NYC STREETS RENAISSANCE

» Archive for July, 2007

Saturday, December 30th, 2006

PSA-Cab in a Crosswalk (:28)

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See how much disruption and danger one taxi cab stuck in a Times Square crosswalk can create.


Sunday, December 17th, 2006

The Defeat of the Mt. Hood Freeway (Portland, Ore.) (11:42)

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In Oregon, a battle raged for nearly twenty years over the construction of a highway project known as the Mt. Hood Freeway. If approved, the Freeway would have removed more than 1% of all housing stock in Portland. In the mid 1970s, after the proposal’s defeat, the city opted to build a mass transit infrastructure. The result is a more pedestrian-friendly and livable city.

TOPP videographer, Clarence Eckerson Jr., takes us to Portland to see the results and posits that his own neighborhood in Brooklyn might have benefited from similar forethought during the planning phase of the Robert Moses-designed Brooklyn-Queens Expressway.


Wednesday, December 6th, 2006

PSA-Pedestrian Obstacle Course (0:46)

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A visual example of the hoops through which a pedestrian must jump to cross a street in Times Square.


Fulton Street (5:48)

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Jeff Prant collects signatures on his petition to maintain Fulton Street’s car-free hours.


Greenwich Street (6:07)

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A popular crosswalk (at Greenwich and Duane Streets) used by children, the elderly and families walking to Washington Market Park is constantly ignored by motorists. The dangerous situation has been the target of reforms by local schools and community organizations, including The Washington Market Park Board. The Park Board has formed the “Tribeca Kids Safety Zone” and would like to see a stop sign or a red light and a commitment to traffic calming before tragedy strikes.


A conversation with Lou Riccio (10:57)

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Discussion about the transportation planning with former NYC D.O.T. Commissioner Lou Riccio.


Friday, December 1st, 2006

PSA-Pedestrian Density (:30)

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Cars get more space than pedestrians do on the streets, which leads to overcrowded sidewalks.

According to Transportation Alternatives, on some streets the ratio is 14:1 - peds to cars; in some extreme areas of Times Square, the numbers can be even higher!