New York set to ban cars from Times Square

[blockski]

Originally Posted by Tom In Chicago

The biggest problem I see with this is how it affects emergency vehicular traffic. . .

. . .

How would it negatively impact emergency vehicles if it improves overall vehicle circulation?

Having all of those intersections with more than 4 streets coming together is a nightmare. This vastly simplifies the traffic movements and will make things flow a lot better.

[novawolverine]

Sadik-Khan is a pretty progressive leader and I think we need more like her. I think it definitely will temporarily make Times Square feel more "artificial" and theme-park like than it already does, so I can see the loss of grit argument. But in the grand scheme of things, I think it's a great move and it is will alleviate the traffic and congestion problems there IMO as well as make things more easy and enjoyable to navigate on foot. Who knows how Times Square will change as a result of this, so temporarily it will feel different and a bit gimmicky you could say but in a decade we will have adjusted and found ways to improve the area and capitalize on the absence of vehicles.

I do know that Sadik-Khan is trying to get NYC to be more bike-friendly and this and the long term plan for Broadway can only help.

[JDRCRASH]

I have mixed feelings about this. On one hand, it would obviously make it more L.A. Live Nokia Plaza'ish, and in turn more pedestrian-friendly.

However, the hustle and bustle of 7th and Broadway is not complete without car traffic, strangely enough.

[blockski]

There's still a ton of car traffic through Times Square. 7th Avenue isn't being shut down. None of the cross streets are closed, either.

Every characterization of this as a 'pedestrian mall' is just plain wrong. It is not - certainly not in the same vein as other notable US pedestrian malls, such as Nicollet Mall in Minneapolis. They are not the same thing.

[NYguy]

As the Thing would say, "What a revoltin' development"...


The B-roll




Sean Kenney




ty law




nickdigital

[kingsdl76]

Are those pictures real?... or are they photo-shopped??.... I thought the pedestrian traffic plan was going to implemented at a later time.

[LMich]

Are you seriously asking if those were photoshopped? Really?

The New York Daily News said Saturday some people have applauded the plan to ban all traffic from Broadway between 42nd and 47th Street in Times Square starting Sunday night.

[Avanine-Commuter]

Originally Posted by NYguy

As the Thing would say, "What a revoltin' development"...


The B-roll




Sean Kenney




ty law




nickdigital

Is this just the closing of Broadway or are there going to be real construction to form the plazas? I don't think the current state of the plazas are permanent and this is just the temporary looks/effects of the closed street.

Don't judge it by pictures so quickly, I'm sure once the plazas are finished they will look... right.

[MonkeyRonin]

Originally Posted by NYguy

As the Thing would say, "What a revoltin' development"...

Yeah, people on the streets - so revolting. Thats where automobiles belong!

[LMich]

Originally Posted by Avanine-Commuter

Is this just the closing of Broadway or are there going to be real construction to form the plazas?

Come on, guys. Let's do try and read the articles at the beginning of this thread:

In the weeks to come, construction workers will refashion the next five blocks of the boulevard, turning one of the world’s most congested stretches of asphalt into a 58,000-foot pedestrian plaza.

[J. Will]

Originally Posted by NYguy

As the Thing would say, "What a revoltin' development"...

It looks like shit now because it's just a section of street blocked off with orange cones and street furniture that looks like it's from a second-hand store.

If they give it a permanent look with nice landscaping, maybe raise the pedestrian areas a few inches above the street, proper street furniture, and some decent-looking vendor spaces it will be a vast improvement.

[Quixote]

Originally Posted by Zerton

... All the cars honking does give it some of its allure though.

I agree.

But making it an actual city square wouldn't be such a bad idea, either.

[photoLith]

With all the people walking around there it reminds me of Tokyo. hmm, I will miss the sounds of all the cars and bustle. Oh well, blame it on Disney.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by J. Will

It looks like shit now because it's just a section of street blocked off with orange cones and street furniture that looks like it's from a second-hand store.

Don't be absurd. I already know what it looks like. As I already mentioned this isn't new, the city has already been implementing this in other parts of Manhattan. It will basically be a pedestrian plaza in the street. The reason it isn't going to look "permanent" is because it isn't. Even if they decide to keep it after this year (assuming Bloomberg wins reelection), it will still look the same as it does now.

[NYguy]

Originally Posted by Westsidelife

But making it an actual city square wouldn't be such a bad idea, either.

You want to see an actual city square, take Union Square as an example. There's an actual park in the middle. However, this is the heart of Midtown - not a spot for lounging, or bringing things to a complete stop.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05272009/new...malled_by_incredibly_dumb_ide_171108.htm

REAL NYERS 'MALLED' BY INCREDIBLY DUMB IDEA



May 27, 2009


IN THE annals of stupid ideas, this has got to be the worst. Ever.

