Midtown

The NYCDOT commish is about to go on air with WNYC's Brian Lehrer -- at this very instant -- to discuss the city's plans for a pedestrianized Broadway. Unfortunately I'm without radio at the moment. Feel free to supply running commentary.

For more detail on New York City's plan to turn Broadway into pedestrian-priority street from Columbus Circle to Madison Square, here is the Department of Transportation's presentation:

New York City Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan unveiled plans to pedestrianize a large swath of Broadway in Midtown Manhattan at a small briefing in City Hall this morning. Intended to improve motor vehicle traffic flow, enhance safety and provide more and better public space to pedestrians, the plan seeks to solve what Sadik-Khan called a "problem hidden in plain sight for 200 years."

Here's a first look at Herald Square with a pedestrianized Broadway, part of a plan reported by the Times, Daily News and Post this morning. Starting as soon as this spring, Broadway will turn pedestrian-only from 47th Street to 42nd Street, and on a two-block stretch on each side of 34th Street. The rest of Broadway from Columbus Circle to Madison Square will get boulevard treatment similar to the changes implemented on an eight-block stretch last summer. Auto traffic will be permitted at cross streets.

A tipster sends in these shots of police -- again -- and trucks -- again -- parked in the 34th Street Select Bus Service lane. Looks like the city's Botts' Dots are more soft than barrier.

Details are vague, but it looks like we can add book publisher HarperCollins to the list of New York companies providing bike parking. This office memo came in today over the tipwire:

A scene from Midtown early this morning, after Barack Obama was named president-elect.

Last week saw the latest expansion of the public realm in Midtown, with the official unveiling of the long-awaited redesign of Duffy Square at Broadway and Seventh Avenue, the northern edge of the Times Square "bowtie."

Today marks the start of Transportation for America's "Build for America" campaign, which will work to influence the transportation funding legislation that goes before the next Congress in 2009. (You'll be hearing a lot more about it here in the coming months; we have received a grant from the T4America campaign to kick-start the development of Streetsblog.net, a national network of transportation policy bloggers.) It's a major effort to fundamentally change the way this country thinks about and finances transportation infrastructure — at the same time creating jobs, reducing dependence on fossil fuels, and helping the environment. Download a PDF of the plan here.