By Gus Saltonstall
A cordoned-off area was installed last week for a new roadbed seating option at the corner of a busy Upper West Side intersection.
The new “Street Seats” zone was installed along the curb of the northwest corner of West 72nd Street and Columbus Avenue, replacing around three parking spaces.
“Street Seats is a citywide program where partners apply to transform underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces,” the New York City Department of Transportation’s website reads. “Street Seats are installed in the roadbed along the curb line or on wide sidewalks to create an attractive setting for eating, reading, working, meeting a friend or taking a rest.”
While the new Upper West Side “Street Seats” section, which will be just the fourth of its kind in Manhattan, is not fully installed yet, it will complement the Columbus Avenue Open Street, providing additional seating for pedestrians, according to the Department of Transportation.
The “Street Seat” will be available beyond the hours of the Columbus Avenue Open Street that runs for two more Sundays along Columbus Avenue from 68th to 77th streets, but the exact operating hours are still being determined.
In the case of the new Upper West Side “Street Seat,” the partner with the city is the Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District (BID), which is also the organization that runs this Open Street location. The Columbus Avenue BID chose to design its installation with temporary plastic bollards that will come down in January and February, but will remain up from March through December.
The Columbus Avenue BID will also be in charge of cleaning the space.
“The Columbus Avenue BID is excited to work with DOT to bring a new public space to our district for the community to enjoy,” Nicole Paynter, the executive director of the Columbus Avenue BID, told West Side Rag. “What you see now is just the framework for the street seat and more elements will be added in the coming weeks!”
Planters, flowers, and tables will also be added to the space, according to Paynter.
Here is how the 72nd Street corner looked prior to the “Street Seat” installation, compared to the way it looks now.
The other three “Street Seat” locations in the borough are all in Lower Manhattan.
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It’s basically an extended sidewalk bump out. It’s cool in that it makes it easier to cross the street but I wouldn’t sit down there for any extended period of time with some physical barrier between me and traffic.
I meant WITHOUT a barrier between me and traffic. Sorry.
Daylight all the intersections up and down Columbus. This is wonderful.
Make Columbus Avenue look the way it was before Janette Sadik Khan became DOT commissioner
This is a great traffic calming measure on that corner, hope they add some more robust protection instead of just flex posts. Drivers are going to mow those down pretty quickly.
How was that?
“Street Seats is a citywide program where partners apply to transform underused streets into vibrant, social public spaces,”
So the Department of Transportation believes West 72nd Street is underused.? This makes no sense. If they want to take away street parking spots they should just say that.
72nd is very much underused. You could extend the sidewalks the entire length on both side without disrupting very much. It doesn’t have to be four lanes wide plus two parking lanes.
Columbus Ave is a commercial boulevard, not a residential street. Many stores get deliveries, and people need to park somewhere. So yes, it needs to have many lanes.
They already said that
Are people using/enjoying the open streets? Just wondering if it’s worth the massive traffic jam on Columbus and the cross streets north of 77th. I’m not a fan of cars but I can sympathize with those people trapped with all routes of escape also full. Not to speak of the residents along those streets being subjected to constantly honking horns all Sunday afternoon.
You should really come check out the next open streets & see for yourself! I tend to go just about every week, there’s a ton of people that are out and about enjoying the space.
But those of us trying to get downtown on a bus are out of luck. I do not understand why one would want to sit on “Open Streets” cement when Central Park in all its glory is only a few blocks away.
You are not ‘out of luck’, you just might have to walk an extra block. Sorry that’s life in a big city. It’s a different vibe than central park – grabbing a coffee and strolling the street with my kids, running a couple errands, stopping to listen to some of the live music. It’s clearly great for local businesses – you can tell because the BID sponsors it!
Because urbanists like people watching. I mean among them is a person credibly accused of stalking women in North Brooklyn and gets nicknamed “seven time stalker”.
It is a real problem that City DOT has implemented Open Streets here and forcing bus detours.
Actually incredible that City DOT is prioritizing benches and brunch over essential mass transit.
Not to mention hypocritical to insist that folks take mass transit – and then deny access to mass transit.
Open Streets is good for people who are too unmotivated to make plans that would take them more than 2 blocks from their home.
