For those who have made their way to Fordham Road, one thing is common knowledge – the traffic can get bad.  

A previous plan to bring more bus lanes to the area was recently scrapped, and riders and activists are frustrated, claiming that Mayor Eric Adams has broken his promise. 

“If I’ve been walking all day, I want to take the bus. But then it’s just like, I have to stand here and wait for the bus for how long?” said Tara Carr, a daily commuter through the Fordham Road corridor.  

According to the city’s Department of Transportation, the Bx12, which runs through Fordham Road, is the second-busiest bus route in New York City. Some transit advocates say people like Carr are going to be waiting a lot longer for those buses.  

“Eighty-six percent of the people who shop here on Fordham Road get here by bus, subway, or by foot,” said Danny Pearlstein of the Nonprofit Riders Alliance. “The Bronx is the most bus-dependent borough. It has no busway at all.” 

The group recently invited Mayor Adams to a bus ride on Fordham Road to show him how slow it can get, but that invite has been revoked after they say the Mayor pumped the brakes on a plan that would have benefitted the borough’s buses.  

The Belmont and Fordham Business Improvement Districts praised the mayor’s new plan in a joint statement: 

“The Fordham Road and Belmont BIDs commend Mayor Adams and Councilman Feliz for listening to the serious concerns … and agreeing to paint and effectively enforce the existing bus lane. This will ensure faster bus speeds for the many residents who travel daily on the BX12, while still maintaining our community as a welcoming one for the millions of yearly visitors to the neighborhood.”