By Yvonne Vávra
New York is famous as a walking city, but it’s one clogged with people and all the ways we’ve invented to get around. Being a pedestrian here requires emotional stamina, superhuman awareness, and reflexes that kick in when you’re crossing 96th Street and a turning SUV acts like you don’t exist. But change might be coming our way.
Our very own Councilmember Shaun Abreu, who represents the Upper West Side north of 92nd Street, has just been appointed to lead the city’s Transportation and Infrastructure Committee—and he seems to be on the walkers’ side of the street. Abreu is a pedestrian-friendly voice who has vowed to fight for safer streets for New Yorkers on foot.
Walkers have never seemed particularly high on the priority list for those calling the shots on the city’s streets. Cars, despite decades of plans for a more pro-pedestrian city, still rule. As Justin Davidson, Upper West Sider and author of “Magnetic City: A Walking Companion to New York,” wrote in a piece for New York Magazine: “For decades, the city meekly adapted to whatever vehicles the world threw at it: 18-wheelers, juiced-up bikes, rocket-propelled scooters, testosterone pickups, swarming Ubers, Amazon box trucks, ATVs (not street-legal, but never mind), and SUVs capable of fording streams and climbing rock walls. That universal welcome relegates pedestrians to the status of unmotorized pests who keep getting in the way.”
Walking the city has never been easy. In the 1860s, the police department created the so-called Broadway Squad, whose only mission it was to help New Yorkers cross Broadway from Bowling Green up to 59th Street. Officers had to be at least six feet tall — after all, they needed to stay on top of the chaotic mix of horses, trolleys, automobiles, and more.
Soon, the Upper West Side would make national history as the site of the country’s first recorded fatal automobile accident. On September 13, 1899, realtor Henry Hale Bliss, 61, stepped off a streetcar at Central Park West and 74th Street and turned to help his companion, Miss Lee, out of the trolley. That’s when cab driver Arthur Smith, driving physician Dr. David Orr Edson from a house call in Harlem, struck him. “Bliss was knocked to the pavement, and two wheels of the cab passed over his head and body. His skull and chest were crushed,” reported The New York Times the next day.
It was a real Upper West Side tragedy: Bliss lived on 75th and Broadway, Smith at 62nd and Columbus, and Dr. Edson — interestingly, the son of former Mayor Franklin Edson — on 71st Street between Central Park West and Columbus. In 1999, 100 years after that deadly collision, a plaque was erected on the corner of Central Park West and 74th Street. Now worn and battered, it has become a reminder in its own right of how fleeting life can be on these streets.
There’s some positive traffic history on the Upper West Side, too. It was here that a major idea to keep pedestrians safe, or at least safer, had its start.
As a nine-year-old New York City boy, William Phelps Eno once found himself stuck in a traffic jam with his mother. The year was 1867, and motorized vehicles hadn’t even hit the streets. Still, chaos reigned: horses and carriages brought everything to a halt, and, as Eno later recalled, “nobody knew exactly what to do; neither the drivers nor the police knew anything about the control of traffic.” From that moment, the “father of traffic safety” was born, who would go on to invent many traffic regulations that still keep pedestrians safe around the world today.
One of Eno’s innovations grew out of the hot mess that was Columbus Circle at the turn of the century. Horse-drawn carriages, trolleys, automobiles, and other vehicles dashed around without rhyme or reason, each at its own pleasure. Add to that New Yorkers on horseback, on bicycles, and on foot, and marvel at the chaos. Accidents were a daily occurrence.
Enter Eno, who had written a traffic code for New York in 1903, and now the city turned to him to untangle Columbus Circle. His answer was a rotary traffic plan — what we know today as the traffic circle. Introduced at Columbus Circle in 1905, the system went on to travel the world, adapted for places like the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and Piccadilly Circus in London. One Upper West Side headache had become a global solution.
I’m a notorious walker, and I’ll admit I take a certain thrill in weaving through the chaos of the city streets. Pride, too. But I’d race to see New York reimagined from the sidewalk. The city has rethought how to move many times before, and if we’re on the verge of another such moment, this time prioritizing people on foot, I’ll gladly take the right of way.
Yvonne Vávra is a magazine writer and author of the German book 111 Gründe New York zu lieben (111 Reasons to Love New York). Born a Berliner but an aspiring Upper West Sider since the 1990s (thanks, Nora Ephron), she came to New York in 2010 and seven years later made her Upper West Side dreams come true. She’s been obsessively walking the neighborhood ever since.
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News Flash to transplants: NYC has always been a walking city.
Go by a really big roll of bubble wrap and stop trying to change NYC into a mall.
