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Apparently most questions asked were about the flowers at St. Bart's--but you can't blame the clergy for trying to engage the public during the event. (Photograph by cafrizell on Flickr)
The first Summer Streets Saturday, where the city closed 7 miles of Manhattan streets (between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m.) to create a vehicle-free boulevard for people to stroll, bicycle, and and just enjoy, seems to be a big hit. Of course there were complaints from drivers trying to make their way around.
A woman walking the route happily said to the Post, "Most of the time you are fighting with the traffic. Now you see the beauty of the city." A cyclist told WCBS 2, "It normally feels so unsafe that I tend to go all the way around the Greenways and Westside... I feel very peaceful and relaxed, kind of like biking in Europe." And an al fresco diner at Les Halles told the Daily News, "It's nice to eat outside and not have car smoke in my face.
One reader commented yesterday, "This was pretty fun, I went out at 9am went up and down twice and grabbed a free helmet on the way home. I live a block over on Lexington and I gotta say that I've never seen it so crowded before, but it's not all that bad really, it's just never that crowded at all in the 20's." However, another reader who lives along the route weighed in:
Well, in my neighborhood they started using amplified sound at 910 am and kept dodging the rule ("no amplified sound before 10:00 am") for one-half hour before admitting that "no amplified sound" did not mean it was okay to use amplified sound quietly. [See http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/summerstreets/html/faq/faq.shtml for rule] In a related matter, if bicyclists are to use NYC streets more fully, I think they should also be trained, licensed, and insured; their vehicles should be registered and inspected for safety; their parking should be regulated; and any violation of the above, or traffic rules, should penalized. Anything short of this is not only reckless, but a liability nightmare for pedestrians and motorists.Summer Streets will take place again on August 16 and August 23. Mayor Bloomberg said the city would bring it back if successful.
If you have Summer Streets photographs on Flickr, share them by tagging them "gothamist"--or email photos to photos(at)gothamist(dot)com.
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Overall it was great; except pedestrians were total hogs of the road, they should really stay to the right so bikes don't have to navigate back and forth to avoid them (even when going slow)
I hope this becomes a regular thing -- and ideally later 1pm is too early to close it up.
#1, I agree. At some rest stops on the route, they had cards with the "rules of the road," which said pedestrians had to stay to the right. Unfortunately, I didn't see anything mentioning this on signs along the route.
Overall, though, it was great. And it needs to run well past 1pm.
Jeez, that reader that wrote in is a real downer. Come on, guy, Summer Streets is three Saturday mornings in August. Loosen up a bit and enjoy the festivities!
@dr zippy--I love the concept of Summer Streets, but if I lived nearby and had to deal with the crowds, I might get grumpy.
But overall, wow--I love the 2nd shot of runners going up the ramp around the Grand Central Terminal. It's like a less apocalyptic I Am Legend!
Oh, blame the pedestrians! Sure. What about the bicyclists who would barrel down the streets in formation? Since there were no stop lights or stop signs it became hard to cross the streets. Dangerous, even. Next time it should just be Walking Streets.
I'm doing it again next week.
it was great relaxing ride. no lances, greg lemond's or breaking aways.
no one riding in an olympic peleton or chasing a breakaway group.
jen, that's the first time I heard you get PO'ed at something so trivial. the standard answer to that on gothamist would be, it's Manhattan, it's always crowded.
that's like a block away from my house. Too bad I was at the awesome apw festival. Next week though.
@JacqueMehoff, I don't live near the Summer Streets route--I'm just saying I could understand how some residents might be a little frustrated. I personally think I'd take crowd noise over cars honking constantly--I think it's a great event and that these are the kind of crowds the city should be encouraging.
To the reader with the list of rules for cyclists:
Well lets even things out. Lets make drivers, cyclists and pedestrians have all the same requirements.
1) Insurance after license and training (have you seen how some people take up the whole side walk or swerve side to side!)
2) Register & inspect those shoes (god forbid a weak heel break).
