Putting People First in Times Square
Times Square is among the most famous places in the world, but cars dominated until 2009. Citing dangerous conditions for pedestrians and major overcrowding on sidewalks, Transportation Alternatives activists launched a campaign for a car-free Times Square in 1995.
More than a decade later, the City of New York announced a plan to pedestrianize Times Square.
On May 24, 2009, Broadway between 42nd and 47th Streets was opened to people — giving its 300,000 daily visitors a glimpse of what's possible when we reclaim car space for people.
Times Square’s transformation was completed in 2016, resulting in:
110,000 square feet of pedestrian space created
A 40% reduction in pedestrian injuries
A 15% drop in car crashes
Our work isn’t complete. We’re fighting to return public space in all five boroughs to people, including a fully-pedestrianized Broadway from Times Square to Union Square. Read more about our campaign to build the Broadway Linear Park.
Reclaiming Times Square from cars began as a TA campaign in 1995, and set the stage for people-first transformations across all five boroughs.
We've made once impossible ideas a reality for 50 years. What can we create together in the next 50?
