PEDESTRIAN-FRIENDLY FACELIFT FOR FIFTH AVENUE IN NEW YORK
From The New York Times
Many New Yorkers have come to avoid a stretch of Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan that is perpetually choked by traffic and throngs of tourists clogging the sidewalk.
Now, there is a plan to restore the luster of the famed thoroughfare by revamping a central portion of it into a showcase boulevard for strolling and shopping, like the Champs-Élysées in Paris, Calle Serrano in Madrid or Bond Street in London. [Ed: Or as envisioned for State Street in Santa Barbara.]
The proposed redesign, which was announced Thursday, would span 20 blocks south of 60th Street, between Central Park and Bryant Park. It would significantly widen the sidewalks, add seating areas and plant more than 200 trees — while taking away two of the avenue’s five traffic lanes.
Some transportation experts and urban planners said that it was a good start toward addressing the need for more open space and better mobility, including more protected bike lanes, in the most congested part of the city. Kate Slevin, the executive vice president of the Regional Plan Association, which supports the Fifth Avenue redesign, said that “as the plan advances, we hope it can go even farther” and lead to “a longer-term vision of surrounding streets in Midtown.”
Even before the pandemic, retail sales along Fifth Avenue had lagged as many shoppers stayed away, said Madelyn Wils, the interim president of the Fifth Avenue Association, which runs the business improvement district.
“The sidewalks are crowded, there’s lots of obstructions and there’s no seating or greenery,” she said.
Ms. Wils said that remaking Fifth Avenue for pedestrians would increase foot traffic, which in turn would increase property values and retail sales and generate more tax revenue and fees for city coffers.
“It’s really about balancing the street and finally giving pedestrians the space they need on Fifth Avenue,” said the city’s Ya-Ting Liu.
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