A Manhattan Crossing
New Yorkers like to say they can walk faster than the crosstown bus.On 34th Street, buses average about four miles an hour.For those in a hurry, pretty much everyone here, it's an icy pace for a crosstown trip.Janette SadikKhan, the city's transportation commissioner, is proposing an interesting fix for 34th Street.
The city plan would close 34th Street to nonbus traffic in the block between the Empire State Building and Macy's.On the rest of the street, cars would move one way only.It would take getting used to, but for bus passengers, the city says there are more than 40，000 a day on public, tour or commuter(通勤者)buses along 34th Street.The plan should cut the commute by up to 35 percent.
People in other vehicles or about 10 percent of the human traffic would have to zig and zag(锯齿形)to get through this section of the city.It is probably fair to say that most are not particularly pleased about the whole concept.
So the city needs to answer important questions.Will this unrest mean more traffic on side streets that are already unbearably crowded？Will deliveries be limited to the daybreak hours？Will Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Ms.SadikKhan be willing to change or drop the plan if it simply won't work?
The Bloomberg administration has worked to improve bus traffic around the city.An experiment to speed up city buses along Fordham Road in the Bronx has already reduced travel time and increased passengers' number.
Urban planners have been studying the city's crosstown problems since the first traffic jam.Robert Moses at one point proposed a major highway just south of 34th Street, part of which would go through an office building.The question is still whether it will really make it easier to operate in Manhattan.
Notes：
①unrest n ． 动乱，动荡 ②concept n ． 概念
