More Sidewalk, Less Cars for Times Square?

Times Square, the crossroads of the world, wants to be a little less roady and more of a place for pedestrians to cross. The Times Square Alliance has a ten point plan to further improve Times Square, namely to make it look more beautiful and for pedestrians to have an easier time of it. Times Square Alliance president Tim Tompkins said, "While Times Square is gorgeous from the neck up, it needs a makeover from the neck down." Word - you can't walk more than five steps without bumping into someone who has suddenly stopped to be conned. Main goals of the plan: Rebuild and expand Duffy Square; increase the sidewalk space and reduce sidewalk clutter; redesign newspaper boxes and stands; do not let cars "cross over" where Broadway and Seventh Avenue meet; install new signal timing for traffic lights. Now, the problems with Times Square are familiar to all, from sidewalk planters in front of buildings to slow moving packs of tourists. Gothamist is intrigued by this plan, because we're all for keeping pedestrians a priority, but the idea of Times Square as anything but a logjam of people trying to get from one place to another (look at 1957's Sweet Smell of Success - all Sidney Falco does is elbow his way around) seems like a pipe dream.

Do you think it's possible to make Times Square even more pedestrian friendly? Would there need to be tourist lanes? Gothamist on a proposed but seemingly fanciful 42nd Street light rail and our interview with one Times Square regular, the Naked Cowboy.