Where would someone have to walk 5 blocks from being dropped off as a result of this? Remember, the cross streets are still open.

JSK, you can now stop aiming for the headlines and get to work on bringing something that affects the rest of us. But thanks for the welcome change nevertheless!

For a senior citizen to walk the 5 blocks is hard where as with a car they could be dropped off directly infront of where they want to go.

Need less to say the subway is shit for disabled and elderly people who may not be able to walk up stairs or many blocks

Cheers!

Yeesh, thank you Miss Crabapple.

This is a point that The Post doesn't seem to understand. This isn't a zero-sum battle for turf between drivers and pedestrians (though I know which side I'd be on if it were). Sometimes throwing down an off-grid street, and having more entry and exit points at an intersection, makes motor vehicle traffic flow worse. More pavement does not lead to fewer traffic jams.

this is a great first step, one of many i hope and it certainly looks like it.

And Dave, before you hyperventilate, realize that these closings are *insignificant* as far as traffic goes. Look at a map. Broadway in that area is essentially an old trail that meanders through the grid and makes traffic *more* complicated than it needs to be. Except for people who can't be bothered to walk half a block.

Can we get a report of how traffic has been impacted outside of the three-month-a-year outdoor plazas?

The city is collecting a massive amount of data on this project and not just on traffic, Dave, but on economic and environmental impact too. The Times Square Alliance is also going to be collecting data on this experiment and has a huge stake in making sure that Times Square works for all users.

Shouldn't JSK be required to do an environmental impact study before she drastically reduces street capacity?

No. First off, EIS's are garbage. They are useless. Second, there's been no permanent change to the street here. If key Times Square stakeholders deem the car-free program a failure when it comes up for evaluation at the end of the year it will take all of about a week's worth of work to return Times Square to the traffic sewer that it used to be. And who says capacity has been "reduced?" As best I can tell, more people are using and enjoying Times Square than ever before. It's a capacity increase both in quantitative and qualitative terms.

How much will Manhattan resident suffer from increased traffic, honking horns and the like before someone will have the guts to do the right thing and put tolls on the bridges, reform placard abuse and put permit parking in place to reduce commuting into Manhattan.

Maybe you've been hiding under a rock for the last two years, Dave, but JSK and friends have been working pretty hard to make tolling, placard reform and permit parking happen. As for the traffic and honking horns -- have you been to Times Square lately? There's suddenly a whole lot less traffic and honking horns there.

Shouldn't JSK be required to do an environmental impact study before she drastically reduces street capacity? Isn't this Broadway Plaza disaster a major change requiring study and analysis before it becomes permanent?

How much will Manhattan resident suffer from increased traffic, honking horns and the like before someone will have the guts to do the right thing and put tolls on the bridges, reform placard abuse and put permit parking in place to reduce commuting into Manhattan.

And don't worry about the Post. They'll always be able to find a handful of drivers who are irate over this. But nothing can shout down the literally thousands of people enjoying this space at any one time.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/05262009/news/regionalnews/drivers_furious_over_bway_blockade_at_ti_171042.htm