Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Sidewalks

The short-lived 32nd Street sidewalk widening, near Penn Station, in 2015. Photo: Stephen Miller

City Council Wants DOT to Relieve Crowding on NYC’s Most Congested Sidewalks

By Brad Aaron | May 10, 2017 | 29 Comments

The City Council is expected to pass two bills today intended to improve the pedestrian environment. One would require DOT to "identify six locations with significant pedestrian traffic and develop strategies for enhancing safety and traffic flow at such locations."

NYC Can Make Room for New Food Carts and Leave Space to Walk

By David Meyer | Oct 28, 2016 | 7 Comments

The City Council is expected to move swiftly on a bill to eventually double the number of food vendor permits. Before the package of bills known as the Street Vending Modernization Act passes, advocates want to ensure that it includes more safeguards to avoid obstructing crowded sidewalks. New York City capped the number of vendor permits at 4,235 in the […]

The New York of 2016 Needs the Wide, Generous Sidewalks of 1906

By Ben Fried | Jul 1, 2016 | 37 Comments

The Times ran a feature on the pedestrian crush in New York City today, and as good as the photos are, they don’t do the situation justice. To get a sense of just how inadequate the sidewalks are in Midtown, you need to go there — or failing that, watch this Streetfilm from 2009 with narration by Streetsblog publisher Mark […]

3 Ways NYC Can Avoid Future Snow Removal Travesties for Peds and Cyclists

By Ben Fried | Jan 29, 2016 | 135 Comments

Here we are a whole work week after Winter Storm Jonas dumped two feet of snow on New York, and the streets are still not passable for a lot of New Yorkers who get around without driving. In the beginning of the week, the biggest travesties were the snow barriers at street corners and the uncleared bus […]

Brooklyn Beep Eric Adams Funds Eight Concrete Curb Extensions

By Stephen Miller | Sep 21, 2015 | 4 Comments

Eight new concrete curb extensions are coming to five Brooklyn intersections after a $1 million pledge from Borough President Eric Adams. Curb extensions, also known as neckdowns or bulb-outs, extend the sidewalk at intersections to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians and slow drivers as they turn around a corner. “Our youngest and oldest Brooklynites are at particular risk […]

Levine Stands Up for Riverside Drive Road Diet Under Attack By CB 9

By Stephen Miller | Mar 6, 2015 | 33 Comments

A plan to calm traffic on a speeding-plagued stretch of Riverside Drive in West Harlem would be gutted if Community Board 9 members get their way, but Council Member Mark Levine, who represents the area, wants DOT to move ahead with the safety plan. “It’s all really sensible stuff that’s been succeeding in other parts […]

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