NEWS
Study boosts retooling 42nd St. Research shows opening area only to pedestrians, light rail would increase business, create jobs
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
477 words
25 October 2006
NASSAU AND SUFFOLK
A18
English
Copyright 2006, Newsday. All Rights Reserved.
Turning Manhattan's famous 42nd Street into a pedestrian and light-rail-line zone would boost business, a new study released yesterday says.
The research predicts the plan would raise spending in local shops and restaurants by more than $380 million a year, create nearly 340 jobs and help fill hotel rooms and sell theater tickets.
The study, commissioned by the plan's supporters, is the latest building block in their argument for cutting off vehicular traffic on one of the city's busiest and most storied thoroughfares.
Earlier studies predicted the proposal would speed transportation, raise nearby property values and increase tax collections enough to pay much of the project's estimated construction cost of $360 million to $510 million.
Supporters say it would be a boon to transportation, business and civic life. But some local residents are unconvinced of the transit benefits and worried about traffic.
The plan is only an idea for now. City transportation officials will review the new study, but their priority in the area is extending the No. 7 subway line, which connects midtown Manhattan and Queens, westward from Times Square, spokeswoman Kay Sarlin explained in an e-mail.
Light-rail and trolley proposals for 42nd Street go back decades. The latest push dates to 1999, when architect Roxanne Warren took a sluggish bus trip along the street. She and George Haikalis, a civil engineer and transportation planner, now head vision42, the organization spearheading the new proposal.
The 42nd Street plan would replace buses with a light-rail line.
The line would stop at every block between the East and Hudson rivers. Meanwhile, automobile traffic would be banned to make space for greenery, outdoor cafes and other pedestrian-friendly amenities.
That sounds good to Dan Biederman, president of the Bryant Park Corp., a nonprofit group that operates the park off 42nd Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. He says the park is so beset by traffic noise that "we can't do certain kinds of music [concerts] because you can't hear it."
A roster of environmental, urban planning and transportation groups has signed on to the light-rail plan. So have several local businesses.
But the area's city-appointed community boards are split on the plan.
Community Board 4, which represents some neighborhoods near West 42nd Street, considers the light-rail proposal "worth pursuing," said the board's district manager, Bob Benfatto.
But Community Board 6, which represents some areas near East 42nd Street, opposes the idea. Transportation Committee Chairman Lou Sepersky said the fixed light-rail line could be less useful than buses if a fire or other problem blocked part of the route. He also questioned whether neighboring streets could handle added car traffic.