By Gus Saltonstall
A new mid-block traffic light is up and running along a bustling Upper West Side thoroughfare.
In the past couple of days, a traffic light was installed on West 72nd Street, around the midpoint between Columbus and Amsterdam avenues.
While the crosswalk is still to be painted, the light and walk signals are already functioning.
The city’s decision to install the traffic light came after a request from New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer this past April.
“72nd Street between Broadway/Amsterdam and Columbus Avenue in Manhattan is a popular destination, though its long blocks mean visitors often walk far distances to cross the street safely,” a DOT spokesperson previously wrote to West Side Rag in an email. “This new mid-block crossing will make access significantly easier while improving safety for both pedestrians and drivers.”
The Rag will keep an eye out for when the crosswalk gets installed.
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There goes another 2 parking spaces on the UWS. You can thank the citi bike loving scamocrats for another great idea that once again demonizes car owners.
Your simmering disdain for this idea gives me comic relief as I find myself unable to fall asleep.
Want parking? Move to the burbs
The sensible way to do this is to put the crossing where a fire hydrant is and save a much valued parking spot
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My original post was parody, but you can barely tell with the other people getting up in arms about something that’s a small benefit for many.
People love to complain about everything instead of just saying “cool, that’ll help some people” as if that’s not progress.
I had a feeling it might be, but you didn’t lay it on thickly enough, The comment sounds too similar others on here who really feel that way
Sure it was.
LOL‼️
The biggest parking killers are car owners who don’t know how to park and take up 2 spots by leaving too much room.
This is a peeve of mine and I see it everyday, people see a big spot and instead of taking what they need will leave 3 feet front snd back or worse. I estimate 5-10 slots per block per side is wasted.
This is doormen all over the UWS who run sidehustles by getting paid by rich tenants to save spaces for them. I talked to one who makes hundreds of dollars a month doing this. You should leave a present on a car when you this.
Why doesn’t NYPD fine THOSE cars?
the NYPD does not car about illegal parking at all.
You realize this can also be happenstance. I park my car there are two small cars in front of it. They leave. Now it looks like I parked badly when one truck fills that space.
Just sayin’
…. it’s a crosswalk in a heavily residential area. What on earth are you talking about.
Thanks Gale and DOT, we need more street improvements like this.
This is not an improvement It slows everyone down, for no reason.
Yes. The reason is to create congestion on purpose so that there will be a reason to extend congestion pricing uptown.
BTW uber Lyfts create just as much congestion – if not more parking in the middle of the street to do pickups and drop offs.
All the car hating rich folk who can afford to Uber around should also have to pay $10 congestion fees like any other car on the road. If they love clean air so much why not just take a subway like everyone else?
uber does pay CP. you seem very uninformed about CP, enforcement, and safe streets.
During Covid saw a Honda Accord flipped on to its roof there. So, anything helps.
oh noes!1!! two parking spaces! how will we ever go on without them??
No one cares. Pay for an underground garage. We’re tired of your eyesores cluttering up public space.
They’re getting rid of parking garages too and parking minimums too.
I own a car. I park on the street. You couldn’t be more wrong.
I own a car. I park in an uptown garage (much cheaper). I agree with Katherine!
“citi bike loving scamocrats” oh alright
that’s funny! how myopic do you need to be to be against a safe place for pedestrians to cross an ever-busier street?
He’s Making Parking Great Again lolol………….
Average driver perspective to be honest. Anything that mildly inconveniences them is bad, no matter the safety improvements. They sure are a noisy minority though.
Forget about drivers. I walk this block every day. It inconveniences me a s a pedestrian.
How in the world does it inconvenience you as a pedestrian???
I have to stop and wait for a light to change where there was no light before. That’s how it inconveniences me.
you are doing it wrong then.
I don’t understand either. As a New York City pedestrian, it makes my life better because it’s another opportunity to walk across the street against a red light and slow down traffic.
