Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Times Square

Times Square BID Leader on the Art of Street Reclamation

By Matthew Roth | Oct 29, 2009 | No Comments

This used to be the scene of gridlocked traffic. Photo: berk2804 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 […]

AAA Plunges Dagger in the Heart of the New Times Square

By Ben Fried | Sep 25, 2009 | 28 Comments

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: Newly digitized AAA mag: crazy for cars, mad about pedestrian streets. The “test project,” now four months old, has been criticized by […]

Q Poll: Car-Free Times Square a Smash Hit; MTA Skepticism Still High

By Ben Fried | Jul 29, 2009 | 19 Comments

Photo: berk2804/Flickr. If you’re a livable streets optimist, you probably suspected that car-free Times Square critics like Andrea Peyser, Susan Dominus, and John Liu were out of touch. After all, most New Yorkers don’t own cars, and many of those who do spend more time as pedestrians than drivers. And really, how many people were […]

Streetfilms: Carmaggeddon Averted as Broadway Comes to Life

By Clarence Eckerson Jr. | Jul 20, 2009 | 19 Comments

When New York City opened up new pedestrian zones in the heart of Midtown this summer, naysayers predicted a traffic nightmare. Nearly two months later, we’re still waiting for the much-feared Carmaggedon. In this video, Streetsblog publisher Mark Gorton takes us on a tour of Broadway’s car-free squares and boulevard-style blocks, where conditions have improved […]

Real New Yorkers Dig the New Times Square

By Ben Fried | Jun 5, 2009 | 6 Comments

We’ve been meaning to post this vid from culture mag ANIMAL New York (h/t Gothamist), which neatly undercuts the argument that the newly pedestrianized Broadway is "only for tourists." Sure, the tourists are grateful not to be jostling for space right next to traffic anymore, but so are lots of people from the five boroughs. […]

On NY1 Tonight: The New John Liu vs. The New Broadway

By Ben Fried | May 28, 2009 | 11 Comments

Lately, you may have found yourself doing double takes at the words coming out of Council Member John Liu‘s mouth. The transportation committee chair, running for comptroller in a crowded field that includes two other candidates from Queens, has turned into a go-to source for quotes that disparage safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists. (Liu […]

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