Cycling Tips & Stories Article

When New York City announced a plan to shut down parts of Times Square to traffic, New Yorkers’ reactions ranged from bemusement to mild hysteria.Despite reassurances from the Transportation Department that the changes would create a greener, more pedestrian-friendly city, some critics of the plan worried that it would sap the square of its chaotic energy. Others, apparently nostalgic for the seediness of the 1970s version of the square, denounced it as another step in New York’s transformation from the world’s greatest metropolis to a generic tourist trap.

Well, I’m happy to report that, a day after the stretch of Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets was closed to cars, the soul of Times Square remains intact. The neon still sparkles. Tourists still wander around bewildered. The whiff of last night’s junk food still hangs in the air. . . .

Will it work? The transformation of Copenhagen took decades, not years. And it involved constant tinkering. Some streets were closed to cars, then partially reopened years later. Parking in the city center was reduced slowly, over many years, so the changes were barely noticed.

As Jan Gehl, who worked on the Copenhagen plan and advised Ms. Sadik-Khan in New York, explained, the strategy allowed for a period of psychological adjustment.

Tips&Stories: New York creates pedestrian zone on Broadway & Times Square

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