Urbanists are a noisy minority. In all honesty the one opening urbanists would have with people like myself on issues surrounding parking and congestion pricing is telling people who don’t live or can’t afford to live in Manhattan is that there is no point to being against all this because some Manhattan residents want all the street parking to themselves with resident permits. If Manhattan residents want all the parking to themselves and are unwilling to use public transit to leave Manhattan, then what is the point of those outside Manhattan banding together with Manhattan residents opposed to losing parking spaces or Manhattan residents opposing congestion pricing? The biggest support urbanists have isn’t necessarily the majority of the residents in a community, but instead some of those opposed to urbanists who are unwilling to build the alliances necessary to push back against urbanists or look down upon potential allies.
As an elderly UWSer who isn’t as spry a jaywalker as I was I welcome the assistance.
Oh, so *that’s* what “TL;DR” means!
Brewer… ” though its long blocks mean visitors often walk far distances to cross the street safely,.”
Seriously Gale? To walk one block is a far distance? It might be good for many people to walk a short distance more. Can’t the city use the money, that was spent,for better things? A thousand here, a thousand there and before you know it, it’s real money. Taxpayer money.
crosstown blocks, like the one between Amsterdam & Columbus, are actually about the length of 3 uptown/down blocks. So yes, it is a long way for people to go without a crosswalk between.
Crosstown blocks are roughly the equivalent of three uptown/downtown blocks, What happens is that pedestrians turn to jaywalking, crossing mid block, which is dangerous for both pedestrians and drivers. Additionally many UWSers are seniors, for whom walking that extra distance (not a short distance) is more than an inconvenience . I applaud the city for taking this step for safety.
Given that the “local” community at this point on the UWS (upper 60s, lower 70s) is largely seniors and the elderly, many with walkers, the answer is “yes”: it can be a VERY far distance, particularly if they then have to walk back down the other side to get where they’re going.
What a warm, caring heart you have! (NOT!).
I agree with Ian on this–was going to post something similar
It’s a very long block There are no comfortable indoor places to sit and have some refreshment.
Fro some people, a long block is a long, difficult walk.
NYC is not a good place to live for people who can’t walk.
thats not your call
NYC is not a good place to live for people who can’t understand the need for better urban planning and improvement.
It’s an avenue width, so more like three block lengths. This will benefit businesses on both sides of the street as it will allow pedestrians to cross more easily mid block. This is exactly what tax dollars should be going towards.
I’d rather have my tax dollars going to making streets safer than to paying masked agents to round up innocent people.
I would rather have our laws enforced than money wasted on feeding housing and medical care for illegal immigrates. I would like to see the people who allowed the invasion of our country punished.
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The people who were/are being housed and fed are NOT illegal immigrants. They are asylum seekers. They are actually here legally while their asylum applications are processed, according to the LAW. They don’t have work authorization, but the process is simple. They seek out a CBP agent at the border and present themselves to them and ask for asylum. It is a legal process. They are only illegal immigrants if their application is denied and they stay after that. If they were given temporary work authorization while their applications were being processed, then maybe the government wouldn’t have to foot the bill.
And a bike stopped! There isn’t even a line painted and the bike stopped!
I wish he’d wear his helmet but we can’t expect everything.
He’s an adult who can make adult decisions. Or not.
Do you check all drivers at lights have their seatbelts on and are not texting.
They are dangerous.got hit by one on 8th avenue
It’s nice that you wish him well. The delivery worker is not stopping in the still image. His body is relaxed, both feet are on the pedals, and his hands are not working the brakes. There’s also the green traffic light and the “don’t walk” hand for the pedestrian crossing.
It’ll be interesting to see what the actual surface will be on the crosswalk. That little crater has been there for weeks.
I stand corrected
Thankfully, this will save lives. And the fewer parking spaces, the better it is for the residents. NO CARS! Bikes please 🙏
Unfortunately bicyclists especially Citibike are dangerous to pedestrians.
It is a daily dodge of bicyclists who ignore traffic rules.
My wish would be that that everyone (who is able-bodied) walk or take the bus or subway – not bicycle.
