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Instead of Scaling Down Parades, What If We Scaled Back on Police?
When NYPD announced Monday that, effective April 1, city parades must be shortened in distance by 25 percent and may no longer exceed five hours -- period -- there was an understandable sense of disappointment. But since the move was framed as an unavoidable reality of lean times -- "The mayor has made it clear that New Yorkers can't afford a tax increase now, and we can't take our eyes off the ball when it comes to keeping crime low," said Deputy Mayor Ed Skyler -- electeds don't seem to be putting up much of an argument. After all, how you gonna enjoy the parade if you get shot, or blown up by terrorists?
February 23, 2010
Health Commish: We Can Make NYC More Walkable and Bikeable
Health Commissioner Thomas Farley: ready to saddle up and ride to work. Image: NY Daily News. With half a year in New York and (most of) a nasty flu season under his belt, new Health Commissioner Tom Farley recently sat down with Transportation Alternatives to discuss the importance of walking and biking for NYC’s health. … Continued
February 16, 2010
Bloomberg: The Transformation of Broadway Is Here to Stay
Eight months after New York City changed traffic patterns in midtown Manhattan, transforming Broadway and reclaiming acres of urban space for pedestrian plazas at Times Square and Herald Square, Mayor Bloomberg announced this morning that the trial has proven successful and the changes will be permanent. Streetsblog will post a full report, including data collected from the trial period, later today. Stay tuned.
February 11, 2010
Times Square Then and Now: A Streetfilms Retrospective
Mayor Bloomberg is expected to announce his verdict on Times Square's new pedestrian spaces very soon. Will the changes be permanent? This morning Bloomberg told radio host John Gambling that we'll find out sometime next week. In the meantime, it seems like the media has decided to fixate on rumors that Midtown traffic speeds may not have increased across the board, without paying much attention to the tremendous difference this project has made for hundreds of thousands of pedestrians every day.
February 5, 2010
Great Public Spaces for Midtown
Mayor Bloomberg has seen some of the data from the city's trial of car-free, pedestrian-priority spaces in Midtown, and it looks like the changes in traffic speeds are not as impressive as hoped for. This, I daresay, is good news.
February 3, 2010
The Case for a Car-Free Halloween
So, I hope you'll forgive me for posting these Halloween pictures halfway through November. I took them on Fifth Avenue at the south end of Park Slope, and I've been meaning to share them since election week.
November 16, 2009
Times Square BID Leader on the Art of Street Reclamation
Seven years ago, when Tim Tompkins took over as president of the Times Square Alliance, one of New York's largest BIDs, security and cleanliness were the top concerns. Despite incessant traffic and "pedlock," few decision-makers were focused, at first, on the vision of Times Square as a world-class public space where people take precedence over motor vehicles.
October 29, 2009
Love Broadway’s Car-Free Spaces? Take the DOT Survey
DOT is gathering feedback on its "Green Light for Midtown" projects, which include new car-free spaces on Broadway at Times Square and Herald Square, along with new bike infrastructure near Columbus Circle. If you weren't able to attend the recent public input sessions, the online survey is here. It takes about five minutes to complete.
October 7, 2009
AAA Plunges Dagger in the Heart of the New Times Square
In a stinging rebuke to New York City's street safety methods, the latest issue of Car and Travel, a.k.a. AAA New York magazine, serves up a razor-sharp critique of Broadway's new pedestrian plazas:
September 25, 2009