As a “real” New Yorker, I’ve never had a driver’s license. But I’m not afraid of cars. There are laws that govern how they behave. But I find the passion for bicycles and other related vehicles are ruining the city. Either devise a program of enforceable laws that govern their use,, or get rid of them.
The laws on the books are enforceable, but the City, State and NYPD don’t do anything to enforce them.
That’s nonsense. We all got our licenses as soon as possible when we turned 16. In fact even though we had full licenses we were not allowed to drive within the city limits until 17 but could drive everywhere else in NYS and USA. All of my kids got drivers licenses aa soon as they could. Maybe this is peculiar to Manhattan natives.
yeah
Part of my issue when it comes to bike versus cars, is that there is seemingly no middle ground. Most commentators are either “get rid of cars” or “get rid of bikes.” I know I am generalizing, but there has to be common sense middle ground that everyone should work to. The entire political landscape of my way is the only way and you are wrong is getting very tiresome.
A very valid point. As someone who does all of the above I would love to see the riding community stop warring on cars and the driving community stop whining about bikes.
And everyone should just obey the rules. ESPECIALLY around pedestrians.
It’s not bikes versus cars. It’s bikes and e-bikes threatening pedestrians.
Common sense says that bikes and e-bikes should be banned until drivers and peddlers can obey the laws at close to the rates of car drivers. More realistically, e-bikes need to be licensed and insured.
Keep the cars. Keep the bikes. Make them follow the laws. Put liscence plates on the bikes so they can ticketed.
And for the pedestrians, make jaywalking illegal again.
In ancient Rome, wheeled vehicles generally were not allowed to enter the city gates during the day. There are legal cases described in the Digest that began with drivers of wagons going the opposite way on narrow streets and getting into brawls.
Yes, Ubers could not pick up in front of the Colosseum. It was a nightmare. Visiting gladiators had no idea how to navigate the city. And, lion trainers were completely lost.
The bike lane clogs the streets with traffic, double-parked trucks and cars take up a lane,. Pedestrians are never considered. It’s a nightmare to cross the street with bike lanes; lawlessness is rampant.
I don’t understand why so many people complain that crossing a street with bike lanes is so challenging. All one has to do is look left and right and cross at the right time. If they can’t do a simple thing like that, I guess they’re also not adept at meeting the many challenges of life. That plus a lot of exaggerated fear.
If you have the walk sign you should not have to exercise caution.
See Mike’s and Renee Baruch’s comments.
I thought this article would be leading up to a positive outcome for pedestrians. Sadly, it didn’t.
Here is the bottom line: Cars should defer to pedestrians in marked areas. That is the law. But pedestrians should reciprocate that courtesy by crossing that area as quickly as possible. So hustle to the best of your ability (some people are more capable than others). Don’t look at your phone, wipe your child’s nose or stop to talk to a friend while crossing the street. If you cannot move quickly, don’t enter an intersection as the walk light is about to turn red – wait for the next one.
In turn, cars should defer as required.
Bike lanes have created an unnecessary level of chaos. I have mixed feelings about bikes. I am generally supportive, but the proliferation of them has gotten out of control. I wish there were a way to cut down on bike deliveries as they are the bulk of the problem. I recognize that they are hard working people trying to make a living. I have suggested reverting to limiting delivery zones like in the old days. Heaven forbid you don’t get your absolute “favorite” General Tso’s from the more distant Chinese place. You will survive. I’m sure the closer one is adequate. Those who can should get off the couch and go pick it up (I know not everyone can).
Article talks too much about cars/trucks – They all stay on the streets and are governed by laws – Its the lawless that we have to watch out for. Bicycles, motorcycles (something with two wheels and a motor), and all the others who insist on invading the sidewalks (pedestrian territory).
Great article as usual Yvonne!
We should have WAY more car free spaces in this pedestrian first city just like we got cars out of Central Park.
We need to widen bus aisles because more passengers use walkers today than before. With walkers, huge baby strollers that cannot be closed, and shopping carts, etc., it is difficult to be on a bus today.
How about enforcing the rule that huge baby strollers that cannot be closed are not allowed on buses?
You left out the dangerous and rule flouting e-bikes that make crossing every street a game of chicken for pedestrians. People are taking their life in their hands as e-bikes go the wrong way on one way streets, routinely whizz through red lights and ride in sidewalks. A lack of a light on an ebike makes them invisible at night and even more dangerous. A new menace to KILL pedestrians. I know. I was hit.