How is fewer parking spaces better for residents? With these 2 gone don’t cars just spend more time circling looking for a spot?
There should not be private vehicle parking on main streets where busses pass. Commercial vehicles just end up double parking and blocking the street. You can park on side streets like everyone else, or better yet, pay for a parking space
These are metered parking spots. But yes fewer parking spots is not good public policy.
Bikes please 🙏
Not possible for everyone or for every trip. But you know that.
There is rampant double parking on W72 nd street during business hours. Meaning there are already way too many cars.
Or way too few parking soaces. But probably way too many deliveries and Ubers.
What a wonderful addition to the neighborhood! I used the crosswalk today and was able to cross safely mid-block to get to a store, without needing to divert cars, u-turning cars, bikes and trucks.
Thankfully you didn’t have to walk all the way to the corner!
Such a long walk. How did we ever manage?
When you’re an old guy with wonky knees and an iffy heart, you’ll figure it out.
To see what a non-issue this is go to NYC crash mapper. from January 2024 until September 2025 there have been three accidents mid block between Columbus and Amsterdam and none involved a pedestrian. They all involved cyclists and there were no fatalities. So let’s stop pretending this is being done for safety,
That’s just one year, and “midblock” is doing a lot of work because there wasn’t a crosswalk there until now so of course people weren’t crossing there (and if they did you would blame them for getting hit because they were jaywalking!)
If you look since 2011, there have been 99 crashes on this block alone, causing 107 injuries and two fatalities. That includes 35 pedestrian injuries and 27 crashes causes by driver inattention. You’re looking at an average of 7.5 injuries every year on just this block!
Crashmapper data: http://bit.ly/4nJfwiB
You included the intersections at 72nd and Columbus and 72nd street and Amsterdam. That is dishonest as this is a light to “protect” people midblock. In your time frame 9/2011-9/2025 there have only been 7 crashes midblock! With ZERO fatalities. This is in 15 years. As I said it is a non issue.
https://tinyurl.com/44km6x2e
People don’t cross mid block before because there wasn’t a crosswalk there!
What? Are you going to be able to untwist yourself from the pretzel shape you’re in right now? By this logic, statement and your use of the crash mapper, we could extrapolate that adding this light will actually increase accidents!
Can we get an article about Brewer removing her support for the universal daylighting law? Would love for WSR to give her a chance to explain her reasoning.
I don’t know her thinking but did see this. A DOT study found that daylighting works great when there are hard barriers (like boulders) put in place. But without those (they inferred from data where there was a hydrant near an intersection that was effectively daylighting) it is actually MORE dangerous.
https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/daylighting-and-street-safety.pdf
Even the boulders allow room for e-bikes to make fast turns. The boulders are also more likely to be messed around with than a parked car. Parked cars also provide better pedestrian refuge.
How about DOT’s own srudy that said it did nothing?
You are right that the report found that some daylighting methods are better than others, and some do nothing or are even counterproductive. But Brewer didn’t try to amend the bill to require the effective forms of daylighting, she pulled her support altogether. I would love to know why she made that decision!
“Daylighting from neckdowns is associated with a higher average decrease in pedestrian injuries, reducing them by 0.5 per year, per intersection.
These results reinforce the positive effects seen in the NYC DOT Safety Treatment Evaluation, whereby curb and sidewalk extensions were found to reduce pedestrian injuries by 44%”
https://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/daylighting-and-street-safety.pdf
But those are expensive. I’m all for them but passing the bull right now without money to do this work seems like it would result in the daylighting that increases accidenys.
The thing is urbanists pull out all these facts and statistics that make them sound like they are doing work, while no one is able to effectively fund opposition to them. Without Mark Gorton, the urbanist movement would not exist in NYC. It’s one person funding much of it, the same guy funding RFK Jr.
Yes! Already sent an email and called. More people should do this to get her support back.
Curious about this as well
When I saw the headline, I knew I was to complain about something. Reading the comments only leaves me confused about what to pick as the focus of complaint.
/s lol, rock on, all!
