Car-Free Streets

Times Praises Bloomberg’s Broadway Plan

The Times has come out in favor of the upcoming Broadway public space reclamation, recognizing the need for safety improvements along one of New York's most contested thoroughfares.

By Brad Aaron

12:51 PM EST on March 4, 2009

Photo: AntyDiluvian/Flickr

The Times has come out in favor of the upcoming Broadway public space reclamation, recognizing the need for safety improvements along one of New York’s most contested thoroughfares.

From 1998 to 2007, some 700 pedestrians were injured and five were killed in Midtown Manhattan along Broadway, making it one of the more hazardous stretches in the city.
Mr. Bloomberg’s reordering of Broadway might not work for everyone. Taxi drivers are alarmed that it will cut down on fares, and theater owners are, as always, nervous. But with pedestrians in danger and growing complaints that Broadway has become too “crowded,” the mayor is right to provide more elbow room for people who give Broadway the life it needs.

Good to know that not every editorial board considers public health and happiness to be “frivolous” boom-time luxuries.

Brad Aaron

Brad Aaron began writing for Streetsblog in 2007, after years as a reporter, editor, and publisher in the alternative weekly business. Brad adopted New York's dysfunctional traffic justice system as his primary beat for Streetsblog. He lives in Manhattan.