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i stopped by at lunch. i'll say it's better than no thing but we have far to go. drivers need to learn how to share the city.

Positive effect is more walking space on sidewalks.

Times Square gawkers etc. do not crowd serious
walkers who are 'going someplace'! and don't forget
the possibility of having a place to sit for a minute

Perhaps in the future the DOT will build a raised bike lane through the zone with clear marking to keep both pedestrians and bicyclists safe.

I can't wait til they have tables and chairs out; Harold Square is always packed at lunchtime, so hopefully this will take off some of the pressure to find a seat!

I am not against the "pedestrian malls" that were opened this weekend. I am against the fact that the NYCDOT decided to discontinue the M6 bus. This is the *only* bus that transported NYC residents and tourists from Lower Manhattan to Midtown. My question is, why didn't the NYCDOT just reroute the bus to 7th Ave (as they did with the other bus lines) or terminate the M6 at 31st Street? Discontinuing the M6 was a poorly thought out decision and one that I hope is soon reconsidered.

Being both a pedestrian AND driver in the area, I've found the experiment idiotic & typical of emperor Iceberg's power craze .
"Give em an inch and they'll take a mile"--and that's all the pedestrians will do.

In Bogotá, Colombia, the city closes 7th Avenue to car traffic on Sundays. This is called a "Ciclovia". 7th Avenue is a main avenue that nearly stretches across the entire city. This is a great day to be in Bogotá because one can walk, or cycle, or jog, or roller blade, or stroller, etc. without interuption. The car free zone passes markets, parks, and many fun outdoor activities.

On another note, Colombia also has HOV lanes in some cities that stay open past 10 a.m.!!

One other thing, wouldn't Times Square be great for all those folks relaxing on Broadway if there was a PUBLIC RESTROOM available? Times Square to Bryant Park is quite a hike when you gotta go.

Several points:

It is WAY too early to tell as yesterday was an extraordinarily quiet traffic day.

Let's talk about Times Square as a specific, not as a general concept. More people? Hard to imagine NYC visitors having stayed away previously now being attracted to the area because of the pedestrian conversion.

Kind of sad that the lawn chairs were being folded up at 8pm last night on a beautiful evening. The city that never sleeps, right? Let's work on that.

Pedestrians are going to be the key to this being successful. If Walk/Don't Walk signals are going to be ignored (as usual) then traffic will be backed up along Broadway etc especially during TKTS/theater/evening rush hour. Let's think about who's going to be upset about that and match it to Bloomberg's donor base. (Hint: we're not talking about cycling activists)

New York City is not a European city. Times Square is the center of the universe, it is inconceivable of denying the public buses access.

Disabled people rely on the public buses to get around. Public buses should be allowed access just like the European cities.

Mayor Bloomberg should allow the NYCTA buses to traverse at Times Square.

It's about time! No cars = more room for people, bikes, walking, kissing, exploring. No cars = less noise, less threat to innocent human life. A car is a 3000+ lb tank racing around trying to kill you. A human and a lawn chair pose no threat to anyone, but rather evoke a sense of peace and serenity in a city of chaos and turmoil. Being able to relax in an otherwise preposterously-busy place is a wonderful paradox. I hope all of Broadway goes car free!