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brianvan t1_ivwczgq wrote

Reply to comment by CactusBoyScout in New changes to 8th Ave create much wider pedestrian space, organize and calm a formerly chaotic place by Miser

The Times Square thing was not done as a fully permanent installation on the first run. What was done in the end was EXPENSIVE (tens of millions) and still isn’t perfect (bike lane sucks) and is still getting substantially dug up and rebuilt often (subway entrance expansion at 42nd). It’s good that they did it… but it sops up a discouraging amount of money to do things like that. Madison Square/Flatiron, reconfigured years ago, is still mostly paint + plastic + original curbs.

But you’re right; permanent changes should be budgeted now. If they’re not, it’ll take much longer to get to the point that you can do them (the construction itself goes pretty quickly; all the preparation takes forever)

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CactusBoyScout t1_ivwdgai wrote

Yeah it just feels like this massive tease that they gave Times Square such a nice, permanent, pedestrian-focused redesign more than a decade ago and really haven’t done anything like it since in other places. Just plastic bollards and paint for the most part.

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brianvan t1_ivwdo5x wrote

And to think the Times Square changes had lots of opponents! Incredible that opponents making the same hollow, vicious arguments still get projects scaled back or spiked

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lbrtsn t1_ivweez9 wrote

Wow an actual informative reasonable back and forth discussion about street design on the internet

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