Most Upper West Siders barely leave gentrified NYC to go anywhere else in our area.
Benches are helpful for those whose walking is impaired.
There is not a bus stop where this street seat will be located. The M7/M11 bus stop is on the south side of 72 on the west side of the street. The street seat is on the north side of 72nd, west side.
They care more about the gentrifiers and tourists who think of themselves as better than anyone else. That is what this is. They want areas like the UWS to be a de facto gated community. The Open Street as it is now no expansions might actually be a good thing, but when it is being weaponized to force people like myself to have harder commutes and you have cookie cutter street festivals taking place at the same time as the open streets, then you have problems. You can either have the open streets run by the bid or you can have street festivals by clearview and the other company that has a monopoly on street festivals but not both.
We can and should have both. The street festival on Broadway this weekend was packed (almost too crowded in my opinion – they should have vendors on one side of the street only and make it longer if they need to). I saw people trying new food, spending money at small businesses, and enjoying time outside. I did not see anyone cackling about how much better they are than anyone else, or twisting their mustache about making life harder for car owners. I don’t know where this sense of persecution comes from, but come out and spend a day at Open Streets if you think they have absolutely anything to do with spite and I think you will see that’s just not the case.
On a Sunday when there is subway construction, even the ubers and lyft’s Upper West Siders rely on cannot get through when you have that much reduced road capacity.
People trying new food, they will try new food open street or not. Spending money at small businesses, they will do it open street or not as you already have two big anchor events on 77 and Columbus on sundays.
I work weekends and spend time on the open streets myself. Certainly the political class and the urbanists who support them (and are also having a rally outside Gale Brewer’s office over e bikes tonight) are cackling about how much better they are than anyone else and twisting their mustaches about making life harder for those who do not see the world their way. The open street is not a must have except for urbanists who want to spite car drivers. We have two parks, we do not need a fake one.
Looks like it will make things harder for buses ….
It’s on the avenue – not 72nd
How? The bus stop is on the south side of 72nd. This absolutely amazing feature is on the north side of 72nd. No conflict at all!
I can’t imagine enjoying sitting in the street on a busy noisy avenue with the added risk of being hit by a vehicle. Definitely wouldn’t put myself in harm’s way with all sorts of vehicles around me for an unpleasant experience.
If you have to service the stop and are now blocked by vehicles turning right, yes there is certainly a conflict for buses.
This wasn’t previously a turning lane; it was parking. So I’m not sure I understand how it fundamentally changes anything for the bus.
It was no standing weekdays 7 am to 10 am and metered parking other times and the parking only went up to the stop marker. Metered spaces are used less. There was more space for people wanting to turn right to go all the way to the right which makes it easier for buses.
“Absolutely amazing”? Really?
Yep! Any design feature that makes the streetscape safer and more welcoming for pedestrians is amazing!
It is not more welcoming for pedestrians. There is no gain or loss, just infrastructure changes to spite drivers.
Not sure how daylighting this one corner has any impact on buses… but just in case maybe DoT should add a bus lane to W 72nd like is the one W 96th is getting.
UWS Dad,
With respect – I do not understand.
You indicate that bus lanes such as planned for 96th Street are important to improve bus service.
Then above you indicate that “open streets” on Columbus are a good thing?
But as commented, Columbus “open streets” results in bus diversion and worse bus service.
That’s right – Open Streets are great for pedestrians, the buses still run on a modified route & of course the subway continues to run as usual. Don’t really see a conflict between mass transit and Open Streets….
The modified route means walking to another avenue. Not everyone is that young or that mobile that this does not make a difference in their trying to catch a bus.
UWS Dad,
Thank you.
I get the message here…..
I mean the subways certainly do not run as usual on weekends.
While they’re beautifying that corner how about putting back the mailbox that was there?
The mailboxes are being removed because of mail theft.
Penance for the pause n congestion pricing. There are never any victories for car owners just a slow steady chipping away in f space for cars.