Agree completely. By far the most dangerous thing about living in NYC
Mobility disabled people, like myself, need cars to get around — and not just ubers and lyfts that seek to extract all our money through their price-gouging algorithms. The street is not your back yard. Sidewalks and laws exist for a reason. You live in a city. If you want to live somewhere without cars, move to Amish country.
Walkers on their cell phones
Large baby carriages
Shopping carts
Children on scooters and bikes unsupervised
Delivery bikes on sidewalks
Restaurants with building extensions into the sidewalk
Motorized scooters and motorized bikes
— delivery, going to and from work and tourists
Just try to walk down the sidewalk
And God forbid you should try to cross the street safely.
You forgot to mention the required HUGE dogs that go every which way on sidewalks, as the ‘owners’/’parents’ are obliviously scrolling through the devices.
I’ve been a New Yorker since 1976 and the biggest change for pedestrians is the motorized bikes that pass often at 30mph on what is pedestrian walkways. They are unregulated and never ticketed and 30mph is the sues of a car on bway and cars are regulated and ticketed. The city does not trooper the amount of people hit by bikes and injured- it is only reported widely if there is a fatality. This makes the fact of their infringement on safe steer walking disguised, and it is the main big problem for anyone presently walking any streets in NYC
Thank you for this article – I’m a Canadian who happens to heart NYC and NY State. What can I say Ontario is a border province and New York has influenced me since childhood. Toronto has no traffic circles that I am aware of and we have handled things differently. But now that I’m old and need a walker to get around I am very aware that if I’m not careful up here I am road food. Or at least I am cursed at by every driver, biker, TTC (transit) rider. Keep the street safe for walkers NYC I’m routing for you.
As a family of pedestrians (and bus/subway) and some who are elderly, it is bicyclists – particularly Citibike and racing bicyclists – who endanger us as pedestrians.
(And mopeds, stand-up scooters and skateboards etc)
Yes vehicles are inherently more dangerous but most drivers follow the law.
Multiple family, friends and neighbors have been hit by bicyclist.
I was recently hit by a e-skateboarder who went through a red light – and BTW there were zero cars on the street.
Bicyclists behave badly – but NYC keeps rewarding them.
Bike lobby is wealthy and powerful – like REBNY
There would be less bikes if people would cook their own food. If you want deliveries, you’re gonna have bikes.
More congestion pricing to tame the cars, limits on the sizes of trucks, and increase the size of sidewalks and design them better while we’re at it. This is a pedestrian-first city and needs to be redesigned to better support that.
Absolutely & need NYPD to enforce blocking the box, running red lights and illegal parking like they did in the Bloomberg days.
In deciding the right of way between cars vs. pedestrians, I’ve always been a strong believer in the Law of Mass. (Note that it corresponds directly to the laws of inertia and force.)
In the play ‘Barrymore’ where John Barrymore was portrayed by Christopher Plummer, he mentions a friend who ‘died of natural causes. he was hit by a taxi.’
As an UWS-er my entire life (60+ years), and a walker, biker and transit rider, I have always felt that the City spent far too much time coddling vehicles – and then bicycles, and now e-bikes – at the expense (both figuratively and literally) of pedestrians. I am glad to hear that may be changing.
Vehicles are obviously necessary in many cases (particularly for merchants deliveries), but as we’ve seen with the almost ridiculous success of congestion pricing, they are not nearly as necessary as people thought: congestion pricing has reduced the number of vehicles coming into Manhattan by 27 MILLION (a 15% overall reduction). But it has also had significantly positive environmental and safety impacts (traffic and pedestrians accidents are down), and has already brought in ~$550 million – more than even the most hopeful estimates.
The issue with regular bicycles and Citibikes is simply that both the bike lanes and Citibike program were rolled out (no put intended) poorly, and have led to issues and problems that continue to occur (it didn’t help that TA – as well-intentioned as they are – “bought” many City officials, both agency and politicians).
How we have the e-bikes, which are, or should be, classified and regulated as motor vehicles and dealt with that way, This means licenses, registration, and REAL LEGAL accountability by both individual restaurants (who employ their own delivery personnel) and delivery corps like GrubHub, UberEats, etc. And personal e-bikes should be treated likewise.
It is time to start making NYC safe for pedestrians again. Bravo to Mayor Mamdani for seeing this, and appointing a pedestrian-friendly agency head.
The stats about congestion pricing need to be fact checked. It appears to be an 11% reduction in the CBD (central business district – not Manhattan) for an estimated 73,000 fewer cars on work days. What advocates have done is multiply 73,000 by 365 days (26 ½ million) and went with that.
I think the results are far fewer when it is calculated for work days only.
