Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Plazas

Here’s the Chinatown Intersection Where NIMBYs Killed a Pedestrian Overhaul

By Ben Fried | May 23, 2011 | 18 Comments

Just a reminder: Chatham Square, the intersection where Chinatown NIMBYs have fended off the reclamation of street space for pedestrians, is a huge expanse of asphalt with chaotic traffic patterns and a terrible safety record. According to CrashStat, dozens of pedestrians and cyclists were injured in traffic crashes at Chatham Square from 1995 to 2005, […]

The Untold Story of DOT’s Plaza Program: It’s a Hit

By Noah Kazis | May 5, 2011 | 14 Comments

You wouldn’t know it from opening the newspaper or turning on the television, but yesterday’s City Council hearing on pedestrian plazas actually showed how widespread support for the plazas are. Only two council members appeared to be at all opposed to the plaza program — though of course those two have dominated the headlines — […]

Mugging for TV, James Vacca Turns Transpo Committee Into Kangaroo Court

By Noah Kazis | May 5, 2011 | 12 Comments

When James Vacca called a hearing of the City Council transportation committee to discuss the DOT plaza program yesterday, what was he trying to get out of it? For many neighborhoods, the plaza program offers the best and only chance of expanding their limited supply of public space, and most of the council members who […]

Eric Ulrich’s Cure for BQE Potholes: Stop Building Public Plazas

By Ben Fried | May 4, 2011 | 31 Comments

Transportation Committee Chair James Vacca convened a hearing this afternoon on NYC DOT’s plaza program, a sequel of sorts to the bike policy hearing where opponents of the Prospect Park West bike lane got a big media moment and several council members laid out their windshield perspective on bike lanes for all to see. Today, […]

CB 8 Transpo Committee Endorses Washington Avenue Safety Improvements

By Noah Kazis | May 2, 2011 | 8 Comments

DOT’s plans to redesign two Prospect Heights intersections to improve safety earned the endorsement of Brooklyn Community Board 8’s transportation committee last Tuesday. The plan also includes an “optional” painted bike lane along Washington Avenue between Eastern Parkway and Atlantic Avenue [PDF]. The biggest changes are in store for the messy five-spoke intersection of Washington, […]

Grand Army Plaza Redesign Moves Forward Without Plaza Street Bike Lane

By Ben Fried | Apr 18, 2011 | 31 Comments

Construction on a slate of pedestrian and bike improvements for Grand Army Plaza is scheduled to move forward this summer, NYC DOT announced this Saturday. The redesign includes a major expansion of the pedestrian islands at the north side of GAP and the addition of a two-way, protected bicycle connection linking Union Street to Eastern […]

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