M23, M1 Buses Singled Out As 'Pokey' and 'Schleppie'

The M23 bus, which runs along 23rd Street between Peter Cooper Village and Chelsea Piers, and the M1, which travels between South Ferry and Harlem mostly along Fifth, Madison, and Park avenues, have received dubious honors: the "Pokey" and "Schleppie" awards. The Straphangers Campaign and Transportation Alternatives yesterday named them as New York City's slowest and least reliable buses, respectively.

The Straphangers Campaign, which is part of the New York Public Interest Research Group, and Transportation Alternatives, a group that advocates walking, biking, and public transit, found that the M23 traveled at 4 miles an hour at noon on a weekday, as clocked by their volunteers. One-third of the M1's buses have big gaps in service or are off schedule, the groups said in a statement.

Other bus routes that were noted for slow speeds include the B 63 inBrooklyn, the Bx19 in the Bronx, the Q56 in Queens, and the S61 in Staten Island.

Some advocates are looking to Mayor Bloomberg's PlaNYC as a solution. Under Mr. Bloomberg's plan, New York City would be set to buy 367 new buses and add express bus and Bus Rapid Transit routes. Some traffic-reducing strategies being considered include wider bus lanes and expanded hours of operation.

The executive director of Transportation Alternatives, Paul Steely White, said the plan would "yield faster and more reliable bus service if it is allowed to move forward."