Who could picture New York City with no cars? Very few that’s for sure. With the cars making the hustle and bustle of New York City, it seems almost impossible to imagine the city with no cars. The day that there are no cars in New York City may not exist, but for one section of the Big Apple, it absolutely could.
In 2019, a big change will be impacting thousands of New Yorker’s and make it a nightmare for commuters. The L train will be shutting down in order for repairs to be made. It is one of the few subways to commute from Manhattan to Brooklyn and serves 300,00o people daily according to the Business Insider.
For 18 months thousands of New Yorker’s will have to look for an alternative route and different ways of getting to work and home. With this commotion not too down the road, possibilities are already being thought of in order to make it a little easier. One of them:Â ban cars on 14th street, making it an area only for pedestrians, cyclists, and buses.
Being one of the busiest streets in the city, and going right through Union Square, banning cars would in all likelihood make more space for people who don’t get around by car. Although only temporary this would help 70% of people commuting, and make it easier to get around.
Although only an option and not set in stone just yet, a study is being conducted in order to see if the idea would be a feasible one. It’s not just the city looking for ideas to make the commute easier, the MTA is also looking at speeding up other trains and adding shuttle buses.
This is not the first time that a temporary ban on cars would be put in place, as in 2010 during former mayor Michael Bloomberg’s term, cars were banned in Times Square, Union Square, and Herald Square, and on Earth Day some streets every year would ban cars.
If this idea works, the city would be considered to be more ‘pedestrian friendly’, which has always been a goal in mind in order to help with climate change in such. With the increase in global warming, the idea of having a temporary ban on cars would certainly help in some ways to reduce carbon emission and so much more, and although it won’t save the planet, it certainly will do some help rather than harm.
Featured Image Via Wikimedia
