Transportation Revolution (1899 - 1936)
September 13, 1899 - Henry H. Bliss becomes the first person killed in an automobile accident in the United States.
Henry H. Bliss was struck and killed by a taxi cab as he got off the streetcar at 74th St and Central Park west (Dimeo- Ediger 2009) . While this is not a “major” event in New York City’s history, it is worth mentioning. This event started the battle between pedestrian rights and automobiles in an urban setting. New York since Mayor Bloomberg has been working to regain space for the pedestrian on the streets (see The 21st Century Battle for Public Space).
1904 - First subway begins operation.
Prior to 1904 Manhattan, and the rest of New York, was still an efficient transportation city between the use of streetcars, railways, ferries, and bridges (Revell 2003). Between 1904 and 1925, 600 miles of subway was constructed beneath the streets of New York. New York was able to build that extensive of a subway system due to the fact that the need for a citywide transportation network to alleviate pedestrian congestion, outweighed the political resistance (Revell 2003).
In order to fund the subway project, the city needed to join into a series of public and private partnerships due to the fact that the city could not borrow more than 10% of its assessed property value (Revell 2003). Unfortunately, as time progressed, the private companies started to pull their funding, which led to a change in NYC laws to allow the public to borrow more funds. The debate over the funding of the subway led to an all out political debate between the private transit companies and the city planning office and whether or not the city obtained the funds in an antimonopoly manner (Revell 2003). In the end the subway system was completed despite the financial setbacks, making it the longest system in North America.
In order to fund the subway project, the city needed to join into a series of public and private partnerships due to the fact that the city could not borrow more than 10% of its assessed property value (Revell 2003). Unfortunately, as time progressed, the private companies started to pull their funding, which led to a change in NYC laws to allow the public to borrow more funds. The debate over the funding of the subway led to an all out political debate between the private transit companies and the city planning office and whether or not the city obtained the funds in an antimonopoly manner (Revell 2003). In the end the subway system was completed despite the financial setbacks, making it the longest system in North America.
1931 – 1936 – THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE BRIDGES
Although the 5 boroughs were consolidated through the subway system, they were not necessarily all joined together above ground. The creation of the Brooklyn Bridge facilitated movement [pedestrian and carriage/cars] between Manhattan and Brooklyn, the other boroughs were restricted to train and street car. In 1931 the George Washington Bridge began operations, and then in 1936 the Triborough Bridge finally linked Manhattan with the Bronx and Queens. The “GW” connects Manhattan at 179th to Fort Lee, New Jersey. While this bridge is not just in the 5 boroughs, it does expand the accessibility of the metropolitan area. The “Triboro” [officially called the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge] crosses the Harlem River, the Bronx Kill, and the Hell Gate portion of the East River to connect the 3 boroughs. Randall’s Island and Wards Island stabilize the bridges across the rivers. The Triboro was originally planned in 1916 but did not receive funding until the mid 1920’s with the New Deal (Burrows & Wallace 1999). Still to this date, the Staten Island Ferry is the main connector for Staten Island to Manhattan for pedestrians. There is no easy access for cars and trains |