A rendering show how Bowling Green would look if the “shared streets” plan were implemented.
Grassroots group calls for ‘shared streets’
“We are in the very
early stages,” he said. “This
is a call to action and a call for ideas.
We just want people to do something.”
Bowling Green today.
A spokesperson for D.O.T. told
AmNY the agency welcomes the input
and will examine the proposal.
BY RICO BURNEY
A Downtown neighborhood
group is calling on the city to
launch a six-month “shared
streets” pilot program in the Financial
District. Under the idea, pedestrians
and cars would share the area that is
now blacktopped street, and cars would
be required to travel at slow speeds.
The Financial District Neighborhood
Association asserts in its report “Make
Way for Lower Manhattan” that the
current design of most of Lower Manhattan’s
historic streets, which are signifi
cantly narrower compared to those
in the rest of the city, do not effi ciently
serve the area’s booming population.
They contend that the area’s sidewalks
are overly congested and that foot traffi
c often fl ows into the street, where vehicular
traffi c poses a danger to them.
The association is asking the city’s
Department of Transportation to direct
the $500,000 the department previously
promised would go toward a Lower
Manhattan traffi c study to funding the
pilot program.
D.O.T. has previously experimented
with a similar plan in the area for a few
hours one day in August 2016 when
cars were told to travel at 5 miles per
hour, so that pedestrians could safely
utilize the road.
No city offi cial has given his or her
full support for the plan yet. But some,
such as City Councilmember Margaret
Chin, say they welcome discussing concepts
put forth in the report.
“I look forward to working collaboratively
with the community, city
agencies and others to apply fresh ideas
to create the pedestrian-friendly neighborhood
that we all deserve,” Chin said
in a statement.
The Downtown Alliance, the area’s
business improvement district, or
BID, has previously called for making
the area near the Stock Exchange
more pedestrian friendly. The alliance
expressed in a statement that, while it
may support such a plan in the future,
it is not ready to give its endorsement
anytime soon.
“Our priority is to fi nd the resources
needed to make real, concrete improvements
to that historic, storied Lower
Manhattan crossroads,” the BID’s president,
Jessica Lappin, said. “Let’s make
our existing shared streets function
effectively before expanding shared
streets throughout all of Lower Manhattan.”
F.D.N.A. President Patrick Kennell,
for his part, said that his biggest hope is
that the proposal gets people talking.
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