Yesterday, as New Yorkers dragged themselves back to work, they found cheap beach chairs thrown into the middle of Times Square, replacing buzzing, honking, vehicular traffic with gas-producing tourists, who really ought to lay off the Starbucks venti chocolate mint frappuccinos, anyway.

Turning the Crossroads of the World from the vibrant, frenetic, center of the universe into a butt-littered suburban parking lot is an idea so ferociously dumb, it harks of other catastrophic decisions. Such as the moment Eliot Spitzer uttered the fateful words, "Of course I'm not married."

Whoops.

Mayor Bloomberg, admit you were wrong. I dare not hold my breath.

Our mayor, who tried, and failed, to shove congestion pricing down our collective throat, has thrown the mother of all hissy fits. It's payback time. And New Yorkers -- those who actually live here -- must pay.

As I wandered through Times Square, I was struck by how few people actually sat on the flimsy furniture that littered the streets like a going-out-of-business sale. The sidewalks immediately surrounding the blocked-off areas carried unusually sparse pedestrian traffic, even as the rest of the city was bursting at the seams, and traffic on the periphery was monstrously scary.

Soon it was clear why maybe half the chairs were in use. The people using the cheapo furniture, including tourists and office workers who sneaked out for a minute, stunk up the atmosphere with fumes from their Rothmans and Marlboros -- a kick in the pants to a mayor who has practically turned smokers into outlaws.

I spied a group of fit, tanned men smoking up a lung, and immediately determined they were from Europe.

"It's very, very inviting," said Bertjam Van Der Molen, a tourist from Holland.

"We have a four-hour layover in Newark," he said. "Enough time to come over here" -- and stink us out.

"It's terrible," said Joe Miller, who carried his earthly possessions in plastic bags.

"I live in the streets. People smoke in the shelters! I can't stand it."

I'm with you, man.

A boneheaded idea, all around.

[NYguy]

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05272009/news/regionalnews/boos_for_chairs_in_times_sq__171116.htm

BOOS FOR CHAIRS IN TIMES SQ.

May 27, 2009

Welcome to Times Chair: the crossed legs of the world.

The $15 beach chairs that have displaced Broadway's hustle and buses are too cheesy and flimsy for the city that never rests its feet, New Yorkers said yesterday -- and they will not sit for it.

"Did Kmart have a sale on lounges?" Rich Fromm, 33, an events planner from Astoria, complained after strolling through the newly car-free Times Square yesterday. "It looks like someone's front lawn in Florida."

Broadway is not supposed to be a place to relax, said hotel manager Nelson Hairry, 39.

"What is this, a lazy day? This encourages people to be lazy," he said.

The 376 chairs, which range from Day-Glo colors to muddied earth tones, will be put out between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., and folded up and chained together overnight, said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.

This temporary furniture will be replaced when the city completes construction on the new pedestrian plazas this August.

"We purposely chose ones that were very light and simple so we can fold them up and chain them together at the end of the day," Tompkins said.

The chairs were bought from Pintchik Hardware in Brooklyn at a steep discount from the $15 retail price, owner Matthew Pintchik said.

"As a community service, we made them an offer they couldn't refuse," he said. "They bought every last chair we had."

[NYguy]

Similar plazas in the slower paced Madison Square are hardly attractive...

barbaradee2







Great public space at Union Square Park...




Columbus Circle plaza and traffic...
bobw409

[novawolverine]

I definitely agree that people just sitting there in folding chairs is basically an abomination to what Times Square has been about. If that's what it will be than it's not worth it. It should always be a frenetic place, IMO. With that said, if the people in charge can implement their vision faster for what they want Times Square to look like, I don't think it has to be bad. Definitely an adjustment, though and it may be a bit too bold and "progressive". I used to live in NYC and I don't think I'm too out of touch if I think this plan *can* work. Longer-term, I do think that everyone's voice should be heard and that the city can't go too far and basically eliminate all cars outside of taxis and work trucks and cops and I don't think certain ideologues should hijack policy either.

[10023]

Originally Posted by NYguy

You want to see an actual city square, take Union Square as an example. There's an actual park in the middle. However, this is the heart of Midtown - not a spot for lounging, or bringing things to a complete stop.

That's what I don't get. Who the hell wants to sit down at a plaza anywhere between 28th and 60th? Rock Center Cafe is ok for lunch when they've got the outdoor seating on the ice rink, but that's about it in Midtown.

This caters completely to tourists - locals don't hang out in Midtown, let alone Times Square. I'm reserving judgment until I see the effect on travel times from Uptown to Downtown on the west side... could care less about the impact on TS itself.