Page 32 - ARUBA TODAY

A32 FEATURE
Friday 2 June 2017
Rampage spurs calls to ban cars from NY’s Times Square

KAREN MATTHEWS sider the commercial im-
Associated Press pact,” Kelly said.
NEW YORK (AP) — Is it time Former Mayor Michael
to get cars out of the Cross- Bloomberg, an indepen-
roads of the World? dent, moved in 2009 to
The vehicle rampage that close Broadway to cars
killed a teenage tourist in and create pedestrian pla-
New York’s Times Square zas at Times Square and
this month has prompted also several blocks south at
conversations whether the Herald Square.
city should still be allow- Officials said traffic in both
ing cars, cabs and trucks areas would flow more
to cruise down the neon-lit smoothly without cars on
blocks where huge crowds Broadway, which runs di-
of people gather daily to agonally and creates awk-
buy theater tickets, gawk ward turning angles.
at street performers and The car ban also helped
marvel at the crush of hu- turn Time Square into “one
manity. of the most vibrant public
Vehicles were banished spaces in New York City,”
from Broadway where it said Alyssa Pichardo, senior
passes through the square planner for transportation
eight years ago. Some at the Regional Plan Asso-
city officials and traffic ex- In this Thursday, May 25, 2017, photo, pedestrians make their way across 45th Street in New York’s ciation. “It’s not just a place
perts say the ban should Times Square. where people congregate
be expanded to include Associated Press on New Year’s Eve,” she
the north-south artery Sev- ball drop, Times Square is others. Trottenberg said closing said.
enth Avenue, turning Times crowded most days with Rojas, 26, was charged with Seventh Avenue to cars in Pichardo and David Bur-
Square into a series of pe- tour groups, costumed murder and attempted the Times Square area “is ney, a professor of urban
destrian plazas. characters, sightseeing bus murder and is being held certainly one of the things planning at Pratt Institute
“The vulnerability of Times hawkers and office workers. pending a July 13 arraign- that’s being discussed.” who served as Bloomberg’s
Square was made scarily Foot traffic slows to a crawl ment. An attorney for Rojas She said the police coun- commissioner of design
did not return a call seeking terterrorism unit will “set and development, believe
comment. the priorities” for any Times it may now be time to ban
While police say there are Square traffic restrictions. cars from Seventh Avenue
no indications that Rojas David C. Kelly, now an as- at Times Square as well.
was inspired by any militant sociate managing director Burney said it would have
ideology, Times Square of K2 Intelligence in New been “a bridge too far” to
was also targeted in 2010 York City who was formerly close both Broadway and
by would-be terrorist Faisal the New York Police De- Seventh Avenue in 2009.
Shahzad, who built a pow- partment’s assistant com- But he said closing Seventh
erful car bomb that failed missioner for counterterror- to cars between 42nd and
to detonate. Shahzad is ism, said banning traffic is 47th streets would create
serving life in prison for that attractive from a security needed space for pedes-
failed attack, which au- standpoint but would need trians. “When you think of
thorities said could have to be carefully planned. the overwhelming number
killed hundreds if his bomb Kelly noted that when the of pedestrians who use the
had gone off. area around the New York space, they need more
In this Thursday, May 18, 2017 file photo, a car rests on a secu- Temporary concrete barri- Stock Exchange in lower room,” he said. “Too much
rity barrier in New York’s Times Square after driving through a ers were installed along the Manhattan was closed room is being taken by ve-
crowd of pedestrians, injuring at least a dozen people. A three- Seventh Avenue sidewalk to cars, a garage owner hicles.”
foot-tall piece of stainless steel in the ground ultimately stopped
a speeding Honda Accord as it barreled down the crowded after the May 18 carnage filed a lawsuit arguing that Cars should still be allowed
sidewalks of Times Square this week. The vehicle rampage that while city officials weigh his livelihood would suffer. on the east-west streets,
killed a teenage tourist in New York’s Times Square is spurring a long-term solution. That “You would have to con- Burney said.q
calls to further restrict cars from the so-called Crossroads of the could involve installing
World more steel posts along the
Associated Press avenue, called bollards,

like the ones that eventu-
apparent during the most when Broadway theater- ally halted the progress of
recent attack and I think goers spill out. Taxis, buses, Rojas’ car.
there has to be a conversa- delivery trucks and private “We’re now sitting down
tion about closing this area cars clog the streets. and having a deeper dis-
to regular traffic,” said City Police say Richard Rojas, a cussion about what are
Councilman Ydanis Rodri- Bronx man who had been the right design elements,
guez, a Manhattan Demo- discharged from the Navy, where might we put bol-
crat. “This is one of the most was high on PCP when he lards, what are the ways
highly trafficked areas in took a U-turn off Seventh we can make sensible pro-
the world for tourists and Avenue and plowed down tections, but also hopefully
we can’t have it remain a sidewalks leading into Times keeping the space some-
soft spot for those with the Square for three blocks on what inviting and attrac-
worst intentions.” May 18, killing 18-year-old tive for pedestrians,” city In this Thursday, May 25, 2017, photo, traffic makes it’s way down
Known around the world Alyssa Elsman, of Portage, Transportation Commission- Seventh Avenue in New York’s Times Square.
for the New Year’s Eve Michigan, and injuring 22 er Polly Trottenberg said. Associated Press