Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan today announced that the controversial Green Light for Midtown pilot initiative to improve traffic and safety at Times and Herald Squares will be made permanent.

The pilot program was announced in February 2009 and began in May 2009, with traffic routed away from Broadway from 47th Street to 42nd Street and from 35th Street to 33rd Street. Work was completed in late August. The project re-connected Seventh Avenue through Times Square, which was previously bisected by Broadway, and simplified traffic patterns and increased the duration of green lights. Taken together, the pedestrian areas created under Green Light for Midtown created more than 2¿ acres of new public space for shoppers, office workers and tourists.

The program was initially ridiculed by many who argued that the temporary furniture was filmsy and that picnicking in the middle of busy traffic arteries was not terribly bucolic. Some retailers also expressed concerns that while the plan might increase "foot-traffic" in the area that "foot-traffic" might be in the middle of the street rather than close to their shop windows. Some theater-goers also expressed concern that getting to their theaters might take longer and not be as convenient and some Garment Center truck drivers felt that the new plazas would inconvenience their deliveries and pick-ups in the Garment Center.

An evaluation report submitted to the Mayor by the Department of Transportation last month found that the project increased taxi speeds by 7 percent overall in West Midtown and greatly enhanced safety at two of the city's most accident-prone locations. A before-and-after analysis of vehicle speeds, using global-positioning data from more than 1.1 million taxi trips, showed the 7 percent overall improvement in taxi speeds, which includes: a 17 percent increase in northbound travel speeds, a 2 percent decrease in southbound travel speeds, a 5 percent increase in eastbound travel speeds and 9 percent increase in westbound travel speeds.

The report maintained that safety at Times and Herald Squares improved dramatically, with a 63 percent reduction in injuries to motorists and passengers and a 35 percent reduction in pedestrian injuries.

The press release from the Mayor's office said that "surveys indicate clear support among New Yorkers and local businesses for the project, and the increased foot traffic has been good for business," adding that "The bottom line is overall traffic in midtown has improved and New Yorkers and city businesses are benefiting from a Times and Herald Square that are safer, more exciting destinations."

"The new Broadway is here to stay," said Transportation Commissioner Sadik-Khan. "We will now design a world-class public space that's a new center stage for the greatest city in the world," she said. The permanent design will incorporate new paving and permanent seating, as well as innovative underground event infrastructure to ensure Times Square is wired for sound and light to accommodate the many signature events that occur there every year. The project will also completely reconstruct the roadways in Times Square, which have not been structurally repaired in decades.

A Times Square Alliance survey this fall found 76 percent of all New Yorkers and 68 percent of retail managers in Times and Herald Squares said the project should be made permanent. More than 70 percent of theatergoers said that the new plazas have had a positive impact on their experience and more than 42 percent of city residents said they have shopped in the neighborhood more frequently since the changes.

"In our view, the 34th Street/Herald Square area looks and functions much better as a result of the Mayor's initiative," said 34th Street Partnership President Daniel Biederman.