This week, New York City’s Department of Transportation announced that they were planning to add signage to the streets to help pedestrians navigate the city more easily. The wayfinding system will provide clear signs that tell people their location, how long it takes to walk to key locations and gives a map of the area.
PSFK (a ‘go-to source for new ideas and inspiration for creative professionals’) reported that recent surveys carried out in the area found that 9% of New Yorkers and 27% of visitors admitted being lost in the past week. 13% of New Yorkers weren’t familiar with the area they were surveyed in and 27% of visitors couldn’t name the borough.
With 31% of all trips in NYC made by foot, the Department of Transportation believes the city is an ideal location for launching a comprehensive pedestrian sign system to encourage walking and relieve overcrowding on public transport. Read more from PSFK here.
While on the topic of walking in New York, we came across an urban renewal project that is breathing new life into the act of ‘walking’ in the city. Called ‘The High Line’, the project has converted an abandoned elevated railroad in Manhattan into a park and walking track above the city buildings. It’s breathing new life into the borough that it is situated in, and is a great example of innovative thinking that is improving not only the transport alternatives, but the urban life of the nearby residents. Our traffic engineer, Andrew Morse, was lucky enough to walk the length of the High Line and says ‘it’s such a different and beautiful way to see this part of the city and it connects well with the popular Meatpacking district’.
You can read more about The High Line on their website here, or watch a video with the project’s creator, Robert Hammond, delivering a speech about his vision and turning it into a reality on TED below.