Eyes on the Street: Foot Traffic Pours Into Jax Heights Plaza
Reader Marcus Woollen submits this picture of the Jackson Heights pedestrian plaza on 37th Road taken yesterday afternoon.
By
Ben Fried
5:03 PM EDT on March 12, 2012
Reader Marcus Woollen submits this picture of the Jackson Heights pedestrian plaza on 37th Road taken yesterday afternoon.
This is the same plaza that some local merchants have described as “a graveyard” and “a ghost town.” What they don’t realize, apparently, is that they’re sitting on a gold mine of foot traffic. Someone just has to step up and manage this space to keep it humming every day of the year.
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog New York City
Some of NYC’s Worst Super Speeders Are City Marshals (You Know, The Guys With Badges)
They get justice for private citizens — yet they endanger them at the same time.
November 6, 2026
Mamdani Administration Battling Yet Another Suit By Delivery Apps Fighting Worker Protections
Uber, Instacart and Amazon are suing the city over a law that would force them to be more transparent when they remove workers from their platforms.
November 6, 2026
OPINION: New York City’s Trash Revolution Should Be an Accessibility Revolution, Too
The city has a rare chance to solve two major problems at once.
November 6, 2026
Friday’s Headlines: MTA Tin Cup Edition
The MTA hopes a Democratic Congress means more money for New York City straphangers. Plus more news.
November 6, 2026
Sunset Park Blaze Kills 6 As Lithium-ion Battery Fire Crisis Rages On
The city is experiencing a huge increase in fires caused by the lithium-ion batteries that power the delivery boom. A Thursday fire may be linked.
November 5, 2026
