REPORT: Bernie wants F1 in NYC, 0-60 already has the plans

REPORT: Bernie wants F1 in NYC, 0-60 already has the plans: "

Filed under: Motorsports, Rumormill

Formula One impresario Bernie Ecclestone has made no secret of his desire to see his series make a stop in the Big Apple - Manhattan, in point of fact. To that end, our friends at 0-60 thought they'd help him out by drawing up a suggested courses - in fact, in an oddly prescient move, they had already done so, publishing the fantasy circuits in the pages of their Winter 2008 issue.



In any case, with Ecclestone reportedly reaffirming his interest in the Big Apple today, 0-60 has decided to publish the story and the routes online. The routes through Central Park are inspired, although we suspect that more than a few of NYC's anti-car intelligenstia would take issue with that notion. No matter, you can peruse their efforts by clicking on the link below.



[Source: 0-60.com]

REPORT: Bernie wants F1 in NYC, 0-60 already has the plans originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Sep 2009 17:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Love Broadway’s Car-Free Spaces? Take the DOT Survey

Love Broadway’s Car-Free Spaces? Take the DOT Survey: "

Tell DOT you prefer the safer, saner Times Square. Photo: nickdigital/Flickr

DOT is gathering feedback on its "Green Light for Midtown" projects, which include new car-free spaces on Broadway at Times Square and Herald Square, along with new bike infrastructure near Columbus Circle. If you weren't able to attend the recent public input sessions, the online survey is here. It takes about five minutes to complete.

If you're enjoying these new public spaces, and don't want to see Times Square return to the state pictured above, now's a good time to say so.

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UWS Drivers Will Not Feel Need for Speed

UWS Drivers Will Not Feel Need for Speed: "

Google Street View's look at the 'bow-tie'

New Yorkers, fed up with drivers zipping up and down Broadway at breakneck speeds, have demanded a gentler, calmer Upper West Side, and one politician is more than happy to oblige. Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal has proposed placing speed bumps, or new signage, at the Amsterdam-Broadway "bow tie" (the intersection where Amsterdam crosses over the north and southbound lanes of Broadway on 71st Street—the one where a taxi cab drove into a subway station) to slow traffic down, reports WCBS 2.

The area is considered by some to be the epicenter of a pedestrian nightmare. 'You never know when to cross because there's cars coming from three different directions,' Betsy Alpert told WCBS 2. 'So you kinda like wait for the light to say walk and then run!'

But not everyone feels empathy for amblers and bicyclists. One woman sniffed, 'Making it safer for them? They're already supposed to know what they can do and what they can't do. A lot of times when a cyclist gets hit it's his own fault.'

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Broadway is getting narrower in August

In the quest for more ameniable spaces for pedestrians to navigate through Midtown, the Bloomberg administration in conjunction with the Times Square Alliance, the Fashion Center B.I.D. and the 34th Street Partnership are designating the stretch of Broadway between 34th street and 42nd street, "Broadway Boulevard." These business improvement districts (BIDs) are spending $240,000 for maintenance and purchase of planters that line the sidewalks. The initial cost of creating the esplanade was disclose by Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for the amount of $700,000 according to the NY Times.


The transformation of a very well known thoroughfare is the beginning of reclaimation of more productive spaces - spaces for more commerce in forms of outdoor cafes, vendors, advertising, hotels, stores and, in turn, revenue for the city. Don't be surprised that the venue not only lure more tourists in the area but could become the next site of Fashion Week events. However, not everyone is in favor of the change. Truckers who come bring in the goods to the respective stores are going to have a hard time. So will motorists who are accustomed to park nearby maybe forced to seek alternatives elsewhere. Time will tell how this experiment will develop.


Mayor Bloomberg has decisively made his vision of the city more apparent after the defeat in Albany for congestion pricing back in April. Realizing that idle traffic does not produce revenue other than for taxis and creates pollution (smog, noise and otherwise), the city's leaders are collaborating more productive spaces. Thanks to higher gas prices, tolls and maintenance, more and more motorists are parking their cars rather than driving it.

NYCDOT plan for Broadway Boulevard/Fashion district-Times Square - Herald Square (pdf file)