N.Y./Region: Times Square's Pedestrian Makeover - NYTimes

New York City has halted vehicle traffic on Broadway between 42nd Street and 47th Street in Times Square to create a pedestrian plaza free of cars. Three blocks in Herald Square are also affected.

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News & Politics

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• The New York Times
• NYTimes.com
• NYT
• N.Y./Region
• Times Square
• makeover

[sidelmann1982]

Excellent! What about adding a light rail!

I am amazed how negative people react. This is one of the best things that have happened to NYC since the development of Central Park.

The US is so fare behind in terms of infrastructure and public space.

NYC is one of the few places in the US where people dares to think innovative, and not are struck by fear of change.

Get used to it - you are going to love it!

[pokistick]

Wow I Love this transformation! Good job NYC for giving some priorities to pedestrians!

[100timessquare]

Times Square is supposed to be about TRAFFIC, crowds, noise, 2 people kissing over there, 2 people fighting over there, cops giving some dude a ticket, hot dog vendors, some random bum rambling incoherently over there, rich dudes from the upper east side, Italian dudes from Bensonhurst, black dudes from uptown, sexy woman, fun, excitement. Not freaking giant M&M stores, over priced everything, corny tourist and lawn chairs, are kidding me...

[100timessquare]

I am going to sum up this entire conversation is one phrase...tourist and transplant new yorkers love this crap and Native (real) New Yorkers hate it!!

[trilobright]

Yes! One of the most iconic "squares" in America deserves to be an actual square, not just an extremely unpleasant traffic intersection!

Now let's do the same thing with Harvard "Square" in Cambridge!

[Aspekitteh]

Wow, you get some crazy people in these comments don't you? New York is an INTERNATIONAL city, which means it changes with the rest of the world. Get over it.

[bkjphilly]

This is a GREAT idea. More cities should do the same. When I visited London in 2000, and Japan in 2008 and 2010, you can see that they've considered the public, and how the space can be used. With the absence of vehicles, Times Square actually BECOMES a "square" again. When I was in London, I had read an article about how the music from the streets was INSPIRING the people in the surrounding buildings for various projects, and a great many other things. Let's keep it up!

[xbltester105]

this is a great idea

[EMBARQNetwork]

Check out all the sustainable transportation initiatives that have been put in place since the roll out of PlaNYC in 2007:

embarq.org/en/video/cities-foc­us-new-york-city

Enjoy!

[supercooled]

@Timessquare100 I agree with your sentiment on nostalgic values but as a minority, I'm not sure if I too should feel insulted and attacked by your diatribe. I too hate the newfangled trend of crackberries and Starbucks infused hands/lips. It's like a cesspool of degenerates who are massive bone head pretenders and sycophants who bow down to the mighty dollar to further fuel their lifestyle. I wish things were more simpler and easy like they were a few decades ago.

[Timessquare100]

i hate these dam transplant new yorkers from all over the country crowding NY walking around with their starbucks coffee talkin on their dam blackberrys. i wish NY was the way it was back in the 80s and 90s. A city with soul and culture, character and danger. Now its just plastic, there are people here who don't even know where they live because some real estate broker told them 145th and St Nicholas ave wasn't harlem, its "HAMILTON HEIGHTS". Go back to where ever it is you came from!!

[jupiterscastle]

As a NYer from Queens, I hate the tourists, bring back NY the way it was before , with the porn and hookers on times square.