Reading that drivers are furious about Times Square being closed to their cars, I thought "too bad!" Sorry, change is a coming and it's about time.
Photo: Getty Images.
Smaller in terms of media recognition and impact is Car Free Days in Seattle and elswhere. For me, it's always Pike Place Market -- close that to cars and we're making progress.
Dig how they put lawn chairs on the street for people to sit and relax. I'd roll Bettie right up and start blending some drinks.
As car-free as I tend to be, I’m not sure this was the best thing for NYC to do. It’s the busiest part of the city, the largest tourist destination and a major thoroughfare for commerce.
You want to get people thinking about being car-free you don’t just cut out the major artery through midtown. Pedestrianize some of the outlying areas, and take over the city for pedestrians. This is like a Critical Mass, it’s just going to piss off people who otherwise would be allies.
I think eventually this is a key candidate to be closed to traffic, just too much too soon.
I disagree good sir. When I visited NYC back in April (not even prime tourist season) Times Square was a virtual pedestrian mall. There were enough dumb, gawking tourists (myself included) stumbling through intersections, nearly getting run over by cabs, etc. that I think it makes plenty of sense just to shut it down to cars.
You know the city better than I, but I can’t imagine regular New Yorkers try to travel through that area, since they know it will be a pain in the ass.