I'd like to know when it is safe to walk on Park Ave.

February 22, 2008 12:12 PM

Why are there certain intersections in Manhattan that do not have "Walk/Don't Walk" signs?

Virtually every intersection in NYC has the Walk/Don't Walk signs which tell pedestrians when it is and when it is not safe to cross. However, there is a stretch of Park Avenue, roughly between 47th and 58th streets, that do not have these signs. And being that Park Avenue is very wide, it would seem a weird place to omit them. Is it for aesthetic reasons? That section of Park is mostly office buildings and few (if any) ritzy residences that might shun such lights.

Does anyone know why these lights are absent on this section of Park Ave?

posted by nomad73 to grab bag (7 answers total)

From the NY Times:

Q. Why are there no pedestrian crossing lights on Park Avenue at 57th Street?

A. Park Avenue from 46th to 57th Street was once an open railroad yard, constructed as part of Grand Central Terminal in 1913. Once an open space for emissions when trains were powered by steam rather than electricity, Park Avenue is now part of the roof of a tunnel extending north from Grand Central.

Traffic signal poles were installed when the original yard was built. To install pedestrian crosswalk lights now would be a major undertaking, said Joseph DePlasco, a spokesman for the Department Of Transportation.

"There is no place for a pole," Mr. DePlasco said. "So there is no way to do this without major disruption of the trains in Grand Central. Maybe when Metro North modernizes the tunnel, they will include traffic crossings."

The AIA Guide to New York offers this tidbit for train buffs: the railroad's right of way was originally down Fourth Avenue back in 1832, when the New York and Harlem Railroad terminated at Chambers Street. Pigeons, Away!
posted by bedhead at 12:24 PM on February 22, 2008 [2 favorites]

Oh, and for the record, I wondered this, too, and my friend told me it had something to do with the rail yards in Grand Central. I didn't believe her, so I looked around until I found an answer. Fortunately, I had it bookmarked!
posted by bedhead at 12:28 PM on February 22, 2008

Jeepers, thanks and sorry I didn't find this on my own without bugging the AskMeFi hive.

I must say though, that DePlasco's explanation sounds a bit dodgy. If they wanted to do it, it seems like it wouldn't be such a major undertaking that would disrupt trains, etc. I just find it a bit hard to believe. But such is the bureaucracy of nyc. Thanks again.
posted by nomad73 at 12:38 PM on February 22, 2008

So, does that mean that you're just not allowed to cross the street anywhere along there? Or are you just supposed to use your best judgment on the traffic and take your chances?
posted by mccxxiii at 12:42 PM on February 22, 2008

So, does that mean that you're just not allowed to cross the street anywhere along there? Or are you just supposed to use your best judgment on the traffic and take your chances?

There are still the normal traffic lights you can follow.
posted by Calloused_Foot at 12:47 PM on February 22, 2008

Right, there are still traffic lights and crosswalks, just no pedestrian signals. So you really just have to pay very, very close attention to the traffic.
posted by bedhead at 12:57 PM on February 22, 2008

New Yorkers don't obey the signs anyway, and if the tourists are confused... well, we call it "culling the herd."

Don't feel bad about posting the question—how else would the rest of us have found out?
posted by languagehat at 7:27 AM on February 23, 2008