August 5, 2008
Get Ready for the "Broadway Boulevard"
Work is well underway with the Department of Transportation plan to narrow Broadway in midtown Between 42nd Street and Herald Square, four lanes of Broadway will go down to two lanes--and a bicycle lane and pedestrian walkway, complete with seating, tables, umbrellas and flower-filled planters, will emerge by August 15. Reader carolita took this photograph of workers dusting off the pebbles on the esplanade-- exciting!
Our theory is that if he can't have congestion pricing, the Mayor will put public plazas anywhere possible to force some sort of traffic calming. You can contact the DOT to suggest unused street space for a public plaza program.
Photograph by carolitajohnson on Flickr
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Is the US getting a seriously into the wagon of public spaces that are not mall or stadiums?!!
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I liked the idea of congestion pricing, it did a lot of good for traffic problems in London.
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Will there be any new public plazas in places where actual New Yorkers hang out?
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the idea of public plazas and open space is awesome, but he's taken his failed congestion pricing scheme and started a campaign of traffic constriction. they are removing lanes from major thoroughfares, and adding high-speed bus lanes on cross streets, all with no consideration for the impact on current traffic flow. this is a case of the dilettante playing 'if i build it they will come', in reverse - 'if i take it away, they will leave'. the crosstown traffic on 34th street is officially a disaster; when these streets were the saving grace of getting around the city. he's such a snotty little prick when he doesn't get his way.
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i think the idea here is to make driving so annoying that people will not drive at all.
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It looks like all those pebbles are going to get washed down that sewer he's sweeping next to.
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Whether you like them or not, its pretty impressive how quickly the DOT moves on its ideas.
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I think they're going to pour some kind of adhesive on them to make them stick, which is why they're getting them so level.
I can't wait to be run down by a truck or angry cab driver crashing through the planters while I eat my sandwich.
They're gonna have to put traffic cops around to ease the transition.
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I'm all for bike lanes and high speed bus lanes - I think they are needed.
As far as the esplanade goes - i'm not so sure. I can't see most new yorkers wanting to use them. Planters or no - I think i'd feel a little uneasy hanging out in the middle of the street trying to relax. I'm sure the tourists and the homeless will appreciate them, though.
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There's one of these on Adams in Brooklyn near the Marriot. I guess some people use it during lunch, but otherwise it's empty. Also, I feel like the bike lanes should run along the traffic, and not the curb.
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This bike lane SUCKS. It's almost impossible to get to and then once there, there is nothing but oblivious pedestrians (on cell phones) and trucks unloading goods or blocking the lanes. It's also way too short to be any time-saver.
I'm all for bike lanes and I ride almost every day in city traffic, and at least one a week down this part of Broadway, but this is a joke. (I'm not one of those hell-bent riders, either, I actually STOP at red lights.) Almost as bad is the bike lane on Eighth Avenue which is regularly blocked by people, UPS trucks and cop cars.
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It's weird, they create a bike lane, and the cops attack the cyclists.
BTW I'm not a Critical Mess guy, but it reads weird to me.
www.forgotten-ny.com
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Well, I for one am looking forward to trying this out. I've spent time relaxing on medians before, like on Park Avenue. It's not that bad.
Also, I feel like the bike lanes should run along the traffic, and not the curb.
The whole purpose of that is to separate bikes from cars. Nobody will ever park in this bike lane because they'd have to somehow get past the planters, tables, chairs, etc. first. It should also make people like eyekantspel, who's deathly scared of riding in the city, feel a little safer on a bike on Broadway Boulevard.
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Wait, so Bloomberg has no problem cutting down a congested artery for public space but he won't close Central/Prospect Parks to car traffic. Strange
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NOT being anti-car, anti-plaza, anti-bike.
This idea & design blows.
Bike lane @ the curb? So many visual obstructions @ curbside (note the kiosk, phone bank in the picture). Opening day, mult peds/bikers injured, and many more hard feelings/yelling from close calls. You don't think folks will step/text or push a stroller out from behind that kiosk or phonebank. Biker catapults into table-seated latte-drinker, chain reactions, etc. Bumper-to-bumper honking, smoke & heat belching, bass-thumping vehicles two feet from tables. Wanna sip a latte with your local truck guy looking down & the usual greeting "yo, momi!". Surface impossible to clean, retains food, dog poop, all manner of yuck. Bake & serve hot. How do you clean snow/ice? No access to curb for delivery, Fire, EMS?
Turns from sidestreets, ped crossings @ sidestreets, gridlock?
Better to widen left sidewalk, interrupted fencing, remove sidewalk obstructions, Bike express lane with good visuals, re-engineer traffic patterns. Lotsa bike parking. You mean somebody actually designed this mistake?
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meechybee: I totally agree with you! I don't usually ride down Broadway, but I've had to a couple of times recently, and everyone was ignoring the bike lane markings and just treating it as an additional sidewalk. So freakin' annoying!
Maybe it will be better once it's completed, but right now it's a big ol' mess.
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SO many people are going to be hit while sitting there.
