New York to create a pedestrian wayfinding system


This week, New York City’s Department of Transportation announced that they were planning to add signage to the streets
to help pedestrians navigate the city more easily. The wayfinding system will
provide clear signs that tell people their location, how long it takes to walk
to key locations and gives a map of the area.

PSFK (a ‘go-to source for new ideas and inspiration
for creative professionals’) reported that recent surveys carried out in the
area found that 9% of New Yorkers and 27% of visitors admitted being lost in
the past week. 13% of New Yorkers weren’t familiar with the area they were
surveyed in and 27% of visitors couldn’t name the borough.

With 31% of all trips in NYC made by foot, the
Department of Transportation believes the city is an ideal location for
launching a comprehensive pedestrian sign system to encourage walking and
relieve overcrowding on public transport. Read more from PSFK here.

While on the topic of walking in New York, we came
across an urban renewal project that is breathing new life into the act of
‘walking’ in the city. Called ‘The High Line’, the project has converted an abandoned
elevated railroad in Manhattan into a park and walking track above the city
buildings. It’s breathing new life into the borough that it is situated in, and
is a great example of innovative thinking that is improving not only the
transport alternatives, but the urban life of the nearby residents.  Our traffic engineer, Andrew Morse, was lucky
enough to walk the length of the High Line and says ‘it’s such a different and
beautiful way to see this part of the city and it connects well with the
popular Meatpacking district’.

You can read more about The High Line on their website here, or watch a video with the project’s creator, Robert Hammond, delivering a
speech about his vision and turning it into a reality on TED below
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