The New York City Department of Transportation wants to create a pedestrian plaza at the north end of Union Square.

According to an article by Michael M. Grynbaum in the April 24, 2010 edition of The New York Times "almost all traffic would be banned from the black of Broadway north of Union Square between 17th and 18th Streets" and "a pedestrian plaza would...be installed on East 17th Street, which runs along the north side of Union Square, replacing a lane of traffic."

Janette Sadik-Kahn, the department's commissioner, was quoted in the article as stating that "Union Square is one of Manhattan's great spaces, but the surrounding streets have always been a bit of a mystery. By simply reconfiguring the area, we can solve some of the traffic problems that have been an issue for decades."

The plan, which was to be presented to a community board this week, would block automobile traffic heading south on Broadway at East 18th Street where cars would be forced to take a left turn and East 17th Street would become one-way with only one lane of westbound traffic.

"A single lane on Broadway between 17th and 18th Streets would be kept open for cars seeking to loop around from East 18th Street. A parking lane would also be including on the block," according to the article.

The north end of the park is often used as a farmers' market that is very popular despite the fact that the farmers' trucks that surround the market are not pristine and magnificent.

Commissioner Sadik-Kahn created pedestrian plazas on Broadway in the Times Square and Herald Square areas and recently indicated she wanted to dramatically change the traffic patterns on 34th Street to accommodate a pedestrian plaza between Fifth Avenue and the Avenue of the Americas. These changes have not been accompanied by environmental studies that normally are required for major urban planning projects.