New York shows how Hong Kong can embrace car-free, pedestrian-friendly streets and not hurt businesses
- Public-private partnerships could play an important role in making Hong Kong more pedestrian-friendly
- Such collaboration between businesses and the government could lessen the economic burden of pedestrian schemes while driving more foot traffic to tourist destinations.
There are full-time, pedestrian-only streets or plazas, and part-time pedestrian streets that keep out cars at certain times – known as “open streets” in New York. There are also traffic-calming streets that have lower speed limits and share road space between people, bicycles and cars.
It seems that creating pedestrian-friendly urban spaces has hit new heights after the high-profile makeover of Times Square. New York’s strategy for transforming the main street of Manhattan – the Broadway Vision – has ambitions stretching from Union Square to Columbus Circle.
Judging from New Yorkers’ reception, other cities appear to be optimistic that car-free public spaces will reduce traffic accidents and promote a cleaner environment. In the first eight years at New York’s Times Square plaza, pedestrian injuries decreased by 40 per cent and car accidents by 15 per cent.
A street like this never should have been designated as a street for cars. Likewise, parks, museums, shopping districts, and historic sites in Hong Kong would be more welcoming to visitors without the excess traffic.
Early this year, Aurora Capital Associates, a large landlord in the trendy Meatpacking District of New York, announced the revamp of 24 Ninth Avenue, a large office and retail building at Ninth Avenue and Hudson Street.
New York’s government helped by building a shared street from one part of a large former truck loading area. Among the additions are a cycle lane and pedestrian crossings to connect travellers between the Whitney Museum area and the Hudson River Greenway.
In New York, the outer boroughs have joined Manhattan in embracing pedestrian-friendly zones. A 126-metre-long plaza opened in Park Slope in Brooklyn last year. The Grand Army Plaza is one neighbourhood over, near Prospect Park, and there is another plaza on Underhill Avenue.
Cordoning off a street from cars can be straightforward in Hong Kong. On any given day, the street could be a play area, a pop-up market or an ad hoc car park for the local business clientele. Although there would be initial costs and inconvenience, in the long run, the returns in terms of health, safety and social connectivity would be priceless.
Gary Lai is an economist based in Hong Kong