3) Enforce loitering and jaywalking laws (the amount of pedestrians that just step in front of vehicles/bikes in the middle of a right-of-way road!)
No. How about this, lets be rational and realize that in these situations, we all have differing levels of responsibilities. Bikes do not have an engine, do not on average weigh 1.5+ tons, do not have tons of different pieces of interacting machinery (transmission, engine, brakes, electrical, cooling, etc.) and don't pollute.
Aight?
It is a great event, jen.
I think most people will change their attitude when they see it. even businesses were saying how much foot traffic they had on a weekend morning.
and, there were free bicycle rentals.
@MFer
Actually there were plenty of stoplights, and plenty of cops on hand to make sure the bikers on the route obeyed them.
I started at the top near 72nd Street, and had to stop for red lights to let cars (and presumably, any pedestrians who wanted to cross) through pretty much every few minutes. In addition, all the bikers I saw were being as careful and respectful as they could be. We (yes I was one of them) certainly knew what a gift we had been given in this small amount of time alone on the streets, and didn't want to screw it up by giving anyone an opportunity to point out why we shouldn't be there.
Oh and we have Walking Streets already. They're called sidewalks.
Don't bother with MFer. He's one of the resident bike-haters here on Gothamist. I think it has something to do with his parents never buying him one when he was a kid.
For pedestrians, it was just as bad as it normally is, without the smoke. Park Avenue became a giant bicycle lane. Cyclist went at speeds rivaling that of many cars in the city. At one point a cyclist rammed into a stroller; luckily it was empty.
I think it kind of depends on what time you set out.
and it was such a nice day yesterday. when it ended, people were making plans on what to do next.
(probably brunch)
My wife and I walked a stretch along Centre St. and Lafayette St. up to Bleecker. I'm afraid from what I observed I have to mostly agree with #13 Scott - the streets became one big bike lane. Pedestrians were only comfortable back on the sidewalk. It was an interesting micro-study in the hierarchy of the streets - once the largest vehicle was eliminated (the auto), the next largest "vehicle" (the bicycle) became the dominating, and the most intimidating, force.
So it was great as far as making one giant bike lane through Manhattan. More power to that idea. But as far as opening the streets (equally) to everyone, the organizers need to put down specific, and separate, bike and ped lanes. The cyclists might have less elbow room, but what's the rush on a nice weekend day anyway?
Overall, the (was out from 10 AM til 1:30) event was exceptionally nice & mellow. Most peds stayed to the right, bikes to the left (there were exceptions, of course). No bad interactions I could see, But some peds could have kept righter & some cyclists could have given a wider berth (like not passing on both sides of peds who were five feet from the right curb). Plusses: nice weather, chance to take the Grand Central overpass on foot, No commercial crap (Corndogs, Kettle Corn, Massage, etc) which is OK for a street Fair but would have blown the concept. No dogs on 20 foot leashes darting around. No garbage. Everyone, the peds, cyclists, Traffic, PD all just mellow & polite.
Looking forward to next weekend. It was a wonderful start.
1PM is way too early to shut this down, I didn't wake up until 12:30 yesterday and missed it!
I guess Gothamist commenters like to whine a lot. Contrary to many words above, it was wonderful!
I found it just an awe-inspiring experience to enjoy the city where I live; to walk around Grand Central and enjoy this beautiful, otherwise trapped, building.
It was also funny to see the police standing there not attacking any cyclists. Hopefully they'll get used to the concept.
What a great initiative. Absolute success that should be considered as a weekly event during the summer months!
This is the precursor to the privatization of public spaces.
>>>Overall it was great; except pedestrians were total hogs of the road, they should really stay to the right so bikes don't have to navigate back and forth to avoid them (even when going slow)
Here we go again. Pedestrians have no chance when they have to share narrow spaces with bicyclists who want to race. That's why I believe pedestrians and bicyclists should be widely separated by separate paths or a partition when they have to share a path.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Hey, I was walking (more like mosey-ing with the kids) it was fine, of course you have to just keep aware like any mixed-use venue. As I said, for those hours I saw no bad interaction. Was it perfect for everyone, of course not. But to me it was a pleasant way to spend a few hours enjoying the city. As I said, a great start. People (on bikes & on foot) will start to get the hang of such things. And this is not the privatization of public spaces. Quite the opposite, more the temporary return of public space to the public.