Congestion pricing was a state law; the City DOT is a separate entity entirely. As you’re aware, congestion pricing was paused, which is a huge victory for car owners who insist on traveling into the central business district. But yes, we should prioritize pedestrians and mass transit over cars, especially when 4 in 5 Manhattanites don’t own one! Cars already take up the vast majority of public street space, get free car storage on our streets and are responsible for the majority of traffic fatalities. Much more should be done to make our streets safer for the vast majority of us who are walking, biking or taking transit!
A huge victory for car owners who insist on traveling into the central business district? Many people who use public transit that is absolute garbage from outside of Manhattan are car owners too. Many of them will use transit during rush hour which the MTA has tried to cut. The translation of this comment is that more should be done for those who spend an arm and a leg to live in a trendy neighborhood living the Sex and the City lifestyle while the rest of us be damned as we are dirt under the feet of Manhattanites who live south of the Manhattan Mason Dixon Line.
Manhattan below 60th street has a multitude of public transportation options from the entire region, so yes, people who travel there by car are doing so by choice. Congestion pricing would have funded the MTA, allowing for upgrades to aging infrastructure, creating a more efficient system with more trains. I’m not sure I follow your comment about a “Sex and the City” lifestyle, but funding public transit, reducing emissions by encouraging less traffic, and faster bus and emergency vehicle speeds has outsized benefits for low and middle income households, who are much less likely to own a personal vehicle and more likely to rely on public transportation.
“Sex and the City lifestyle”, many young Upper West Siders live that lifestyle. That is what the city caters to. Those people do not care about those different than them so they are easy to please. You would be surprised to know that many low and middle income households who do not have cars are aspiring car drivers. If you ever drive a car in the south bronx, you will notice that the parking situation up there is worse than that of the UWS even with the removal of parking. Gives you an idea of who uses the street parking spots here as many wealthier UWS residents can afford a garage.
Congestion pricing is one small piece of a big capital plan. As much as you like to talk about how there are a multitude of public transportation options from the entire region, it is very easy to say unless you have to use them and rely on them regularly and make multiple transfers to get to where you are going.
In fact, Manhattan Democrats who support congestion pricing could not even bring themselves to use public transportation to go from Manhattan to Bayside, Queens in order to canvass for Democrat Tom Suozzi for Congress in a competitive swing district that determines the balance of power in Congress. Manhattan Democrats chartered their own bus to Bayside, Queens rather than deal with the “multitude of public transportation options from the entire region”. Worse, Manhattan Democrats even suggested options for Manhattanites who wanted to drive their own car to canvass for Tom Suozzi earlier this year. This shows the true colors of congestion pricing supporters.
I also ask this question, how many congestion pricing supporters who are single and live in Manhattan, especially in a neighborhood like the UWS would date someone who lives outside of Manhattan or a trendy Brooklyn neighborhood? How many single UWSers would date someone who lives in NJ, or the Bronx or LI or Queens? I ask this rhetorically to prove a point about congestion pricing proponents as they will ask others to do things they themselves do not want to on a regular basis. If you combine this, plus the explosion of rideshare vehicles in Manhattan, you see that this is not about less emissions, less traffic and better transit, but a Manhattan where people like me are not welcome and have more barriers to be a part of.
I really wish the city would physically extend the sidewalk into these spaces instead of using sand colored paint and flexible plastic bollards. You can see how these extensions are treated by drivers if you ever enter Riverside Park at 79th St – the sand colored paint there is covered in skid marks from speeding cars cutting the corner and driving over them. The plastic bollards get hit and crumpled. If a car drives into a pedestrian space it should be the one taking damage, not whoever happens to be standing there.
Exactly. This is an accident waiting to happen.
This is amazing. Now I don’t have to walk an entire 2 blocks to Central Park or 2 blocks to Riverside and instead can relax in the filthy gutter. The entire DOT along with everyone who supports this nonsense needs to be replaced.
Thank you Mr. Williams! Are people not realizing that they will be sitting in the ‘parking lane’, inhaling car and bus exhaust? I miss the good old days when we only curbed our dogs, not our pedestrians.
Do people really want to sit out in the street at a busy intersection? Personally I’d feel safer if the bench were on the sidewalk. I foresee scooters and bicycles just barreling right through this thinly-barricaded space.
I assure am glad I don’t work for DOT – whatever you do someone will be complaining in WSR
Very poor planning! This will only add to our already congested streets….and with less and less parking. – where’s the foresight? Ignorance and greed running our city into the ground.
