New York's vehicle-free Broadway mall to stay, mayor says

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said a reduction in injuries to pedestrians and motorists, along with a warm response from local merchants and tourists, had persuaded him to retain the 8-month-old pedestrian plazas in Times Square and Herald Square, an initiative that re-engineered the Midtown street grid.

Bloomberg declared the project a success, emphasizing the improvements to pedestrian safety and foot traffic, along with the aesthetic enhancement to an area once associated with exhaust and gridlock.

The vehicle-free zone, pitched last February, quickly became a fascination of tourists and New Yorkers alike, drawn to the sight of a pedestrian mall, with picnic tables and folding chairs, under the neon lights.