They should also close 1/2 of the avenues and turn them into parks. It would greatly increase foot traffic to the businesses on the street, and would make Manhattan much more livable.
They should also close 1/2 of the avenues and turn them into parks. It would greatly increase foot traffic to the businesses on the street, and would make Manhattan much more livable.
(Like these: http://gothamist.com/2011/07/14/post_blames_bike_lanes_for_b... http://www.villagevoice.com/news/new-east-village-bike-lanes...).
In the case of the bike lanes, this is the furthest from the truth (have a Google for lots of arguments about the merit of increased bike traffic).
I'm not sure what the solution is, but there certainly is one that would support a few car/truck free avenues.
As another commenter said, this setup is totally normal in most old European cities. Not a big deal at all.
I've always thought this too. The city has made attempts to make up / down town bike routes on most avenues but it's still a dicey proposition to ride through midtown. At least close 2 of them allocating half of each for uptown and downtown bike traffic. The other half could be pedestrian / public park space.
I happily live without a car in Manhattan, and have for the past 20 years, but I realize that my walk/public transport lifestyle is facilitated by trucks which bring things to my local stores.
It's not like you must choose between allowing all vehicles and allowing none of them. There are reasonable middle grounds.