These can be really nice – there’s something similar in front of the Laughing Man coffee shop in Tribeca. But that’s in front of a coffee shop on a small street. DOT’s website describes that these are intended to be put in where there are adjacent uses. This is in front of a bank. The daylighting would seem like a good idea, though that only applies to the corner, not the other two metered parking spaces they removed. And usually big planters are installed as protective barriers, so daylighting is questionable. DOT’s website also says these are not intended for installation at busy intersections where turns frequently occur. Guess that was more of a guideline than a rule, huh.
Hopefully they roll out more widely? I’ll start the petition to bring this to our many local coffee shops. Would love to see at Solid State, Black Press, Daily Provisions to name just a few!
Some of them already have outdoor seating. Besides Starbucks tried being a third place and it failed.
Turns frequently occur off Columbus onto 72nd Street. Increasing congestion on local streets is not good policy.
I can’t see a way this will increase congestion, as there was previously parking there, not a turn lane.
It was not just parking, there was a stop marker there that did not allow for more parking. There was parking, but not the entire area.
Really troubling to see lack of concern that buses are rerouted due Columbus Open Streets and support for OS when Central Park is a block away.
The past Sunday was a wreck for bus riders due to Open Streets and the street fair on Broadway.
Further the M66 was impacted due to a parade on Fifth Ave.
Then Uptown there was work on the No. 1 so 116th stop was closed.
BTW there is Open Streets on Amsterdam at 106-111 but buses rerouted to 120th.
Getting the sense bicycling is the transit priority for a number of commenters.
Par for the course. Very busy corner just a block away from the Dakota and CP, which has plenty of seating. But while pushing for increased housing to address population growth, they decrease space for mass transit while trying to justify congestion problems. Marketing euphemisms that the city paid more big consultant money doesn’t change the needs of their pipe dream headlines of a pictaresque paradise in someone’s photoshop image.
MTA would be happy to cut bus service to every 30 minutes citywide regardless of ridership while encouraging everyone to bike so they can reduce costs.
If the MTA cut bus service to once hourly the union payroll would still not shrink.
MTA laid people off in 2010. MTA is struggling to fill bus operator positions and there have been many who cannot get past the marijuana test since covid.
“The “Street Seat” will be available beyond the hours of the Columbus Avenue Open Street that runs for two more Sundays along Columbus Avenue from 68th to 77th streets, but the exact operating hours are still being determined.”
Operating hours for seats?
It’s not clear to me from this article what the space will eventually look like. This looks like one of those Vision Zero bays that get routinely knocked down by traffic. Hopefully once something is placed in the space it’ll make more sense. It would be awesome to have more food fests on Columbus – the current open street program seems underused. The one on Bway was amazing. I used to live in Murray Hill, we had food fests on and around Lexington all tje time!
When I think about all these ways to give pedestrians more space at the expense of vehicular traffic, I immediately think of errant bicycles not subject to traffic regulations ripping through pedestrian spaces. It is a clear hazard, and the city has done nothing to address it, quite the contrary.
I love sitting right next to traffic so I can get a good dose of carbon monoxide while listening to the drone of traffic noise. I want to be close to the vehicles so if there were a serious accident I would more likely to be injured or killed.
72nd and Columbus are so busy, this is not an underutilized street. Making streets narrower and narrower only increases congestion, pollution and slows the city down’
As Queens Councilwoman Julie Won once said to Streetsblog “I don’t care about the congestion. Congestion is the point”.
Honestly, I don’t get these extended sidewalk bump outs. Who in their right mind would sit outside right next to traffic, inhaling the fumes in the lane right by where you are sitting, and you know that bikers and others will just slam right through there, despite the bike lane on the other side of the avenue, because they’re doing to turn west onto 72nd Street, and the bus is also just slamming right thought there in that immediate lane.. And then you lose 3 parking spots to people who need to park there for business deliveries and other reasons. Inexplicable and a waste of city money.. Let businesses thrive buy having their vendors and clients be able to park!.
You’re absolutely correct! Bikers will definitely see this as their pathway, – in both directions. Zero foresight on the part of our elected’s. Mark your calendar for Nov 2025 – time for a new council representative.
