New York City created an esplanade this summer

New York City created an esplanade this summer on one of Manhattan’s busiest streets — Broadway from 35th to 42nd Street — by eliminating two lanes of vehicular traffic. Benches and chairs were installed on block-long stretches of the newly carved-out public space. The esplanade is protected — modestly — by parked cars in some areas and by 600- to 1,000-pound planters in others. Reaction has been mixed. “I enjoy it because of the crowds, because of the traffic,” a tourist from the Netherlands told The New York Times while eating a take-out lunch within several feet of passing cars, trucks, and buses. Others expressed concern that an errant vehicle could mow them down. “You’ve got exhaust coming at you,” one man noted, then added: “But it’s kind of cool.” So far, the reduction in traffic capacity has not caused traffic tie-ups, The Times reported.