Bloomberg to propose banning vehicles in parts of Times Square area.

[clevedark]

Car and truck free would be nice if the only thing people had to do was stroll around and buy cupcakes all day long.

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by clevedark

Car and truck free would be nice if the only thing people had to do was stroll around and buy cupcakes all day long.

This is only true if you can't survive a day without climbing into a car. Unless you're a truck driver engaged in commerce, you do not actually need a car in New York City, particularly Manhattan. You may want a car, but you don't need one.

[clevedark]

Well, I've never bothered with one, but I imagine plenty of people actually do need them, depending on their daily responsibilities. What if you work on off hours and need to commute through Manhattan, what if you need to take a disabled relative on errands, what if say, your daughter is getting chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering and you need to get her home to New Jersey afterwards. As I said, it's not all cupcakes out there.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by clevedark

Well, I've never bothered with one, but I imagine plenty of people actually do need them, depending on their daily responsibilities. What if you work on off hours and need to commute through Manhattan, what if you need to take a disabled relative on errands, what if say, your daughter is getting chemotherapy at Sloan Kettering and you need to get her home to New Jersey afterwards. As I said, it's not all cupcakes out there.

There are also a lot of people who just drive down there because they don't like the train.

[runtothesun]

How about constructing a permanent High Line-type structure around that area?

[Fred314X]

Originally Posted by runtothesun

How about constructing a permanent High Line-type structure around that area?

If I may quote an old expression, hell is going to freeze over before there's ever going to be an elevated structure in midtown Manhattan again. Not that it wouldn't make sense, but it's not going to happen. (Check out the history of the els in New York--we used to have 'em along 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 9th Avenues. And that was only in Manhattan. There were also els on Fulton Street; 3rd, 5th, Lexington and Myrtle Avenues in Brooklyn.)

[bluedog2]

And here is an article about Chicago's experience with this concept.
Chicago's pedestrian mall solution: traffic - The Boston Globe

[cotb16]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

There are also a lot of people who just drive down there because they don't like the train.

And also because it may be more difficult to reach Times Square if you are coming from areas underserved by public transit, such as Eastern Queens, Eastern and Central Bronx, and Southern Brooklyn.

And even if there was a train in my local area, people may still drive to Times Square due to the constant track work that plagues every weekend, thus making it difficult to reach Times Square from the Bronx within an hour.

[NooYowkur81]

Originally Posted by cotb16

And also because it may be more difficult to reach Times Square if you are coming from areas underserved by public transit, such as Eastern Queens, Eastern and Central Bronx, and Southern Brooklyn.

And even if there was a train in my local area, people may still drive to Times Square due to the constant track work that plagues every weekend, thus making it difficult to reach Times Square from the Bronx within an hour.

I don't know but if it was me though, I'd leave my car uptown somewhere or in the outer boroughs near a subway. I just hate driving downtown especially when the traffic is really bad.

But good point on the track work over the weekends. That has become unbearable. Every weekend there is something going on. It's been like that for almost 10 years now, and it just seems to get worse every year. It's become so commonplace at this point, I think a lot of people have apathetically accepted it and just adjusted to it.

[cotb16]

Originally Posted by NooYowkur81

I don't know but if it was me though, I'd leave my car uptown somewhere or in the outer boroughs near a subway. I just hate driving downtown especially when the traffic is really bad.

But good point on the track work over the weekends. That has become unbearable. Every weekend there is something going on. It's been like that for almost 10 years now, and it just seems to get worse every year. It's become so commonplace at this point, I think a lot of people have apathetically accepted it and just adjusted to it.

Not all of the stations uptown have great parking (especially those in Washington Heights or in the Western Bronx along the 4 and D lines).