The early results of the ‘creative bollard’ thinking that’s been going were quietly evidenced on Broad Street over the past week, as the final stages of a renovation are nearing completion. At the northern (where Broad becomes Nassau at the Wall Street juncture) and southern ends most of the traffic control barriers were large, rectangular planters with a pebbled concrete finish prone to deterioration at the edge. Now, a few replacements have appeared, in the form of abstract lumps covered with a bronze-like finish (I have spent some time staring at and running my hand over it to try and figure it out, but the presence of men with semi-automatic rifles made me a tad apprehensive about detailed inspection), likely some type of anodized aluminum. They are clevely chamfered in an asymettrical pattern so that if they are rotated, two adjacent barriers look unique (two or three are adequate to clog a sidewalk). They are an improvement over the various form of planter the city has used elsewhere, but, again, their presence is mandated by an unenlightened attitude about vehicular traffic, and thus are condemned to look instrusive and fundamentally ugly (given what prompts their use and how they function).
You can also see what an example of what the checkpoint booth of the future looks like at the intersection of Nassau and Pine Streets. These weatherproof lean-tos (if I’m going to continue to write about downtown, I really need to become more conversant in this security jargon) come in a wide variety, from ugly to uglier. Surely, budget concerns and the belief that someday they can be removed mandate spartan digs, but perhaps the city can force the winners of the street furiture RFP to come up with something better. The Nassau Street version looks like it was recycled from the cheapest aluminum windows they could find, finished in that shade of brown that makes you think whomever first spec’d it really actually hated making windows. Aside from its unfortunate color, uninspired form, and bland detailing, there isn’t much good to say about it, except that painting the barricades themselves black doesn’t help their appearance either. But if someone thinks this is a good idea, then they should factory finish the metal so it doesn’t look like it was brush-painted on-site.
And a note to the Park Row activists: the police must be taking everyone’s anger seriously. Temporary barriers constructed on Pearl Street are being replaced by surface-mounted curbs with standard park (black, wrought iron) fencing. If you look closely, you can tell it could be removed without too much fanfare, but at a distance it really looks like they found themselves a new parking lot. And, really, you should all quiet down. A cop or a fireman can’t properly do his or her job unless they are parking their private vehicle on a sidewalk somewhere.
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It a maze, but there’s no prize for making it out.
The early results of the ‘creative bollard’ thinking that’s been going were quietly evidenced on Broad Street over the past week, as the final stages of a renovation are nearing completion. At the northern (where Broad becomes Nassau at the Wall Street juncture) and southern ends most of the traffic control barriers were large, rectangular planters with a pebbled concrete finish prone to deterioration at the edge. Now, a few replacements have appeared, in the form of abstract lumps covered with a bronze-like finish (I have spent some time staring at and running my hand over it to try and figure it out, but the presence of men with semi-automatic rifles made me a tad apprehensive about detailed inspection), likely some type of anodized aluminum. They are clevely chamfered in an asymettrical pattern so that if they are rotated, two adjacent barriers look unique (two or three are adequate to clog a sidewalk). They are an improvement over the various form of planter the city has used elsewhere, but, again, their presence is mandated by an unenlightened attitude about vehicular traffic, and thus are condemned to look instrusive and fundamentally ugly (given what prompts their use and how they function).
You can also see what an example of what the checkpoint booth of the future looks like at the intersection of Nassau and Pine Streets. These weatherproof lean-tos (if I’m going to continue to write about downtown, I really need to become more conversant in this security jargon) come in a wide variety, from ugly to uglier. Surely, budget concerns and the belief that someday they can be removed mandate spartan digs, but perhaps the city can force the winners of the street furiture RFP to come up with something better. The Nassau Street version looks like it was recycled from the cheapest aluminum windows they could find, finished in that shade of brown that makes you think whomever first spec’d it really actually hated making windows. Aside from its unfortunate color, uninspired form, and bland detailing, there isn’t much good to say about it, except that painting the barricades themselves black doesn’t help their appearance either. But if someone thinks this is a good idea, then they should factory finish the metal so it doesn’t look like it was brush-painted on-site.
And a note to the Park Row activists: the police must be taking everyone’s anger seriously. Temporary barriers constructed on Pearl Street are being replaced by surface-mounted curbs with standard park (black, wrought iron) fencing. If you look closely, you can tell it could be removed without too much fanfare, but at a distance it really looks like they found themselves a new parking lot. And, really, you should all quiet down. A cop or a fireman can’t properly do his or her job unless they are parking their private vehicle on a sidewalk somewhere.