Walking the walk

Broadway is the most storied street in the world, and not just because of the theaters around Times Square. So it’s no small thing that Mayor Adams now moves to remake a patch of the Great White Way in the heart of Midtown. Building on work that began in earnest under Mike Bloomberg and his Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan — who converted the busiest part of the street, between 47th and 42nd Sts., into a pedestrian plaza — Adams, his Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez and his newly tapped Chief Public Realm Officer Ya-Ting Liu will shove cars to the curb over seven nearby blocks. Well, not entirely to the curb: While automobiles will not be allowed at all between 25th and 27th St., with people and outdoor dining filling the streets instead, the next five blocks up to 32nd St. will be “shared,” which is to say vehicles will be discouraged from using the street but not altogether banned.

Back when Sadik-Khan was in charge of the city’s streets, the notion of letting people on foot and bike dominate roadbeds previously reserved for cars, trucks and buses met fierce backlash among drivers who were convinced that it would spell the end of a livable Manhattan. But the pedestrian plazas created throughout the city have stood the test of time, proving immensely popular to residents, commuters and tourists alike.

Sure, there are tradeoffs. Barring cars from major thoroughfares certainly complicates the lives of those who drive on a daily basis; and it makes it more challenging for businesses to get their deliveries, and for people with mobility concerns to get picked up and dropped off midblock. All of which is why this should be done strategically, not ideologically. Automobiles are part of the urban ecosystem, not the evil invaders some make them out to be.

Sadik-Khan first opened on Broadway in 2009 and has had a smash hit for years. It shouldn’t have taken all this time to add a few more blocks to the production.