http://secondavenuesagas.com/2015/04/22/thoughts-on-alleviating-the-record-ridership-crunch/
As part of what the author says on how to improve ridership concerns is to greatly improve upon bus rapid transit here in the city. With the Lexington Avenue Line being so over crowded I though it may be very helpful if they had SBS services on 5th / Madison Avenues, or Park Avenue, and Lexington / 3rd Avenues.
With the 5th / Madison Select Bus Service, I would make the M1 & M4 the main route along 5th / Madison Avenues, and also do the following.
M1 Local: 24/7 Local service between the same north and south terminals, but with articulated buses.
M1 SBS: 6 AM to 11 PM daily between the same north and south terminals, with standard SBS buses.
M2 Local: 24/7 Feeder between the same north terminal, and 106th Street / 5th Avenue. Buses would be coordinated with the M1 Local late nights.
M3 Local: Feeder service between the same north terminal, and new southern terminal at 106th / Madison.
M4 Local: Articulated buses would now serve this route.
M4 SBS: Weekday service from 6 AM to 10 PM. Weekend service from 7 AM to 9 PM.
Frequency:
AM/PM Rush: 6 min headways for M1 Local, M4 Local
AM/PM Rush: 4 min headways for M1 SBS; 5 min headway for M4 SBS
Middays: 8 min headways for M1 Local, M4 Local
Middays: 6 min headways for both M1 and M4 SBS
Evenings: 10 min headways for M1 & M4 Locals
Evenings: 8 min headways for M1 & M4 SBS until 10 PM. 12 min headways for M1 after 10 PM.
Weekends: 6 minute headways all day for M1 & M4 Locals and SBS.
SBS stops on the M4 (north of 99th / Madison):
106th Street / Madison (M1, M2, M3)
110th Street / 5th Avenue (M1, M2, M3)
Lenox Avenue / 110th Street (2, 3 trains, M2, M3)
8th Avenue / 110th Street (C train, M3, M10)
Manhattan Avenue / 110th Street
Columbus & Amsterdam / 110th Street (M116, M7)
Broadway / 110th Street (M60, M104)
Columbia University (1 train, M60, M104)
W. Harlem (125th Street) / Broadway (Bx15)
City College (137th / 138th) / Broadway
Riverbank State Park (145th) (Bx19)
157th Street / Bway (Bx6)
Presbyterian (168th Street)
George Washington Bridge (179th Street: NJ Transit Buses, Bx3, Bx11, Bx13, Bx35, Bx36)
Cabrini (190th Street)
Cloisters
On Lexington and Third Avenues:
M101, and M105 SBS service daily 6 AM to 11 PM (101) or 10 PM (105).
M101: 125th Street to 8th Street
M105: 193rd Street / Amsterdam to 34th Street
M102 & M103 buses would run local. M105 buses would run to 8th Street after 10 PM.
But Park Avenue has the most potential, if you create bus lanes between 96th Street and 14th Street.