New York City Council Moving Forward With Times Square Regulations
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The city is moving forward with plans to limit certain activities on pedestrian plazas.
There is a distinctively New York vibe in Times Square.
"We appreciate that Times Square is both quirky and weird, and has a certain edge to it and we don't want to limit or squelch that," City Councilman Dan Garodnick told WCBS 880's Peter Haskell.
However, he said the "anything goes" mentality needs to stop.
"We need to find ways to bring a little bit of order out of the chaos," Garodnick said.
Garodnick wants to limit the areas where costumed characters and topless women can work. Under the bill, the Department of Transportation would set guidelines.
A recent survey also suggests that the Times Square pedestrian plazas are actually driving down the number of suburbanites who go to Broadway shows.
According to Charlotte Saint Martin, president of the Broadway League, the photobombing Elmos, topless painted women, and aggressive street vendors "just isn't the atmosphere that is something that you want to deal with."
Complaints over aggressive costumed characters, panhandling, and displays that are less than family-friendly spurred the city to create a Times Square Task Force.
