News
LIGHT RAIL VISION; ELEVEN TIMES SQUARE
June 15, 2009
| With 335 presentations to date, architect Roxanne Warren and transportation consultant George Haikalis are still keen on their vision for light rail down 42nd Street, and are lobbying the real estate industry to back the idea. The benefits: a higher density of visitors and higher property prices, according to study results, they say. |
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| Vision42's plan calls for a light-rail line down the length of 42nd Street, from river to river, which would eventually loop to 34th Street, connecting hubs like Penn Station, Grand Central, the Javits Center, Times Square, and Port Authority Bus Terminal. An original light rail plan was proposed back in the early ‘90s, and the City Council approved it 49-2. However, the new Giuliani administration wasn’t as enthusiastic, with the lack of Mayoral interest continuing to this day, they say. |
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| YM/WREA members take in the Times Square scenery (perhaps they’re also envisioning light rail?). The building, which is located on Eighth Ave. in between 41st and 42nd not only looks over the Times Square hustle-and-bustle, but the Hell's Kitchen/Fashion District submarkets, as well. |
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| The concept has worked in other cities, they argue, and New York is one of the last to consider light rail. They said that such a system costs one-tenth as much per mile as a subway, and uses less carbon footprint to build. It would take 21 minutes to get from river to river by light rail, versus 40 by bus, and would run every 3 to 4 minutes, depending on the time of day. They’re trying to get a meeting with Mayor Mike to further discussions; and they say combined fiscal benefits, in '07 dollars, would be $880M. |