Council member Brewer has time for a traffic light but not to fix crime and the intolerable bike mayhem in Central Park – written up in the New York Times no less!!
Connecting Pho Shop to Dark Bullet.
I’ve only ever been to the Vietnamese place; it’s good.
Second on the Pho Shop. Not too expensive too and proportions are huge!
How embarrassing and sad. People can’t walk a block? This is the most unnecessary light of all time. Pathetic that New Yorker’s need a mid-block light. We should be ashamed as a city.
People can’t walk a block, especially in this area. There are lots of elderly people who walk regularly, but they are still slower and it is difficult for many to carry any packages. shopping carts slow you down and can put a strain on the back–(from experience.)
I never thought I’d get old either, Big Earl. But I have
If you think that a city of 8.5 million should be ashamed because of a mid-block light getting installed, I would not want to be your waiter at a restaurant.
My daughter takes dance class at Ripley Grier studios and after I drop her off my son and I head to Charles for dinner. This light almost directly connects the two, and we felt so lucky to use it today!
LONG OVER DUE ‼️
Great! Now let’s add a bus lane for the M72, M57 and M5 buses that pass in the area. Those bus times are horrendous.
Bus lanes are not the issue for the M72.
The M72 issue relates to the numerous turns on the route, the construction all over and the crowded transverse which it shares with the M66.
The M57 suffers from lack of frequency plus East Side congestion.
The M5 gets stuck in midtown traffic. On Riverside the M5 is slowed by the speed limit and traffic lights (an issue for all buses)
I love the M57 but the traffic on 57th street is horrendous – it’s faster to walk.
72nd Street is not why these bus routes have issues, if any.
And will bicyclists heed the red light?
Unfortunately bicyclists especially Citibike are dangerous to pedestrians.
It is a daily dodge of bicyclists who ignore traffic rules – especially going through red lights.
good idea
Yet another place for e-bikes to zip through on a red light and hit a pedestrian. Why doesn’t Brewer get banners installed the way they do in Queens on B’way? Her office is silent. All part of the zero vision campaign.
It’s important to have safe crossings for pedestrians, especially across the street from the WSR. Now please lobby for and restore the safe pedestrian crossings in Central Park.
this will help speed the buses xtown.
Given that this among the least-used crosstown thoroughfare streets (i.e., 72nd b/w WEA and Bway), it didn’t really NEED the light. But since the “local” community here is largely seniors and the elderly, many with walkers, I suppose it makes sense to have it.
Ian,
I believe Trans Alt is part of the background- for bicyclists and to remove parking spots
The only commenter to make the most obvious and relevant point: 72nd St is not busy! It’s like an deserted island compared to other crosstown streets. As usual DOT fails in the common sense department. We’re still waiting for the turns into the CP transverses from CPW and vice versa to be made safer. Promised when all those 500 parking spots were cleared out for the bike lane. Much much much more dangerous and high accident that mid-block in 72nd St. LOL
This shows that the bike lane on Central Park failed to improve safety, just furthered a culture war on cars.
I think delivery workers would now have a reason to yield to pedestrians crossing mid block at a crosswalk with walk light.
Ian, the light’s on the block between Columbus and Amsterdam, not Bway and WEA.
It didn’t seem that necessary to me, but I don’t use a walker or a cane, etc I never had a problem crossing the street in the middle of the block if I needed to.. I think it’s just going to slow down traffic and buses even more.
I can’t tell from the picture. The yellow piece on the pole might be a push button for pedestrians wanting to cross. It would make no sense to have that light turn red if no one’s around. I, like you had no problems jaywalking even when it was illegal to do so. It’s much safer to cross “in-between” mid block if you check both sides twice in NYC. Most elderly and children killed by drivers in crosswalks are when pedestrians have the RoW and turning vehicles have the green light. The danger zones here are southbound right turn from Columbus and northbound from Amsterdam.
Left turning drivers are more dangerous because they accelerate to cross oncoming traffic even before they get to the crosswalks.
And of course it’s hard to tell which drivers are special and don’t want to yield, lol.