National Environmental Group Applauds Mayor's Plans for Extensive Pedestrian Plaza in Heart of Times Square

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
Contact:
John Bianchi, 212-576-2700, jbianchi@goodmanmedia.com

(New York, NY – February 26, 2009) Environmental Defense Fund is praising the mayor and NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for announcing plans today to close sections of Broadway at Times Square and Herald Square to traffic.
 
The pilot project, to be opened later this year, would create an extensive pedestrian plaza in the heart of Times Square and greatly improve traffic flows on Sixth and Seventh Avenues in Midtown.
 
“Less traffic and more public space: that’s a powerful vision for the future of Times Square,”  said Andy Darrell, vice president for Living Cities at Environmental Defense Fund and a member of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s Sustainability Advisory Board. “This pilot project is exactly the kind of innovation that can lead to a healthier and more livable city.  The millions of people who pass through Times Square will breathe cleaner air as a result.  We applaud the city’s continuing effort to improve our pedestrian spaces while simultaneously easing traffic congestion and improving air quality.”
 

With more than 3 million members, Environmental Defense Fund creates transformational solutions to the most serious environmental problems. To do so, EDF links science, economics, law, and innovative private-sector partnerships to turn solutions into action. edf.org