May 25, 2009 1:59 am US/Eastern
Broadway Becomes Great White Pedestrian Way Sunday
Shut Down: 42nd-47th In Midtown; 33rd-35th Near Herald Square
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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Traffic flows through Times Square in midtown Manhattan, New York City, in this file photo.
AP
Manhattan's busiest blocks underwent a traffic transformation Sunday.
Cabs, cars, trucks and buses disappeared from two stretches of the Great White Way tonight. The city is shutting down two of Broadway's heavily used stretches in an effort to improve congestion.
"I love it. It's a whole new way. No cars. We get to walk where we want," said Mackenzie Senerad from Arizona.
"It'll attract tourists, they won't be dodging traffic," said Dan, a street vendor.
In Midtown, Broadway will close from 42nd to 47th streets, and in Herald Square between 33rd and 35th streets.
Forcing traffic over to Seventh avenue will turn three-way intersections into normal two-way ones.
City officials hope it creates better flow with vehicles on 7th Avenue, and with people only on Broadway.
"The number one complaint in Times Square in recent years is not crime. That's decades ago. It's crowding on the street," said Tim Tompkins, president of the Times Square Alliance.
But not everyone's loving it.
Hotel worker Frankie Shane is concerned about traffic. "47th Street, back to back, bumper to bumper traffic just getting across town."
"That's going to be very bad for the cabbie. It's going to be bad. The traffic," said taxi driver Barry Madou.
Also, Broadway theaters might suffer when you consider a third of a third of audiences drive there.
And to celebrate the new Times Square, Memorial Day and Fleet Week, there will be a free movie on Monday. "On The Town" will play on a jumbo screen right next to TKTS.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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