Sidewalks
Streetsblog Basics
DOT to Widen Sidewalks on 7th Avenue Between Penn Station and Times Square
Midtown sidewalks are notoriously too skinny to handle the huge numbers of people on foot near Penn Station. The pedestrian crush around the nation's busiest transit hub routinely flows beyond the boundaries of the curb, and people are forced to walk in car lanes. It's uncomfortable, stressful, and dangerous. But people on foot will soon have some breathing room.
May 23, 2017
City Council Wants DOT to Relieve Crowding on NYC’s Most Congested Sidewalks
The City Council is expected to pass two bills today intended to improve the pedestrian environment. One would require DOT to "identify six locations with significant pedestrian traffic and develop strategies for enhancing safety and traffic flow at such locations."
May 10, 2017
NYC Can Make Room for New Food Carts and Leave Space to Walk
The City Council is expected to move swiftly on a bill to eventually double the number of food vendor permits. Before the package of bills known as the Street Vending Modernization Act passes, advocates want to ensure that it includes more safeguards to avoid obstructing crowded sidewalks.
October 28, 2016
3 Ways NYC Can Avoid Future Snow Removal Travesties for Peds and Cyclists
Here we are a whole work week after Winter Storm Jonas dumped two feet of snow on New York, and the streets are still not passable for a lot of New Yorkers who get around without driving.
January 29, 2016
Brooklyn Beep Eric Adams Funds Eight Concrete Curb Extensions
Eight new concrete curb extensions are coming to five Brooklyn intersections after a $1 million pledge from Borough President Eric Adams.
September 21, 2015
Levine Stands Up for Riverside Drive Road Diet Under Attack By CB 9
A plan to calm traffic on a speeding-plagued stretch of Riverside Drive in West Harlem would be gutted if Community Board 9 members get their way, but Council Member Mark Levine, who represents the area, wants DOT to move ahead with the safety plan.
March 6, 2015
Who’s Against Better Sidewalks and Bus Stops? These People…
Bus bulbs are sidewalk extensions at bus stops that enable passengers to board without the driver pulling in and out of traffic. They save transit riders time, shorten crossing distances for pedestrians, and keep sidewalks from getting cluttered by bus stop furniture. Who could be against that?
February 6, 2015
DUMBO Street Upgrades: Big Curb Expansions + Contraflow Bike Lane
DUMBO, where NYC DOT launched its public plaza program more than seven years ago, is set to get more pedestrian space as the city expands sidewalks and reworks oddly-shaped intersections beneath the Manhattan Bridge. The project also includes a contraflow bike lane to improve connections from DUMBO to the Manhattan Bridge, Jay Street, and Downtown Brooklyn [PDF].
January 28, 2015
DOT Proposes Riverside Drive Traffic Calming, But Not Bike Lanes
Last night, DOT presented a plan to the Manhattan Community Board 9 transportation committee that would bring pedestrian safety improvements and a road diet to Riverside Drive, but DOT is proposing no bike lanes for the popular cycling route [PDF].
January 9, 2015