Day 22: Times Square - New York, NY

Eric Fredericks • Monday July 23, 2007

I’m sure that many people around the world recognize the place I shot this photo. For those that don’t, the location is Times Square in New York City. Times Square may be the most recognizable urban neighborhood in the country.

I shot this photo right around New Year’s 2003. While it looks like I shot this photo at night, I believe it was mid-afternoon. It was quite a dreary day! I will admit that I do kind of enjoy days like that sometimes. It really makes me appreciate the spicy Korean dish I had just a few minutes after taking this photo.

New York is a fantastic city. Despite the sometimes nasty weather, I think I would love to live there if I could afford it. I’ve stayed in Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan before and I loved each place I stayed. They are all uniquely different. If you’ve never been to some of the other boroughs, you will probably be surprised to find that the density is similar to what you’ll see in some other cities. Meaning that it’s not all really dense like Manhattan.

You’ve probably heard the phrase eyes on the street —generally meaning that in more dense places it is less likely for their to be crime since more people can see the activities on the street, and therefore it feels safer. Well, Manhattan takes that to the extreme. There are eyes all over the streets 24 hours a day. I felt incredibly safe the last time I visited, and NYC is now one of the safest cities in the country. Quite a change since the late 80s-early 90s. You can view more of my photos of New York in the photo gallery.

This article is a part of the Exploring the Walkability of America in 30 Days photo series.

 

Category: Great Places •• Region: New York City •• comments

Video: Are Physically Separated Bike Lanes Best?

Eric Fredericks • Saturday March 31, 2007

The debate on physically separated bike lanes is quite interesting. This video by StreetFilms argues that regular bike lanes are not sufficient and the New York City Department of Transportation should start implementing separated lanes. They say that separation has worked well in many cities around the world.

I think that a separated path is a great idea for traveling along streets. My only concern is at intersections—they must be designed properly so that bicyclists are not placed in danger. Drivers of vehicles may not expect to see a cyclist headed from the opposite direction when they are making a turn. You also need careful consideration when placing the bike lanes inside the parking lane—you can create a nightmare for curbside delivery and emergency vehicles.

Anything that makes cyclists feel more comfortable and gets more riders out is a good thing—as long as it’s safe, of course. Personally, bike lanes (I’m talking about Class II lanes for some states, including California) work just fine for me on speeds lower that 35mph. When you get above that speed, I feel much more comfortable with a separation. I think that NYC deals with many more bike lane abuse issues than we face in Sacramento.

I wonder if the painted buffer between bike lanes and travel lanes that they show in the video is actually worse for bicyclists because it invites drivers to park in the lanes?

Physically Separated Bike Lanes [StreetFilms] via
The Case for Physically Separated Bike Lanes [The Oil Drum: New York City] via Jawed :)

 

Category: Bicycling •• Region: New York City •• comments

August Website of the Month: The New York City Streets Renaissance

Eric Fredericks • Thursday August 31, 2006

Perhaps I did a little foreshadowing in my previous post on which site would be chosen for the August Site of the Month. The selection for this month is The New York City Streets Renaissance. The NYCSR is a “coalition of community groups, elected officials, business leaders, and concerned citizens from across the five boroughs who are working together to bring long-overdue, common sense improvements to our neighborhood streets.” Their website is full of very valuable information, including the Streets Blog. My favorite part of the site is their video gallery. The videos are outstanding! Much credit goes to Clarence Eckerson Jr. for producing the videos. The videos, while mainly focused on New York City issues, are applicable to just about every city or town.

We certainly hope that NYCSR is successful in making NYC more pedestrian and bike friendly. It’s quite a tragedy when the most densely populated city in America with perhaps the most pedestrian-generating activity centers is also one the most dangerous for bikes and peds! Hopefully Mayor Bloomberg and the NYCDOT can take a cue from Enrique Peñalosa.

The New York City Streets Renaissance will be considered for the 2006 Walkable Neighborhoods Website of the Year award, along with the past and future recipients of the monthly awards.

 

Category: Site of the Month •• Region: New York City •• comments

www.flickr.com

Visit our Photo Gallery

Post a Job!
$25 for 45 days

Our Favorite Sites

Partners
Friends of Fremont Park
PedalGR
LAtino Urban Forum

Sacramento
LivinginUrbanSac
Central City Opinion

Planning-Related
CA Transportation Plan

Real Estate
4realz.net