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This is a complete disaster downtown, cross town traffic on Spring has came to a complete standstill. It takes soooooo long to get by Broadway which is now ONE lane, it's nuts.
No one seems to have any clue why this was done or why it's better......it's not.
I have a bike and ride it more now, but did Bloomberg forget about winter. You know that cold season where snow and ice usually cover Manhattan. Where are you gonna put the snow. I'm not riding around new york in the freezing cold.
These mayors lately, suck, it's like job boredom legislation.
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This one's going to be VERY funny to watch. Jenspellnogood is spot on regarding this one. I just hope there aren't too many injuries before the next mayor rips out some of these plazas. That said, the surrounding food establishments should benefit from more purchases as consumers are encouraged to hang around. Or, these will just turn into a nuisance like the little plaza/park over on 34th where 6th and Broadway cross. That place is ugly.
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Now, now; winters here aren't all that snowy or icy. It happens from time to time, but it disappears pretty fast. Mostly it's just cold, which is a drag, but easier to ride in than snow.
I think this esplanade idea, like the bike lanes, is a small, decent step forward. It's not perfect, and may not be the final solution to the problem, but it gets people used to the idea of a multi-use city. The new transportation official (whose name escapes me) is doing a great job following through on carving out spaces for feet, pedals and engines to share a bit more equally.
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It amazes me how few people realize the connection between all those vehicles moving goods and services around the city and the city's economy.
Maybe longer, more expensive cab rides will wake people up?
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ok....but wouldn't it have been a better idea maybe to use 10th Ave and 1st Ave as designated people aves, and then designate cross sts for pedestrians/bikers to get to interior locations.
Come on it's more than a drag, it's too cold for the average person to ride in winter, it's just not safe. Ice is always around in the morning.
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This fucking city won't repair potholes but will pave the way for this walkway? Now there will be more space for fucking bums and knockoff handbag dealers. How will this calm traffic? You will now have giant honking trucks idling in traffic choking the pedestrians. How did the city survive before these wonders were in place? At least bike riders can potentially ride for 8 blocks straight without a car running over them...
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with every new bike path, cyclists have more safety and more access for easier riding. with every new batch of pedestrian space, individuals will be able to experience NYC without being crowded on the sidewalk. the problem up to now is that most people can't imagine what this city can be like in 5-10 years.
visit Copenhagen.
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exactly. If the standard attitude is that there's no way to solve it, then obviously nothing will ever solve it. But trying things out, making mistakes, getting feedback, and seeing what works, makes a huge difference.
The truck/delivery issue is a very real one, but it can be solved. Other cities in other countries do it, and we can do it, too. Doesn't mean we will, of course...
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Everyone's a traffic engineer.
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Do any of the above commenters complaining about congestion ever drive on this stretch of Broadway? I used to work along this stretch, and it's DEAD most of the workday. I've never seen a single backup on this part of Broadway. That's half the reason they did it - if they wanted to really add more congestion to the streets, they'd just close down Broadway all together.
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@27
I agree. I've driven this stretch many times and it is pretty dead. Most downtown-bound traffic is on 7th ave (towards Penn Station and the garment district.)
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I applaud the city's efforts to take back space for the people. If you measure the width of Broadway on that stretch from building line to building line probably 80 percent of the space is reserved for cars. Take it back.
That being said, that bike lane's going to be a problem. Just put it on the other side. There may be a need to get the cars away from the bikes but there's at least an equal need to get the bikes away from the pedestrians.
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I have driven on this stretch and will be sad to see it compressed for this fucking walkway. Once in a while it was nice to find one goddamn avenue to go down without being backed up. This option will now be eliminated so that goddamned tourists and other dickheads can bask in this glorious stretch of Broadway. It is a fucking city! It is supposed to be crowded. Go work in fucking Rhode Island a if you cannot tolerate crowded sidewalks and want to ride your fucking bike...
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It's a city. It's supposed to have traffic. Go drive in fucking Rhode Island if you can't tolerate it.
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Not a chance. Born and bred here... Will be here long after the yuppies, bloggers, hipsters, bike riders, and other posers decide they can't hack it and leave...
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WCR you are born and bred here and you are ranting and raving that there will be tourists and dickheads on Broadway in midtown? Where have you been the last 130 years? Driving to and from the White Castle in Queens? If this design makes you avoid Broadway we will all be grateful.
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[Disclosure: I am a car-owning, bike-commuting, walkaholic.]
Readers here are complaining that a pedestrian might hit by a bike? Brilliant. Let's have that pedestrian step out into a speeding box truck.
A preschooler could use this bike lane. Bike lanes don't belong on-street... would you bike with your toddler in the lane along 8th avenue?
Its sad how many readers here don't understand the concept of induced demand. Adding lanes doesn't reduce congestion, it just encourages more people to drive, filling the road to the same congested level.
Reducing lanes works same way. 66% of the cars on Manhattan streets are private vehicles. Reducing lanes makes those people reconsider taking their car into the Central Business District in the first place.
Cities are for people, not cars, and I'm glad the city is giving space back to people.