Barriers at Wall Street area’s ‘Charging Bull’ are dangerous - NYC, NY - News Article Locations on Waymarking.com

On July 2, 2012, The New York Post ran this story:


"Barriers at Wall Street area’s ‘Charging Bull’ are dangerous: community board
By Dakota Debellis

The barricades around the iconic “Charging Bull” statue in the Financial District aren’t just ugly — they’re also pushing tourists dangerously into traffic, community advocates charge.

Forty members of Community Board 1 passed a unanimous resolution last week against the metal gates, arguing they put pedestrians and motorists in harm’s way.

A day later, a bicyclist was struck by a private bus at the intersection, on Broadway at Morris Street, authorities said. He was treated at New York Downtown Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.

“The NYPD [has] caged the bull continuously, creating a dangerous and unsightly mess and preventing the free flow of pedestrians on the plaza on which the ‘Charging Bull’ stands,” fumed Arthur Piccolo, chairman of the local Bowling Green Association.

The resolution also called for less intrusive security measures — comparable to other tourist sites in the city — at the statue.

Currently, cops in a marked car and surveillance cameras are also posted near the bull.

The NYPD angered tourists and locals by placing the barriers around the bronze bovine last September amid concerns for his safety during Occupy Wall Street protests.

The barriers were also put around much of the north plaza at Bowling Green Park.

Cars, trucks and buses frequently honk at tourists who spill into the streets. Officers posted at the bull every day are there to protect those visitors and pedestrians, law-enforcement sources said.

“We had tremendous crowds coming to see the ‘Charging Bull’ for almost 22 years, and for all those years, we never had barricades,” Piccolo said.

Patrice Broussard, of Biloxi, Miss., visited with her family last week and said she was nearly hit by a car while waiting outside the barricades for a chance to get a photo of the statue.

“You have to stand in the street if you want a good picture, because the barricades are in your way,” she told The Post.

Community advocates say the increased foot traffic in the street creates a dangerous situation, particularly with the spike in visitors in the summer.

“A classic New York scene is being destroyed,” said Ibrahim Kurtulus, 42, vice chairman of the Bowling Green Association. “It’s creating congestion. They’re flowing into the streets on the left and right side of the bull. It’s a major chaotic situation. It’s ludicrous.”

A spokesman for the Department of Transportation said it was working to create additional pedestrian space around Battery Park and Bowling Green, including near the bull."

Type of publication: Newspaper When was the article reported?: 07/02/2012 Publication: New York Post Article Url: [Web Link] Is Registration Required?: no How widespread was the article reported?: local News Category: Arts/Culture

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