{"id":520475,"date":"2022-12-03T16:15:17","date_gmt":"2022-12-03T13:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/chelsea-residents-demand-city-remove-street-closure\/"},"modified":"2022-12-03T16:15:17","modified_gmt":"2022-12-03T13:15:17","slug":"chelsea-residents-demand-city-remove-street-closure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/chelsea-residents-demand-city-remove-street-closure\/","title":{"rendered":"#Chelsea residents demand city remove street closure"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d879ccde1d\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a3d879ccde1d\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/chelsea-residents-demand-city-remove-street-closure\/#%E2%80%9CChelsea_residents_demand_city_remove_street_closure%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Chelsea residents demand city remove street closure&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CChelsea_residents_demand_city_remove_street_closure%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Chelsea residents demand city remove street closure&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>Chelsea residents say a pandemic-related street closing is itself posing a safety hazard by delaying emergency vehicles and it needs to be scr<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ed.<\/p>\n<p>Metal barriers at the intersection of West 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue close the block off to all but local traffic for a whopping 12 hours a day, every day.<\/p>\n<p>Ambulances, fire trucks, police cars, taxis and anyone else trying to drive the block have to park their vehicles \u2014 usually in a crosswalk \u2014 and get out to move them and then stop again to put them back.<\/p>\n<p>Nico McLane, 53, said the gates cost her then 89-year-old stepdad \u2014 who was suffering a medical emergency \u2014 precious minutes in getting help in August 2021 when the Uber driver picking him up couldn\u2019t budge the heavy barriers. She had to sprint down the street to help.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a moment of panic,\u201d said McLane, an engineer whose family has owned a brownstone on the block since 1971.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/closed-streets-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A picture of Block resident Tom Lunke speaking to volunteers and protestors.\" class=\"wp-image-24883345\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/closed-streets-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/closed-streets-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/closed-streets-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Residents opposed to the plan are circulating a petition for the city to open the street. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Helayne Seidman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The barriers have now been replaced with lighter-weight versions.<\/p>\n<p>The city Department of Transportation added the block between Seventh and Eighth avenues to its controversial Open Streets program in 2020 at the behest of some residents.  The program is meant to allow for \u201cpedestrian and cyclist use and enjoyment\u201d or, in some cases with full street closures, for restaurants to use the roadways for outdoor dining. <\/p>\n<p>But one of the only businesses on the West 22nd Street block, ironically, is a parking garage forcing drivers to move the barriers to access it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no restaurant. There is no park. There is no school. There is nobody,\u201d said Cindy Loomis, 65, a medical researcher who lives one block west of the closed street. \u201cI ride my bike down that block all the time. I never see anybody in the street using it.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>Opponents of the plan are<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.change.org\/p\/help-stop-the-closing-of-west-22nd-st-nyc?redirect=false\"> circulating<\/a> a petition, which has more than 1,000 signatures, for the city to open the street. In addition to safety concerns, they also cite the traffic diverted to nearby blocks.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe effect is that they have a city-funded front yard,\u201d said Joseph Neuhaus, 65, a lawyer who is Loomis\u2019 husband. \u201cThe neighbors on all the other blocks have to put up with the inconvenience.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Molly Harris, 51, an immigration lawyer who lives on the street, said the barriers cause confusion about who is allowed there and give an unwanted impression that it is an \u201cexclusive street.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/pro-open-streets-tom-lunke-1.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"A picture of Tom Lunke.\" class=\"wp-image-24883348\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/pro-open-streets-tom-lunke-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1535 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/pro-open-streets-tom-lunke-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/pro-open-streets-tom-lunke-1.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Block resident Tom Lunke said a group of volunteers is now working on alternatives to reduce traffic on the street. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">Helayne Seidman<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI think that\u2019s extremely problematic,\u201d she said. \u201cI also think that 12 hours a day is a bit extreme, more than a bit extreme.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Block resident Tom Lunke, 63, a retired urban planner, said a group of volunteers was now working on alternatives to reduce traffic on the street, including without barriers, that they hoped to present to the city this month.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe idea of having a street that\u2019s designed specifically to slow down cars and provide greenery and places to sit for pedestrians without the gates at Eighth Avenue, I think that\u2019s a win-win for everybody,\u201d Lunke said.<\/p>\n<p>DOT spokesman Vin Barone said, \u201cwe look forward to exploring design solutions that are less dependent on movable barriers.\u201d\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/12\/03\/chelsea-residents-demand-city-remove-street-closure\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Chelsea residents demand city remove street closure&#8221; Chelsea residents say a pandemic-related street closing is itself posing a safety hazard by delaying emergency vehicles and it needs to be scrapped. Metal barriers at the intersection of West 22nd Street and Eighth Avenue close the block off to all but local traffic for a whopping 12&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":520476,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/newspress-collage-24864029-1670071727322.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1670053819&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[136654,62258,71328,83955,75323,74484],"class_list":["post-520475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-3-22","tag-chelsea","tag-department-of-transportation","tag-pandemics","tag-petitions","tag-safety"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=520475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/520475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/520476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=520475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=520475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=520475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}