The Greening of the Big Apple

The Streets Belong to the People

Yes, the New York State legislature scuttled Mayor Bloomberg's bid for Congestion Pricing -- which is another way of saying paying tolls to be able drive into overcrowded Midtown Manhattan -- but that isn't stopping various of the city's political players from trying other tactics to make the city greener and more livable. NYC's charismatic and innovative Transportation Secretary Janette Sadik-Khan, with support from her boss Bloomberg, of course, is creating a major car-free zone that will stretch for 6.9 miles from the Brooklyn Bridge to Park Avenue and up the East Side, on three Saturdays during the dog days of August, clearing the way for a giant strolling mall -- do I hear European cities anyone? Check it out on August 9, 16, and 23.

Of course this is labeled an experiment, but one guesses even the most hardened of New Yorkers are going to take to the idea that the streets belong to the people, at least some of them, some of the time.