Doyers Street Pedestrian Plaza Closes the Angle to Vehicular Traffic for the Next Month
Don’t expect to see many cars on Doyers Street for the next month. In the interim, the so-called “Bloody Angle” will be sealed to traffic during daytime hours to allow for temporary public space. A pedestrian plaza.
It’s a page out of the local business improvment district playbook. The Chinatown Partnership shipped in the astro-turf, umbrellas, tables, and chairs, and will soon offer “programming” to placate the tourist mass that frequents the 200-foot-long block. The entire length of the curved street is lined with sections of the synthetic grass. While we were there over the weekend, one passerby noted in displeasure, “what’s with the miniature golf course here?”
Precisely.
The seasonal closure is a pilot program, and if successful, will continue in the future.
According to an announcement from the organization, Doyers Street will be closed to cars daily from 10am-8:30pm until October 9.
“[We want] everyone to enjoy and experience this sacred hidden gem where our community began and let them enjoy in a relaxed atmosphere before the weather turns cold,” a spokesperson from the Chinatown Partnership tells us. “The goal is to honor and highlight this historic birthplace of Chinatown.”
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