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Surprise plaza in the Meatpacking DistrictThis evening, I met up with a former coworker outside the Google office. We just wanted to chat and catch up, and strolled along looking for a good place to sit. Neither of us wanted a loud, crowded bar or club with expensive drinks, as are common in the Meatpacking District.
And then, as we reached the corner of 14th Street and 9th Avenue, in the middle of the intersection, was a large, triangular plaza full of folding chairs, small tables, outdoor umbrellas, and bushes:
What is this? Can we really just sit down and enjoy the beautiful weather and the lively city? Yes, it's true: a real public square. We sat and talked and relaxed in this oasis among busy streets. It still feels temporary, but it's a major step. This is the effect of New York's new, progressive DOT. What was once a huge, crowded intersection with way too many turn lanes has become a space for people. Announced in late June, it opened only three months later. Thanks NYC DOT—you've made one part of Manhattan much more pleasant and enabled an enjoyable few hours this evening. posted on Oct 24, 2007 1:24 am (comment) Transportation administrators should use transportationExperiencing any city as a pedestrian and bus or subway rider is vastly different from experiencing it by car. Walking around San Francisco, for example, I've sometimes found myself trying to dodge the enormous numbers of cars while trying to cross streets; but minutes later, driving a car myself, and having to restrain myself from being annoyed at all the pedestrians darting out into the street.
A Transportation Alternatives study found that 33% of New York City's civic service employees - including employees of the Department of Transportation - drive to work, compared to only 16% citywide, because these employees receive free parking. How can administrators properly appreciate and balance the relative needs of drivers and pedestrians when they, unlike the vast majority of New Yorkers, see the city from the other side of the windshield as the rest of us? posted on Sep 16, 2005 11:26 pm (1 comment) De-Mosesification: the SheridanDriving from New York City to Massachusetts this weekend, I was struck, as I always am, by the crazy tangle of expressways and parkways in the Bronx. There are five major north-south roads (the Henry Hudson, the Thruway which becomes the Major Deegan, the Bronx River Parkway, the Hutchinson, and 95), all parallel, most slicing right through the heart of residential neighborhoods, plus a plethora of small connecting roads (how many people know which 2 roads are connected by the Mosholu Parkway)?
Every time I drive through there I think we really shouldn't have so many damn parkways. Besides, parks are for people, not cars. Sustainable South Bronx, a great organization with a pretty yet extremely hard to use Web site, and several other organizations advocate removing the least-used of the Moses roads, the Sheridan Expressway, elevating the Bruckner so that it ceases to be the enormous barrier between neighborhoods that it is today, and building a ramp at Leggett Avenue which is surely a good idea though I don't know the traffic patterns there very well personally. I can't find much detail on this plan beyond this testimony at a public hearing, but I'll post some if I can find it. Update: here's the DOT's plan for the Bruckner/Sheridan area, which involves keeping the Sheridan. I just realized that I've never actually seen a DOT plan outside the context of a community group pushing an alternative. But this might be because I only go to their site when I'm reading about a community fighting them. I supposed I should read their site more. posted on Jun 27, 2005 3:19 pm (comment) | Blog ArchivesMost Popular Tags |
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