Still, it was not insignificant, but only by quoting statistics fairly and honestly can we have a real discussion. No need to inflate things to bolster any one side.
It’s interesting you mentioned the 15% drop in congestion in midtown as successful!! Where do think that congestion went? Well you should look at Amsterdam Avenue and Columbus Avenue before 8:00am and after 2:00pm. That where you’ll find the congestion, avoiding the Midtown tunnel, 59th bridge and Lincoln tunnel. Also look south of Canal street and you will see a substantial increase in congestion, on the West Side Highway and FDR drive .
Congestion pricing was simply a tax to support a poorly managed MTA.
Why the idiopts that run this city can’t figure out it is the BIKES that have casued this havoc is bryond me. Why can’t they have the same rules as cars. One way streets are one way streets and traffic lights are there for a reson. Os this so hard???
Though some interesting history, this article does little to nothing to address the real safety problems the city faces now. The writer enjoys weaving in and out of traffic, but that’s because she’s never been hit. I was hit by a moped in 2022, my life forever changed. I’m paralyzed on my right side and lost my career as a cellist. Crossing the streets safely is not part of some video game.
I’m sorry to hear. Take care.
I remember your story and I always wondered how you were doing. I hope the WSR will do a follow up with you. I’ve been hit by cyclists 3 times and none were considered a crime because I opted for a private MD instead of the ER. I don’t like the tone of the messages in this thread overall.
I agree that it’s not a game and I hope to see some changes soon.
This insane demonization of cars is ridiculous.
There are so many cases for a myriad of transportation options that rulling one out is idiotic. Yes, drivers need to respect the rules, but as an occasional driver (maybe once a week) I am amazed at the amount of people just walking in the street all over the place.
This includes senoirs and people with walkers. Nobody seems to wait for the light — they just cross willy nilly mid-block and “against their light” all the time. This is widespread in NYC .
If you want cars to stop at lights, pedestrians need to also wait for their light. This is the social bargain that is made to navigate the urban landscape. Now, if we want to change the entire pparadigm and make the entire city a pedestrian free ( or bicycle only) -we can have that discussion — but in the meantime, in a city where we must all live together, (all age groups, all needs levels, all mobilty challenged, all bicycle enthusiasts) we all have to follow the rules as they apply to each of us.
Not doing so is just disingenuous.
I read all the comments so far. I walk with a walker and most of the time people on the sidewalk are fine. I loathe the ebikes which seem to feel entitled to everyone’s space. But walkers are not without fault–I also drive a car and observe people pop out from between parked cars or cross the street without looking either way–they terrify me .
With all the talk of safety around the streets with bikes, cars and walkers, I was very surprised to see the city still has not painted a crosswalk for the new light on W 72nd St between Columbus and Amsterdam. How long has it been? 6 months? 8 months? The crossing looks nothing like a crosswalk. I’m sure cars and bikes fly through it all day not even realizing it’s there. The entire purpose of the project was to add a safe crosswalk, but yet no crosswalk has ever been painted making it unsafe. Talk about dropping the ball.
Pedestrians are viewed as less than human cyclists on the other hand are doing god’s work and that is pretty much how the discussion goes.
NYC bicyclists typically do whatever they want.
Paris works well with bicycles partly because the bicyclists obey the traffic laws.
Very rarely do I ever see a bicyclist break the law.
Paris has removed all their stop signs since 2016, instead they use roundabouts, yield signs, and the principle of “priorité à droite”. The traffic flow works well again because bicycles stay where they are supposed to be.
As an aside
Paris metro/bus also does not have the problem with fare beaters like NYC They have controllers that frequently check if you have paid on the metro and subway. You get
fined on the spot. What does NYC lose with fare beaters, one billion a year or more?
Usually if everyone can follow the law things work better for everyone regarding traffic.
NYC bicyclists are out of control
More and more speed, red light and bus lane cameras are being installed to hold drivers accountable, and still basically nothing for bicyclists.
The biggest public safety innovation would be taking cell phones out of people’s hands while walking across the street or on the sidewalk. You want scroll or text as a pedestrian, pull over to the side and complete your business before crossing the street or tripping in a pothole and risking your life.
That Lincoln Triangle intersection of Columbus, Broadway and West 66th ain’t safe for “walkers”.
May my legs carry me across West 72nd to Malachy’s.
I don’t want to discourage the use bikes in cities. As my husband instructed me when we moved to Manhattan, when you cross don’t just look, turn your body to look. Bikes are not as easy to see. I’m used to crossing now- and checking both ways including “turning “ is second nature. Just try harder to be careful folks.