Skip to Content
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Streetsblog San Francisco home
Log In
Bicycle Infrastructure

Streetfilms: Carmaggeddon Averted as NYC’s Broadway Comes to Life

When New York City opened up new pedestrian zones in the heart of Midtown this summer, naysayers predicted a traffic nightmare. Nearly two months later, we're still waiting for the much-feared Carmaggedon.

In this video, Streetsblog publisher Mark Gorton
takes us on a tour of Broadway's car-free squares and boulevard-style blocks, where conditions have improved dramatically for
pedestrians, cyclists, and, yes, delivery truck drivers. As Mark says, the counterintuitive truth is that taking away space for cars can improve traffic while making the city safer and more enjoyable for everyone on foot. There are sound theories that help explain why this happens -- concepts like traffic shrinkage and Braess's paradox which
are getting more and more attention thanks to projects like this one. While
traffic statistics are still being collected by
NYCDOT, there's already a convincing argument that Midtown streets are functioning better than before: To understand it, just take a walk down Broadway.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog San Francisco

Clipper 2.0 Launch and Getting Outdoors

Clipper upgrade launches December 10th. It'll make it easier and cheaper to take transit to the Bay Area's great parks and hiking trails

October 22, 2025

SPUR Talk: OakDOT Director Josh Rowan on Safety, Speed, and Rethinking Streets

"If you’re not comfortable walking from that bus stop, you’re not going to take the bus in the first place."

October 21, 2025
See all posts