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According to Gene Russianoff of the Straphangers Campaign, the M34 NYC bus crossing NYC’s Manhattan 34th Street is “slightly slower than a Ringling Bros. elephant walking into Madison Square Garden.” During the summer of 2010, the M34 was clocked at an average speed of 4.4 mph, making it the sixth-slowest in the Pokey Award survey by the Straphangers Campaign.

The MTA agrees that the M34 bus is very slow and come the summer of 2011, the MTA is doing something about it. The M34 bus routes will now have you pay before you board to speed up the boarding process. Just like the Select Bus Service routes on 1st Ave and 2nd Ave, you will pay at a MetroCard machine on the street, get a receipt, and then board the M34 bus at any of the bus doors opening.

Currently, 34th St has ‘bus only’ lanes, which ideally should make traveling along 34th St faster than the other lanes. The Department of Transportation is planning to put barriers to separate the bus lanes, making a ‘Transitway’. That may further increase the travel speed in the NYC bus lanes, but it could also greatly hurt any parking garages that are located along the Transitway when drivers are reluctant to cross the barriers to park their car.

The Select Service Bus routes on 1st Ave and 2nd Ave started in October, the MTA anticipated a 20% increase in speed. As of January 2011, the MTA is reporting increases of up to 19%.