutions joined five other Bronx-based leaders in penning a letter to Mayor Adams, presenting their grievances against enhancing bus services on Fordham Road - the busiest route in the Bronx and the city's second busiest overall.
Following this correspondence, Department of Transportation officials announced plans for a modest project rather than the transformative busway strongly preferred by 85,000 bus riders on Fordham Road. The final decision lies with Mayor Adams.
While claiming strong dedication to equity and environmental protection, both the zoo and garden show a bias towards car-driving visitors. With parking lots, highway access, and meager accommodations for transit riders, they consistently prioritize vehicular travel. Their opposition aligns them with suburban business owners who put convenience over the needs of transit-dependent Bronx residents.
Bus riders are mainly low-income New Yorkers and immigrants, especially in the Bronx, which has the city's highest per capita bus usage. Fordham Road neighborhoods are densely populated, low-income, and heavily reliant on public transportation. Yet bus speeds are slow, and service is overcrowded.
Most opposing forces do not reside in the Bronx, and the institutions lie more than a mile away from the proposed busway. Historically burdened with highways that prioritized suburbanites, Bronx residents face long and challenging commutes to access essential services.
Communities deserve a bold solution: faster and more reliable bus services, including turning Fordham Road into a busway. The Bronx Zoo and New York Botanical Garden should advocate for these improvements, prioritizing the needs of patrons and neighbors in discussions with Mayor Adams.
