Manhattan’s Lower East Side is one of the densest, most-walkable neighborhoods in New York City. Yet the design of its streets does not support its residents’ needs. More than 80 percent of Lower East Siders don’t own a car, and only 5.5 percent commute to work by car, but the streets prioritize cars above all else.
One particularly egregious case is the segment of Clinton Street between Delancey Street and Houston Street. This single corridor receives 4 to 6 times the vehicular traffic of its neighboring streets, despite its similar width and pedestrian traffic stemming from its mix of commercial and residential properties.
Clinton Street cannot continue to manage 16,000 cars per day. The Department of Transportation must redesign this particular street — and it’s an excellent candidate for a Low Traffic Neighborhood redesign…