"This is the precursor to the privatization of public spaces."
might as well have read
"Hi, I use words I don't understand. The effect is the opposite of my intent."
The only almost run I had was with some grumpy old man who seemed intent on trying to make me wreck by walking right in front of me and even changing directions to stay in front of me after I tried to move.
Oh, and I forgot, next time need some hot chicks on stilts & a few porta-potties. And don't whine too much. Bloomberg spoke about it being repeated if successful. How about expressing the positive & maybe it will be expanded?
That first photo doesn't look like how it was in Bogota at all. Pretty stupid. I don't see the point in closing down a street so people can go back and forth on bicycles.
The local community board (CB#1), located at the start of the route, totally opposed this hippy experiment, and none of the other community boards - that represent hundreds of thousands of citizens - supported it.
Why? This was shoved down the throat of the communities involved by the DOT with no warning or consultation to the locals. So much for Bloomberg's democracy!
The reason: DOT would know that most people who lived near the route and who were inconvenienced by it did not want it. (Refer #4 "but if I lived nearby and had to deal with the crowds, I might get grumpy"
She was correct - and honest! I know of residents who were severely inconvenienced and delivery guys who had to schlep their goods for blocks.
#21 had it right. With no 4-wheel vehicles to act as bully boys, the 2-wheel vehicles substituted as the bullies on the block.
#1 speaks for the sanctimonious and law-breaking cycle advocates with the arrogant comment: "it was great; except pedestrians". (Substitute "people" for "pedestrians" to get the subliminal message here)
wasn't able to make it, but i heard great things. i'm sure there are complaints as this was a large project and the first time it was undertaken, but reach out to organizers and make suggestions.
as far as complaints about cyclists go, i'm sure things played out exactly like they do on the west side bike path: a few highly arrogant and obnoxious cyclists using the space as a race track, a few obnoxious roller bladers weaving back and forth and throwing their legs all over the place, pedestrians wandering haphazardly all over the place rather than staying to the right complaining about how everyone else is putting them in danger. in general though I'm sure it was more enjoyable for all parties than a typical Saturday on those streets.
as far as community boards go, who cares. let's look at the number of people who live on those streets that might complain vs the number of people who benefitted enjoyed their time on the street. "severely inconvenienced" in what way? get a grip, suck it up, quit being self-centered.
#28 states: "let's look at the number of people who live on those streets that might complain vs the number of people who benefitted enjoyed their time on the street."
A community board comprises about 100,000 residents.
There were at least five community boards involved within this experiment. One Board totally opposed it, and, as as result, DOT did not consult with the others, as most other city agencies are required to do. You do the multiplication: 5 CBs x 100,000 citizens = ?.
Perhaps a few score thousand cyclists - max - used this silly program. Most of them it seems biked from Bklyn, according to the comments.
So, are you saying that hundreds of thousands of Manhattanites should have no representation and be ignored by DOT and the hippy bike-riding commissioner who runs it, just to accommodate the whims of a few thousand cyclists, many not even from Manhattan?
We residents get enough of the outer boroughs invading us during the work week. Must we bear it on the weekends too?
You wanna cycle? Cycle in Prospect Park! Lots of room there on weekends.
Community boards represent 100K people - I love it. In my experience community boards tend to represent a group of about a few dozen senior residents, generally opposed to any suggestions that they did not come up with themselves.
^
Once you get over your ageist biases, tell me how many community board meetings have you attended?
