Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Plazas

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 […]

Eyes on the Street: A Safer, More Sociable Boulevard Takes Shape

By Ben Fried | Aug 31, 2009 | 11 Comments

A reader sends this view of Pike Street, taken from the Manhattan Bridge bike path late last week. You’ll notice the square of light pavement connecting two mall segments. That’s the intersection with Monroe Street, one of four locations slated for pedestrian plazas in DOT’s most recent plan for Pike and Allen Streets [PDF]. A […]

Thompson, Avella Pledge to Dump Sadik-Khan If Elected

By Ben Fried | Aug 27, 2009 | 64 Comments

Tony Avella and Bill Thompson. Photo: Daily News. I didn’t get to watch last night’s Democratic mayoral debate between Bill Thompson and Tony Avella, so I missed the high drama that ensued when the candidates were asked if they’ll retain Janette Sadik-Khan as transportation commissioner. Good thing Brian Lehrer played excerpts on his show this […]

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 […]

Independence Day Special: The Freedom to Sit

By Ben Fried | Jul 2, 2009 | 10 Comments

This was the scene at Herald Square yesterday afternoon. It’s full of people doing what the Times’ Susan Dominus finds so un-New York: sitting down. Some of these loafers are actually putting their feet up, right in the heart of our fast-paced, cutthroat city. It’s like they’ve never even seen The Sweet Smell of Success. […]

Find Out More About DOT’s Plaza Program

By Ben Fried | May 12, 2009 | No Comments

DOT’s plaza program emphasizes projects in neighborhoods where public space is scarce. If you’re interested in reclaiming some asphalt in your neighborhood for a new public space, now’s your chance to learn more about NYCDOT’s Plaza Program. DOT is holding a series of information sessions about the program this month, including one at Brooklyn Borough […]