Comments on: Could “Open Sundays” Help Solve Prince Problems?

By: Eric

Eric — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 16:08:04 +0000

SoHo Girl, I also don't see any moving cars in that photo, only parked ones. So why don't we close the street to vehicle traffic?

By: anonymous

anonymous — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 02:08:39 +0000

I think a thousand little paper cuts is exactly how the traffic monster of lower manhattan will be slain. East River tolls have been a political challenge for many years now, and it doesn't seem like they'll get passed anytime soon. But the DOT can work, little by little, to reduce street capacity for cars, and hope nobody notices until it's too late. A good project for DOT to look at in SoHo is sidewalk widening and general improvement of Broome St. Narrow it from three car lanes to two, and I bet both pedestrian quality of life and car traffic flow will improve. Since the Holland Tunnel's capacity is fixed, the streets feeding into it should be designed not to try to put in more traffic than it can handle.

By: Sheila E.

Sheila E. — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 01:07:20 +0000

SoHo NIMBY's = Gerritsen Beach NIMBY's.

http://www.gerritsenbeach.net/2008/02/14/green-streets-died-tonight/

Sad but true. There's no real difference.

By: mike

mike — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 00:15:14 +0000

SoHo girl - Using one photo to conclude that no bicyclists use the Prince St bike lane is straight up bogus (maybe you should try counting them). Then leaping from this invalid conclusion to invent another one, that Open Sundays will fail, is even more tenuous.

Perhaps you should first take the time to investigate similar successful implementations of pedestrian-only streets around the world.

Finally, it's pretty obvious that the DoT does, in fact, know SoHo. Do you? Or do you only see what you want to see?

By: Dave

Dave — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 23:09:56 +0000

If there were another neighborhood as well suited to pedestrianization I think they would try it.
But Soho is an open-air shopping mall already with narrow streets and is relatively small so it fits the bill.

NIMBY NIMBY NIMBY really gets old and it seems to be prevalent around here. That's the real problem with the CB's; they respond to all the small-minded NIMBY-criers so nothing gets done.

A shame that the greatest city in the world is so far behind the global curve on livable streets and mass transit because of NIMBY-types.

By: SoHo (and I know how to spell it) Resident also

SoHo (and I know how to spell it) Resident also — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:32:46 +0000

My primary comments are here:

http://www.streetsblog.org/2008/03/07/soho-partnership-dot-propose-car-free-sundays-on-prince-st

BUT let me point out that the photo is a bit deceptive in that it was taken at the point where a band sets up and plays on the street, causing a crowd to gather around them and people to go around.

Enforcement? You gotta be kidding. The community has been actively asking for that for years.

SoHo Resident

By: SoHo Girl

SoHo Girl — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:20:30 +0000

Look at the pictures of all the people in the bike lane, which is usually occupied by idling trucks or limos. Bikes are rare. They still stay on Houston.

See! No bikes in these pictures. This bike lane is an abject failure.

And these are the same people who want to put in a pedestrian mall? That too would be an abject failure.

What do these folk know about SoHo. Nothing?

I'm glad the mall idea was turned down at the community board.

Try this in your own neighborhood if you think it is such a good idea.

By: Bobby Dei

Bobby Dei — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 20:46:28 +0000

Death by 1000 paper-cuts will not slay the traffic monster of Lower Manhattan.

Obvious Solutions:
1) East River Tolls.
2) Verrazzano Toll reversal.

By: jmc

jmc — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 19:00:49 +0000

When are they going to do the presentation for the 42nd St pedestrianization?

By: Eric

Eric — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 18:12:43 +0000

Um, 14 Sundays during the summer with no commitment to permanence? Come on, people, give it a try.

If it really sucks, just think of all the "I-told-you-so" posts you'll be able to plaster on Streetsblog.

Rather than a knee-jerk no, why not engage with the City to enforce vending rules and regulations? Admittedly, those European street-vending set-ups look better than the ones in SoHo, so why not bargain with the City for design guidelines in return for closing the street to cars?