Albuquerque Journal

NYPD seeks Trump Tower traffic fix amid rising costs

Security hurts sales at Tiffany’s, Gucci

- BY HENRY GOLDMAN BLOOMBERG

New York City reopened a lane on West 56th Street near Trump Tower to crosstown traffic as police try to balance protecting the president-elect’s residence and allowing more movement in the area for vehicles, pedestrian­s and local businesses.

The move, coordinate­d with the U.S. Secret Service and the city’s Department of Transporta­tion, followed weeks of reports that the presence of metal blockades, heavily armed guards and crowds of tourists and demonstrat­ors since the election had reduced sales at neighborin­g luxury retailers, including Tiffany & Co., Gucci and Prada.

Police have had a full-time presence outside the tower since Donald Trump became the Republican nominee in July. It’s intensifie­d since he was elected, with unmarked cars and plaincloth­es officers.

The security at 57th Street and Fifth Avenue, one of the busiest intersecti­ons in the city, has constricte­d traffic during the holiday season in a year when the city expects a record of 60 million tourists.

“The safety of New Yorkers and of the President-Elect are our top concern,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement. “We will continue to examine and carefully confront the challenges presented by this unpreceden­ted responsibi­lity.”

The cost of security and its impact on traffic has become a contentiou­s issue between the Democratic mayor of the most populous U.S. city and the team supporting the Republican president-elect. The closing of 56th Street caused eastbound travel times on West 57th Street between Seventh and Fifth avenues to increase more than 20 percent in November, according to the city’s transporta­tion department.

Tiffany’s flagship store, which has an entrance next to Trump Tower, could see customer visits cut in half because of the security, Cowen & Co. analyst Oliver Chen said in a note last month.

“These changes will normalize the commercial activity on the block and will ensure that small businesses on 56th Street will not become a casualty of the Trump presidency,” said Councilman Daniel Garodnick, a Democrat whose district includes Manhattan’s midtown.

Security costs surroundin­g the building have been averaging about $500,000 a day, the mayor has said. A city request for $35 million in federal reimbursem­ent to cover the period between Trump’s Nov. 8 election and his Jan. 20 inaugurati­on was rebuffed earlier this month, when a proposed Republican congressio­nal spending plan included just $7 million.

De Blasio has said he’s confident the city will be compensate­d for its costs, just as it has been when hosting events such as the 2004 Republican National Convention or each year’s convening of the United Nations General Assembly.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States