Last night representatives from the city DOT met with the Community Board 5 Transportation Committee to present the department's plan [pdf] for turning a block of Broadway north of Union Square into another pedestrian plaza, which would extend along East 17th Street to the eastern corner of the park, at Park Avenue South. Though some committee members seemed open to the idea (no vote was taken), grievances were aired during the public comment portion of the evening.

"You're taking the burden off of 17th Street and putting it on 18th Street," area resident Roz Harris "fumed," the Post reports. "They should leave residential neighborhoods alone," said another "irate" local, Madeline Renee. "They are creating a big problem." And Bill Abrahamson, who owns 1 Union Square West, a mix of business and residential units, was worried about a proposal to banish cars from Union Square West between East 15th and 14th streets. "I haven't heard anything about the economic impact," said Abrahamson, who's concerned about his tenants getting deliveries.

Between 2004 and 2008, there were 95 pedestrian injuries along the entire corridor (Broadway, Union Square West and Union Square East) between 23rd Street and 14th Street, and the DOT says "safety and mobility are the main goals in the proposed new design." To that end, Broadway between 23rd Street and 18th Street would also be revamped under the proposal, changing the bike lane to a Class 1 dedicated bike lane physically separated from traffic by a row of parked cars. Pedestrian refuge islands would also be added at those intersections.

The DOT plans to make the changes by Labor Day, and intends to add tables and chairs to East 17th Street between Broadway and Park Avenue South on the north side of the block, with much-needed a bike lane on the south side of the street, over Steve Cuozzo's dead body.