New York’s Times Square, Pedestrian-Friendly

New York City is keeping up with trendy cities like London and Copenhagen by becoming more pedestrian friendly.

Five blocks — Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets — have been shut down to motor traffic.

Tourists and locals can now sprawl out on deck chairs and bask in the glow of the neon lights.

[Josh Eckmann, New Yorker]:
„I love the idea. I think it’s going to be very good for the city to have this whole area be open to the public and not have traffic coming through all the time.”

The Times Square plaza is just the latest in a series of city plans that includes more bike paths and other car-free areas.

[Jamie Owens, New Yorker]:
„I don’t know what the point of Times Square is if you can’t enjoy it. I mean everybody’s — it’s always so congested — it’s really overwhelming and now you can actually see it.“

Some cab drivers are apparently not quite as thrilled over the change.

[M.D. Hassan, Taxi Driver]:
„From Central Park up to Times Square — there is a lot of traffic there, so I think it’s not the best idea for the traffic, but if they want to enhance the beauty of the city, this is a good idea.“

Praddu Dealapu says cutting taxi traffic into only one main boulevard will hurt his bottom line.

[Praddu Dealapu, Taxi Driver]:
„This is worst for us because when we are stuck in the traffic, we cannot make money. We lose time. We lose money and [for] that reason a lot of cab drivers don’t want to come over here because of traffic.“

The current Times Square pedestrian area, along with a similar area further down on Broadway, are only experimental.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will decide in December whether they stay or go.

(NTDTV)