Pablo Zevallos is the frontrunner to replace Gale Brewer in 2029. He will not be any different.
This sounds like a terrible plan. I don’t want to sit on a bench in a traffic lane. Put the benches on the sidewalk instead.
Seems kind of dumb but nothing is as dumb as the street takeover of 103rd tween WEA and B’way. Boulders and filthy rainbow paint do nothing for the neighborhood. The street can never be cleaned because of the boulders which have provided a nice place for the homeless to sleep as well as a convenient can collection area for the can pickers. Dreadful idea.
This is a ridiculous idea. Who would want to sit in the gutter inhaling exhaust fumes? What mind thinks up these crazy ideas? We all know that this will become a short cut for e-bikes to turn from Columbus Ave. onto 72nd Street. What will this do to Emergency Response Vehicles trying to get through traffic?
Kind of a nice idea, but most probably will be another obstacle/nuisance for bus drivers to deal with.
This is a big pantload. A solution seeking a problem.
And a study published in the Post attributes 43.9% of midtown traffic to Ubers and Lyfts.
Columbus Ave is hardly an “underused street.” This is another intervention that will create congestion and slow traffic. Not a great idea.
Open Streets is totally underutilized and a totally nonsensical way to create traffic problems on the Upper West Side. MAYBE 50 or fifty people use that entire stretch of Columbus in a way they would not otherwise. But thousands are inconvenienced. So now EXPAND THE CONCEPT? Silly beyond measure.
You obviously haven’t attended a single Open Streets… I once made an effort to count the number of people who had stopped to listen to the live music at Manny’s and stopped once I got to 80. That’s just on like half a block.
Car traffic takes up more space per person so it’s easy to make the mistake that more people are being inconvenienced.
You can play live music anywhere on the UWS, does not have to be Columbus Avenue. This is a city not a private college campus.
UWS Dad,
But bus riders are inconvenienced with the closure of Columbus for open streets.
Actually worse than an inconvenience for people with mobility issue – actually a hardship.
Who would have ever thought that the City would decide that more seating for brunch is more important than public transit?
malt, I think Open Streets is great, you could try taking the subway if the buses are inconvenient for you.
At the exit of the 1 subway (Franklin St) I saw metal seating next to the CitiBike racks. They were in use also (about 10 AM)
once again an attempt to put too many things on our NARROW streets.
New York is trying to be as unfriendly as possible to commuters, visitors, and cars which account for about 80% of business.
As someone who lives on this block this is one of the busiest corners ever. The extra curb is suppose to make street crossings safer but that is only if e-vehicles aren’t speeding through it anyway. As far as sitting there? Are you kidding. That extra space is not enough for any seating, and directly on the sideline of cars and e-bikes turning from Columbus onto 72nd making it way too dangerous and in my opinion is very bad idea!
When I raised my kids here on 72nd st. I took them to the playgrounds and parks. Why would anyone opt for having their children playing on dirty Columbus avenue vs going to the parks where there are trees and grassy pastures to run around in.
Also reiterating seating at that Columbus /72nd st crossing is one of the dumbest ideas ever attempted. I do live in the block and it’s extremely busy!! This space is too narrow and way too dangerous. What a waste of taxpayer money.
As a disabled person, e-vehicle egregious riding is what needs to change then you wouldn’t need to extend the sidewalk🤷🏻♀️
Are people really that opposed to any kind of pro-pedestrian upgrade now? Buses aren’t affected, and there are tons of metered parking spots in the neighborhood. (If there aren’t any, tough, welcome to NYC. – eliminating 3 spots for daylighting that corner isn’t the end of the world!)
On the topic of Open Streets, same question. Are the people saying it’s hard to go over one avenue really the ones impacted, or are they just saying that because they don’t like nice things and this gives them an outlet to whine. (The comment about gentrification, come-on! Cut the malarkey!)
It is not just those three spots, it is the cumulative taking of parking that is a problem all while transit is not getting better.
Wow, seating in the middle of the street? Brilliant idea. How long until someone gets run over by a truck and sues the city?
If you want to sit outside, go to the park. Otherwise stay out of the way!