City Considering Mid-Block Crossings to Connect Midtown Pedestrian Passageways

 

Slideshow

The plaza running between West 53rd and West 54th streets.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The plazas allow pedestrians to travel north and south mid-block.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

Even though the plazas line up, they are often difficult to see because of parked vehicles.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The entrances to the spaces are often blocked by trucks.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The plaza between West 51st and West 52nd streets.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

The plazas are owned privately but open to the public.

DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

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The plaza running between West 53rd and West 54th streets.

Photo Credit: DNAinfo/Jill Colvin

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By Jill Colvin

DNAinfo Reporter/Producer

MIDTOWN — The city's Department of Transportation has agreed to explore adding a mid-block crossing to a busy Midtown street amidst a growing push from locals to make a little-known network of pedestrian plazas more accessible.

Spokeswoman Nicole Garcia said the agency plans to study adding a crossing to West 57th Street, between Sixth and Seventh avenues and is also open to examining the impact of adding crossings on other streets in the area.

Unbeknownst to even long-time residents, Midtown is home to a network of mid-block corridors that stretch from West 51st street to West 57th between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

The spaces are owned by private buildings but open to the public, giving pedestrians a north-south shortcut through the blocks.

But because there are no crosswalks or markings on the streets, pedestrians using the routes are forced to jaywalk. They are also forced to navigate around trucks that park in front of the plaza entrances, obscuring them from view.

Last month, Brian Nesin, the founder of Friends of Privately Owned Public Spaces, submitted a request to the DOT asking the agency to study how to make the blocks more pedestrian-friendly, with a focus on West 57th Street. He suggested adding new traffic lights, stop signs or speed bumps mid-block. 

On Thursday, Midtown’s Community Board 5, voted unanimously to support Nesin's request, and asked the DOT to study the merits of adding crossings and signage to all of the blocks along the corridor.

While some raised concerns about potentially stalling traffic by blocking main arteries, they agreed the proposal was worth study.

"By adding a pedestrian crosswalk, you’re not only increasing utilization, you’re also increasing pedestrian safety," Transportation Chair Thomas Miller said.

Similar mid-block crossings already operate on pedestrian-heavy streets including West 42nd and West 34th streets between Seventh and Eighth avenues.