De Blasio: We Will Deal ‘Aggressively’ with Painted, Near-Naked Women on Times Square

Mayor de Blasio Raises Prospect of Removing Times Square Pedestrian Plazas (The New York Times) 

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 traffichas 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.