And every time one of you persons whine about “traffic” (which is commercial in nature) you succumb to the insanity of this idiot mayor and all his admiralty and maritime laws he imposes on you. Then wonder why you feel abused.

The day you stop eating the menu and actually eat your food, you won’t be wondering why you’re so hungry at the table.

Wow, I have never seen so much slave oriented mentalities in one place.

Just know every time you do something to waive your rights as free Citizens of this State and accept the privileges with control and penalties as this stupid U.S. citizenship; you annoy us people who are actually free.

That’s why we keep finding you guilty every time you show up in court with those attorneys with their titles of nobility.

Your first clue you screwed up should have been the day you got a ssn, (your slave tax i.d. number) after that state birth certificate was issued (which didn’t come from a church) then you traded your right to travel for a freakin driver’s license, then you gave your title for your car to the state in exchange for a certificate “OF” title (not the title) and then you went to the county clerks office to get permission for a church wedding (which made the state a party to your “marriage contract”) so you can have kids and restart the cycle… If you don’t feel royally screwed; then just forget what I said and go back to your state controlled life, so you can continue serving your master (The “STATE”)….

And I’ll repeat what I said further upthread: JSK has put sustainable transportation infrastructure in white neighborhoods over popular objections. She’s never been one to give a damn what the local political elite thinks.

Amusingly, Alon began to defend the notion that most pedestrians like to have some moving cars around. But he doesn’t think the Broadway Boulevard is a success, though I do. Meanwhile, that position provoked other Comments suggesting that our goal should be to ban all cars from every street in Manhattan. And Harlem either is or isn’t safe now or then, on the streets or in some dark park or whatever. Wow.

Oh, Alon, last night my friend and I parked our bikes and sat down in Broadway to eat a supper of chicken and rice purchased from a falafel cart near Penn Station. Many chairs were taken, but not all by any means. I had noticed some ripped up pavement and apparent reconstruction underway around 36th St., maybe reworking a turn lane (and I hope the bike lane as well). Perhaps the remodeling will include better street furniture, better lighting for this still dark strip, nicer plantings, more bike racks, etc.

The newish NYGARD store on 40th St certainly brings the bright lights to its block, but nearby blocks could use more juice. More than a few storefronts are vacant, due to the economy, I’m sure, and not to closing half the street to traffic. That’s an opportunity, I’d say, for the stretch to liven up with more retail and neon.

I expect that now that this “trial period” is over, the City will invest in better amenities and the quasi mall will become even more successful. One evening we can meet down there and I’ll treat you to a beverage. No, make it supper on me, on condition that we buy our supper with half a block of Broadway,

Meanwhile I’m looking forward to seeing more buses on 34th St and fewer cars there.

Cars don’t really enter this equation either way – it’s a sketchiness issue, not a car issue. If you really can’t tell the difference between a two-lane street and Queens Boulevard, there’s no helping you.

having spent most of my life in this city have been at the riots in harlem, bed stuy, east new york, lower eastside, burning of ccny, even columbia (which is definitely upscale), . . . and, thereafter all over . . .

and now, crossing 110th street going west by bike there’s this restaurant that’s hard to pass that must be in 100 guidebooks . . . , and morningside park you wouldn’t walk through day or night where horrendous things happened to those who did not know better but not now and is really quite nice, and 110th street that was boarded up for years newly discovered for its central park southern exposure, and central park north itself has never been better with the fishing pond where you can rent poles and the ice skating ring you can now do laps in on warm summer evenings.

yes, there are bad areas and disgracefully there are severely underserved sections and populations and unemployment in this city with health problems comparable to the developing world; but, the city has never been safer.

and yes, was cued in when i did read in the ny times a few years ago that this famous filmmaker sold his condos in the dakota and bought several brownstones north of 110th street for his family with the money proclaiming it was the best investment he ever made, everyone was so nice.

even though the financial near-collapse hasn’t helped now . . .

but, don’t tell me how cars make this city nice and safe. this city thrives despite them.

enough! have fun!

Tell me, Gecko, did you live in Harlem anytime recently that you’re pronouncing it upscale? Do you have access to recent statistics indicating wealth? Or are you just reading ignorant blurbs on TimeOutNY and Stuff White People Like?

Does not sound like it from this statement. And currently, Harlem is quite upscale.

Re: “on lightly trafficked streets, taxis make things less sketchy”

That is not what you wrote. You wrote: “Roaming taxis can provide a surprising amount of safety.”

And, people on the streets provide safety, not cars.

If Bway between Times and Herald Squares is not peopled enough then get different businesses in there

Good luck shooing Macy’s out.

Seriously. If the land use around Broadway is not conducive to a pedestrian piazza, why not instead build the piazza somewhere where the existing land use is more conducive and where the local community is more supportive?

So, you’re from the ghetto? And, if there are a lot of friendly people at night in some ghetto park you should still avoid it?

I lived in/near Harlem for a while, and I’ve talked about urban issues with people from the South Bronx. In Harlem I can say from experience that taxis don’t run red light.

And, cars make this city safe even though they kill on the scale of this city’s homicide rates?

Way to twist my words… how does “on lightly trafficked streets, taxis make things less sketchy” turn into “cars make this city safe”? We’re not talking about traffic calming on QB or West Street. The issue is Broadway, a signal-timed, wide-sidewalked street where pedestrians get the crossing to themselves for half of every cycle.

So, you’re from the ghetto? And, if there are a lot of friendly people at night in some ghetto park you should still avoid it?

And, cars make this city safe even though they kill on the scale of this city’s homicide rates?

Including taxis where in bad areas traditionally the police allow taxis to jump red lights and leave as quick as possible.

Cars greatly diminish urban quality of life and there are much better, more practical, and safe mobility solutions with the environmental crisis serving as coffin nails for a very bad habit.

You talk about these major roads as if they have always been there and will always be there because if they don’t then the sky will fall. Right? If Bway between Times and Herald Squares is not peopled enough then get different businesses in there, change zoning if necessary, pay for some bands to play there.

I don’t disagree about some positive effects of taxis, etc. within the current environment but of course this is because they have a person in them. So, people are the solution.

Lighting at night and cars have nothing to do with each other. On the contrary, when it comes to safety, the adviceyou’d get in the ghetto is to avoid parks, and, depending on the neighborhood, one-way streets. Roaming taxis can provide a surprising amount of safety.

And whatever the result was ten years ago, the result today is that Times Square was full of pedestrians both before and after pedestrianization, while the Broadway stretch between Times and Herald Squares has few people in daytime and none after dark.