We love the idea of turning Broadway into a pedestrian mall–it’s a win for New York City and there’s plenty of evidence that increasing foot traffic on a street generally translates into higher sales for local merchants. But when we checked in with about 20 business owners and street vendors in Times Square recently, we were surprised to hear them report almost unanimously that revenue is down over the past month.
As a reason for the decline, they tended to cite dispersed walking patterns now that pedestrians have a lot more real estate at their disposal. Here’s a representative sample of what they told us:
- “There are fewer people on the sidewalks now,” said Duane Jackson, who owns a souvenir stall on the corner of 45th and Broadway and has been in business for 11 years. “It’s the allure of being able to walk in the middle of the road. There are obviously more pedestrians now, but they’re all out on the roads, distracted by the buildings. They’re not looking at surface level.”
- “I can say business is low, at least 5% less than before,” said John Palha, 46, manager of Grand Slam New York, on Broadway between 46th and 47th Streets. “We used to get customers from tour buses stopping right in front of our store. They’d come in while waiting for the bus or after finishing their tour. Now we’ve lost all that.”
- Abdul Azim, who works at Mike’s Newsstand on 46th Street and Broadway put it this way: “In Times Square now people don’t look down. They look up.” Due to the lack of potential customers on the sidewalk, he reports sales at his business are down 10 percent.
- “I still think it was good they opened the streets to people, but everyone is walking away from my stall,” said Joseph Salih, 50, vends souvenirs along Broadway. “It could also be the economy, I’m not sure.”
The Times Square Alliance, which supports and represents business interests in the area, is reserving judgment for the moment. “It’s too soon to tell,” said Minerva Martinez, director of communications for the Alliance. “We haven’t been tracking individual businesses.”
Politicians agree that we need to invest in our transportation infrastructure, but ask any of them how we should pay for it and you’re likely to endure an uncomfortable silence. The problem is so bad that it 
Earlier this week, Jim Oberstar was giving a speech to some transportation planning types and told a story. Earlier this year the chairman of the House transportation committee had scribbled down some ideas for the new transportation bill, and he wanted to consult with his colleagues in the Senate. He showed a small number of senators what he’d written and asked if they wanted to offer any inputs or changes. No, they said, you can go ahead and write it all yourself — as long we get to name the bill. (Ha!) Oberstar took the deal.
Over the past week or so, there has been a pretend drama in Washington about whether we’ll be getting a giant new transportation bill in 2009. The prospect is exiciting, of course, because in addition to $500 billion in loot that would be handed out, the bill would offers tantalizing opportunities for bureaucratic and policy reform.
We have 
What’s going on with the transportation bill? Nobody knows. The two biggest players are saying nearly contradictory things.
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Just to be clear: By “Congressman” here we’re referring to Ron Paul. Hard as it sometimes is to believe, he really is an elected member of Congress–because he’s also a weird old man with a blimp, more rabid fans than most rock stars, and lots of ideas that make you go “Hmm” (if not “Huh?!”).
Green Transportation Funding Is Crucial In The Climate Bill And Beyond
Friday, June 26th, 2009Waxman and Markey have spent countless hours crafting this impressive legislation, which will rein in global warming pollution and create a mechanism to invest in clean, renewable technology. That they included funding for low-carbon transit, like public transportation, complete streets, and bikes, is a nod to the importance of reforming the way we approach our nation’s transportation infrastructure.
As we anticipate next steps with the transportation reauthorization, the funding in ACES will start to spur smart investments that will not only create thousands of jobs at the local level, but will give Americans more commuting choices, improve public health, and reduce our nation’s dependence on oil.
The ACES language on transportation reflects language from a bill I introduced earlier this year called CLEAN-TEA. My legislation called for ten percent of the allocations from a cap on global warming pollution to fund low-carbon transit. ACES falls short of this goal, but it will have a huge impact and is a start in the right direction. The energy and climate bill, which began with absolutely no funding for transit, now includes about $537 million. Eventually this will amount to $1 billion as the allowances become more valuable over time.
I used my time on the House floor to speak about the value of this funding, in hopes that I could draw more attention to an issue that doesn’t receive nearly enough air time. Let this be a prelude to the thoughtful conversation Chairman Oberstar began with his blueprint for the reauthorization.
If we truly want to jumpstart our economy and end our dependence on oil, then we’ll need to continue making smart choices about our nation’s transportation and commuting options. I’ll be voting for ACES in a matter of hours, and I hope this is the first of many steps towards rebuilding and renewing America.
Earl Blumenauer represents Oregon’s 3rd Congressional district.
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