Quote:
Originally Posted by The North One
Is there a reason that there seems to be a goal to turn NY into a giant pedestrian mall?
|
I realize you already have a point if view, but I'll take the bait.
First, street closures in the city are few and far between. As in, only a handful have actually happened in the past decade. Most notably, of course, is Broadway in Times Square. Fortunately the planning commission (well, under Bloomberg - I can only hope our new mayor has continued some of it) doesn't push the classic "pedestrian promenade" running through a block or generally from nowhere to nowhere. This was an idea that created more harm than good, and it is not what these street closures are aiming for.
Which leads to the second point: these are targeted in areas that both 1. are already densely packed with pedestrians and 2. would not cause traffic to suffer negatively. At Grand Central, there are obviously enough pedestrians to justify such a closure, and the street in question is actually not used that much, given the viaduct around the station itself and the general congestion that is always there anyway. In fact, as with the Times Square example, you might find that traffic actually moves better, given the ripple effects of the closure.
Anyway, the overall point is that no one is suggesting that cars have no place in New York. In fact, for the past 80 or so years we have tried our best to give as much space as possible in this city to cars. Pedestrians and bikes are finally regaining some of the public right of way. I for one am happy to have a more balanced transportation system and a more interesting public realm.
Prev
Linear Mode
