Marxist Mayor Bill de Blasio Looking to Remove Pedestrian Plazas from Times Square

Now that's just weird. A perfect example of cutting off your nose to spite your face. He wants to crush the recreational opportunity of everyone to crack down on the activities of a few lewd people. Isn't that classic leftism? Marxism even, but then, de Blasio's a Marxist.

At the New York Times, "Mayor de Blasio Raises Prospect of Removing Times Square Pedestrian Plazas":

Mayor Bill de Blasio said on Thursday that he would consider removing the pedestrian plazas from Times Square in a bid to restore order in the crowded streets of the Manhattan crossroads.

The move, which the mayor described as one of several options to be considered by a task force of New York City officials, would undo a signature accomplishment of Mr. de Blasio’s predecessor, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, whose decision to close part of Times Square to vehicular traffic has been hailed as an influential innovation in urban design.

The plazas, which replaced portions of Broadway and Seventh Avenue, are popular with tourists, theatergoers and Midtown office workers.

But conditions in Times Square have recently come under scrutiny, with some New Yorkers complaining about the proliferation of street performers — including, most notably, topless women wearing body paint — who are said to be accosting pedestrians for tips for posing for photographs.

Mr. de Blasio has been keen to demonstrate that he is addressing the concerns, and on Thursday he announced a task force to consider ideas on how to better prevent activities that the city deems illegal or harmful to the area’s quality of life.

But the mayor, at a news conference in Queens, surprised many urban planners when he said he would give “a fresh look” to whether the pedestrian plazas should remain...

More.

Plus, ICYMI, "New York to Crack Down on Times Square's Topless Women."