Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Sidewalks

We can do better than tires and cones, America.

Federal Bill Seeks to Prioritize Pedestrians (Albeit A Tiny Bit More)

By Gersh Kuntzman | Jul 11, 2019 | 16 Comments

A new federal bill would mandate that 5 percent of all federal highway funds be diverted to "Complete Streets" to hopefully stem the blood tide of pedestrian deaths in this country.

Across NYC, only Times Square outpaces Flushing's Main Street in terms of pedestrian traffic. So why does it look like this? Photo: Flickr/LunchboxLarry

Flushing is Most Dangerous Place to Walk in Queens — So Where is Council Member Peter Koo?

By David Meyer | Jan 10, 2019 | 3 Comments

Flushing residents are clamoring for safer streets. If only their city council member cared.

Big changes are coming to Kent Avenue in South Williamsburg, including a narrower sidewalk to accommodate the neighborhood's drivers. Photo: Gersh Kuntzman

Kent Avenue Will Have More Protection for Cyclists, But Less Space for Pedestrians

By Gersh Kuntzman | Nov 26, 2018 | 31 Comments

Could the city be finally reining in the rogue parkers of South Williamsburg?

New York City isn’t Barcelona. You can tell because in Barcelona, garbage bags don’t line every sidewalk. Photos: Clarence Eckerson Jr.

New York City Sidewalks Don’t Have to Be Garbage Dumps

By Brad Aaron | Jun 11, 2018 | 59 Comments

New York has room to get trash off sidewalks. What it needs is the political will to use curb space for something other than parking.

In 2009 DOT made it legal to park in unmarked crosswalks, impeding sidewalk access for disabled New Yorkers at intersections citywide.

Does DOT's Rule Allowing Drivers to Block Curb Ramps Violate Accessibility Laws?

By Brad Aaron | Apr 10, 2018 | 8 Comments

The rule, prompted by former City Council member Vincent Gentile, may violate the Americans with Disabilities Act and other laws.

This Block Now Has a Protected Bike Lane and a Wider Sidewalk

By David Meyer | Aug 7, 2017 | 26 Comments

Midtown Manhattan avenues have a problem: The sidewalks aren't wide enough for all the people walking on them. People have to walk in the roadbed to get where they're going. On avenues with protected bike lanes, this means people on foot spill over into bikeways, rendering them all but impassable for cyclists. Now there's a single Midtown block with a protected bike lane that also has a wider sidewalk.

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