About a year ago I heard that they closed off Times Square in New York City to cars (OCPer Andrew Horberry commented on this at the time). This closure meant that the entire space would be reserved for pedestrians, cyclists and people who wish to use the space with new seating provided throughout the area.
Two weeks ago I had a chance to experience this first hand on a trip to New York City. Yes, they had re-opened one small part of the street to vehicle traffic, however, much of the space is still reserved for people and plants and fun on a semi-permanent basis.
In Toronto one of our ‘big’ victories has been to get permission to close part of the streets in Kensington to vehicle traffic for a few hours on the last Sunday of the month during summer. But with so many caveats it is tiring to list them all. I know we have to be positive and constructive about our victories. I also know that there are a few other Pedestrian Sunday events like in Kensington and at some point they will create pedestrian zones at U of T and Ryerson. That said, our results to date are simply pathetic (it sounds like Toronto Star writer Christopher Hume is in agreement). If they can shut down Times Square in the world’s biggest city almost on a permanent basis, why can’t we even attempt to match this in Toronto in one of our smaller neighbourhoods?
Jordy Gold is the OpenCity Projects Editor and is a sustainability consultant. He has worked and studied in Geneva, Lund, Chiang Mai and Phuket. Jordy learned from the Swedes how to cycle in all conditions and can be seen on his bike 365 days a year throughout the core of Toronto.
photo by jskrybe
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You should stay tuned. I have learned a lot about that status of creating pedestrian zones in Toronto and will be posting a new article about this later in July.