“The Pedestrian Crush” on 34th & 7th Avenue

Although there is undoubtedly an amazing streets renaissance going on in NYC, there still remain places in dire need of improvement. Heavily-used areas like the blocks surrounding Penn Station area from 4 to 7 PM on weekdays are overwhelmed with pedestrians making their way home to via a network of subways, NJ Transit, the Long Island Railroad, Amtrak and catching myriad buses. The sidewalks are so clogged by this "crush of humanity" that people are forced to walk in the streets. If you've never seen it or fear claustrophobia, get ready.

Our Executive Director Mark Gorton recently went out to the sample the atmosphere on a typical weekday commuter night and posits that we can do much better in our choice of allocation of street space. His words sum it up nicely:

The reason it's so crowded here is not because there's not enough space, it's because we give all of our space to the least spatially-efficient form of transportation available.

Of course he is referring to the automobile, especially the single-occupant vehicle. Oddly enough, I did a PSA over three years ago which aired during our initial NYCSR campaign launch. I filmed most of it in the same location. And it still looks much the same, perhaps worse.

http://meadonmanhattan.wordpress.com/ Howard Freeman

I'm sympathetic, having been born and raised here (96th and Madison) and now raising three boys on the UWS. That said, the argument is 100% correct for 34th and Seventh and perhaps a small radius around it, but not for most other neighborhoods. My office is at 36th and Bway and even before the pedestrian mall, there was very little traffic in front of us. Commuters coming in from Long Island and New Jersey account for just as much of the congestion problem at that intersection as "too many cars." But we wouldn't of course think about cutting down on commuting workers, who are just as much of NYC's vitality as anything else. I think the solution is a local one - to that neighborhood - not a universal one to the borough of Manhattan. Stats in this video are provocative but do not gyve with my decades of living in different neighborhoods in Manhattan. Also, it's not a horrible place for kids b/c of traffic. I'd rather put a ban on soft porn ads on bus shelters.
http://guerrillagiving.org Guerrilla Giving

"Space Hog"--Absolutely correct, esp. considering that most of the behemoths have but one occupant. Crazy. Thanks for this.
Jim

I get what the narrator is saying and agree, but his strident tone and repeats don't make me want to. A bit hysterical with the crushed kid bit.

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