A car-free section of Broadway in New York City, where efforts to expand bike infrastructure and car-free space are expanding.
Phototographer: Liu Yanan/Xinhua via Getty Images
As Downtowns Struggle, Businesses Learn to Love Bike Lanes
From Manhattan to San Francisco, the need to rethink the urban core is encouraging business improvement districts to change their tune on prioritizing cars.
In early March, New York City Mayor Eric Adams stood on a stretch of Broadway just above West 25th Street to present Broadway Vision, his administration’s plan to transform the famous corridor with bike lanes, low-traffic shared streets and plazas closed to cars.
The mayor brushed off concerns that the changes would snarl traffic. “There’s a culture shift that must take place in this city,” Adams said. “The number of pedestrians that walk clearly outnumber the number of drivers.”