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New push for a car-free Broadway after horrifying taxi crash

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Published  June 23, 2022 10:56pm EDT
Manhattan
FOX 5 NY

New push to make part of Broadway car-free

A new push is underway to make a stretch of Broadway car-free after a horrific crash earlier this week where a taxi cab slammed into a group of pedestrians.

NEW YORK - Hundreds of people gathered in the Flatiron District of Manhattan on Thursday evening as part of an effort to turn Broadway into a car-free zone.

The non-profit group Transportation Alternatives says it wants the city to ban cars from 33rd Street to 14th Street.

The new push comes after a horrifying crash this week when a taxi cab slammed into a group of pedestrians, pinning two women against a building and causing one of the victims to lose her leg.

RELATED: Video: Heroes help rescue victims pinned by NYC taxi

"It is always a car who is causing the damage, it is a car that is hoping the curb and pinning two women against the wall," said Samir Lavingia of Transportation Alternatives. "The real goal is to make it more pedestrian friendly."

However, not everyone is on board with the idea. Drivers say there are enough street closures already.

Of the 25 blocks of Broadway, there are 6 blocks that have been redesigned into shared streets, and pedestrian plazas, including bike lanes.

According to Transportation Alternatives, the city's Department of Transportation is working on making more improvements, but Lavingia says it doesn't go far enough.