Variety: "This summer, Broadway has been radically different.
The street itself, that is.
Since Memorial Day, five blocks of Broadway, stretching from West 42nd Street to West 47th Street, have been closed to traffic in an effort to ease congestion and to turn a significant chunk of Times Square into a pedestrian promenade. And with those newly established semi-piazzas right in the heart of the theater district, reviews from legiters have been coming in all summer."
3 comments:
It is encouraging to hear that many of the logistical and transportation difficulties have not yet arrived with the transformation of Broadway. It sounds to me like much of the grumbling is from people who have to change their daily routines and eventually that will hopefully end as those individuals get used to the new setup. I find it interesting that the new plaza has not increased sales at the tikts booth or sales at many of the area businesses. It may be that because the area was such a big pedestrian area to begin with, while making it easier and nicer for the visitors, the new layout does not actually encourage more people to come.
I'm surprised this hasn't increased sales on Broadway for the theatres, tkts booth, or local businesses. I thought for sure that at least the restaurants and theatres would have more profit just because of the seemingly easier pedestrian navigation in the area. Guess not.
As I think back to when I was in NY before the changes, I do remember the large amounts of pedestrians in the area anyway. And, since business hasn't grown noticeably, maybe the traffic wasn't as big of a deterrence for pedestrian visitors after all. This will be interesting to follow in the coming months, just to see if this whole ordeal was worth it. If not, I wonder if they'll open things back up again for drivers?
I was in New York for a day this summer, and the new pedestrian-friendly setup was definitely a better layout. However, just because walking around Times Square was a more pleasant experience didn't mean that I had more money to spend. As Chris said, it's nicer for visitors, but it doesn't compel you to patronize more businesses.
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