[caption id="attachment_430975" align="alignnone" width="614"]The clocks, which tick down how long riders have to wait for a bus to approach their stop, will be spread throughout 11 City Council districts where representatives allocated almost $2.8 million between them.
Credit: Riders Alliance[/caption] Bus riders in certain parts of the city might have an easier commute soon as more than 100 new countdown clocks are scheduled for installation citywide. [related tag="new-york-city-transportation" limit="3"] The clocks, which tick down how long riders have to wait for a bus to approach their stop, will be spread throughout 11 City Council districts where representatives allocated almost $2.8 million between them. The Council members are expected to consult individually with the Department of Transportation — which is tasked to install and maintain them — as to when they can erect the clocks. There are two existing clocks, both in Staten Island, that DOT installed in 2013 and, like the new clocks, would use use data from GPS machines installed in MTA buses over the last few years. However, transit advocates are pushing for the clocks to make their debut by 2015 and hailed news of the funding. "These clocks will be a great service to frustrated riders waiting in the heat or the cold for their buses," Executive Director of the Riders Alliance John Raskin said in a statement. The Council members used discretionary money from its latest capital budget for infrastructure improvements. At the estimated cost of $20,000 per clock, they include: • Council District 1 | Margaret Chin, $260,000 (about 13 stops) • Council District 3 | Corey Johnson, $35,000 (at least 1 stop) • Council District 4 | Dan Garodnick, $950,000 (about 47 stops) • Council District 5 | Ben Kallos, $640,000 (about 32 stops) • Council District 11 | Andrew Cohen, $40,000 (about 2 stops) • Council District 14 | Fernando Cabrera, $113,000 (about 6 stops) • Council District 23 | Mark Weprin, $35,000 (at least 1 stop) • Council District 32 | Eric Ulrich, $180,000 (about 9 stops) • Council District 39 | Brad Lander, $240,000 (about 12 stops) • Council District 47 | Mark Treyger, $100,000 (about 5 stops) • Council District 50 | Steven Matteo, $200,000 (about 10 stops) Follow Chester Jesus Soria on Twitter @chestersoria
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