As a Manhattan resident who spend around 2.5 hours there on Saturday I would wholeheartedly welcome Summer Streets to my street. Just control the damned bikers. I don't understand why the city thinks it's OK for bikers to mix willy nilly with people walking and small kids running around. The event was more about making a new bike lane than it was to "come out and play" in the streets, as the DOT web site said. No way I could have set the neighborhood kids up with a game of hopskotch of whatever unless I put up barriers.
You are implying that the opposition of the community boards along the route should supersede the support of the tens of thousands of people who enjoyed the 6-hour event. You are arguing that the 5 affected community boards represent the opinions of 500,000 people when, in fact, they represent the opinions of a few dozen members.
Demographically, community boards in New York City are heavily loaded with seniors, as I've routinely noticed at the many dozens of meetings I've been to in all five boroughs over the last 10-11 years. In addition, generally the only people who show up to speak at community boards are those opposed to a proposal - people who are in favor stay home because they have no gripe to voice.
Therefore I think it is very presumptuous to suggest that a few dozen contrary seniors should have the full authority to approve or disapprove a program to temporarily open a street to the enjoyment of thousands of participants of all ages from all boroughs.
I'm glad that sometimes the DOT is accountable to the entire city and not just the opinions of some cranky NIMBYs. It was 6 hours. Give me a break.
Your premise is completely incorrect, #33. Most current CB members are chosen from the activist community, whether it be community activists, social activists, polticial activists, gay activists, civil rights activists, etc.
If they don't decide, then who decides? Your bureaucrat friends at DOT? Ha, what a joke. I'll take my neighbors over a faceless bureaucrat any day. Why won't you?
Personally, I have gone to many CB meetings to voice SUPPORT for something: parks, a new school, getting street signage, etc. So, you talk jive, but then again, you are aptly named, Ivory Jive.
In fact, a similar proposal to close Prince Street in Soho was soundly defeated when residents and businesses showed up to defeat it and to maintain their street.
DOT was humiliated and that is why they canned that idea and introduced this instead, bypassing any public review. This you defend?!?
There were many comments of the people who think this event was a waste of time and money - a stunt by Bloomberg. The streetsblog people are out in force here today, but YOU guys do not represent the greater City. For sure, the CBs are more representative of the population than Transportation Alternatives.
Btw, besides being prejudiced against old people, are you also prejudiced against gays, minorities, handicapped. etc?
Your biased comments reflect a biased agenda on many levels.
We had a blast and shot video (and photos) of it while we were biking as a family. We're already rearranging our plans to do it again this Saturday. We had so much, we can't wait to do it again. Yeah Jen, my husband said it was like "I Am Legend" too. Pretty cool! Nice to have the freedom to enjoy the city without the chaos of vehicles.
Yeah I would calm down puppy and just curb your angry, alarmist finger pointing. You have described six hours of biking and jogging as the enterprise of fascists and hippies. Besides the obvious contradiction in those two ideologies, do you know how ridiculous you sound? Do you have grudge against people enjoying their city streets without cars?
As I understand it, the laws of the City of New York give the transportation commissioner authority to temporarily close streets at her discretion, with or without out the approval of every single community board on that street. This is not the building of the Cross-Bronx Expressway or the demolition of Penn Station. This is not the Triangle Shirt Factory. This is not Hitler marching into Poland and this is not Fascism. It is six hours of people biking and jogging.
I would get off your high horse of Community Boards being the pinnacle of democracy. Community Boards are made up of a group of appointments by an elected official, just like city agency commissioners. They are an advisory body, whose opposition to this event I'm sure was duly noted. The announcement of this plan was made by the mayor and the commissioner at a press conference two months ago. Did any of the community boards send a resolution opposing the plan? If so, did they poll their constituents at all or do they just think that their appointment makes their opinions representative de facto of 100,000 people like you do?
Tens of thousands of New Yorkers had a great time peacefully enjoying themselves for 6 hours on the public city streets. Thank the lord no one in the City government tried to stop it because of what a few cranky twits think.
So who's the Gothamist employee who routinely deletes posts that are critical of bikers? It's happened to me a few times already and it's ridiculous. That should not be a subject for deletion.