IN THE annals of stupid ideas, this has got to be the worst. Ever.
Yesterday, as New Yorkers dragged themselves back to work, they found cheap beach chairs thrown into the middle of Times Square, replacing buzzing, honking, vehicular traffic with gas-producing tourists, who really ought to lay off the Starbucks venti chocolate mint frappuccinos, anyway.
SMOOTH RUSH-HOUR DEBUT FOR CAR-FREE B’WAY
Turning the Crossroads of the World from the vibrant, frenetic, center of the universe into a butt-littered suburban parking lot is an idea so ferociously dumb, it harks of other catastrophic decisions. Such as the moment Eliot Spitzer uttered the fateful words, “Of course I’m not married.”
Whoops.
Mayor Bloomberg, admit you were wrong. I dare not hold my breath.
Our mayor, who tried, and failed, to shove congestion pricing down our collective throat, has thrown the mother of all hissy fits. It’s payback time. And New Yorkers — those who actually live here — must pay.
As I wandered through Times Square, I was struck by how few people actually sat on the flimsy furniture that littered the streets like a going-out-of-business sale. The sidewalks immediately surrounding the blocked-off areas carried unusually sparse pedestrian traffic, even as the rest of the city was bursting at the seams, and traffic on the periphery was monstrously scary.
Soon it was clear why maybe half the chairs were in use. The people using the cheapo furniture, including tourists and office workers who sneaked out for a minute, stunk up the atmosphere with fumes from their Rothmans and Marlboros — a kick in the pants to a mayor who has practically turned smokers into outlaws.
I spied a group of fit, tanned men smoking up a lung, and immediately determined they were from Europe.
“It’s very, very inviting,” said Bertjam Van Der Molen, a tourist from Holland.
“We have a four-hour layover in Newark,” he said. “Enough time to come over here” — and stink us out.
“It’s terrible,” said Joe Miller, who carried his earthly possessions in plastic bags.
“I live in the streets. People smoke in the shelters! I can’t stand it.”
I’m with you, man.
A boneheaded idea, all around.