The city can now curb the costumed character chaos in Times Square.
Mayor de Blasio on Thursday signed a bill into law that gives the Department of Transportation authority to designate street rules for pedestrian plazas like Times Square, which paves the way for the installation of no soliciting zones.
De Blasio said that the city wants the area to remain a tourist draw, but that it needs to be reined in.
Mayor de Blasio said the city wants Times Square to remain a tourist draw, but that it needs to be reined in.
“There must be ground rules, and this bill will allow us to establish those rules,” de Blasio said before signing the bill.
The bill was crafted after complaints that the area had become a magnet for aggressive costumed characters and topless women seeking tips.
Now that it is law, the city plans to divvy up the Crossroads of the World into “activity zones,” including a no soliciting area.
It will also have areas where the performers can ask for tips.
Previously, the city didn’t have the legal authority to regulate pedestrian plazas — which are a relatively new trend in city planning — in that way.
The Times Square Alliance, which petitioned the city to make changes to the crowded area, supports the new law.
President Tim Tompkins attended the City Hall bill signing, and thanked de Blasio for taking action — and putting up with their repeated requests for change.
“We can be persistent and annoying sometimes, so thank you for putting up with that,” he said.
The city plans on releasing the new rules for Times Square in the coming days, and will then host public hearings to garner feedback.
In many of the City Council hearings about regulating the plazas, the performers showed up dressed in costumes to protest what they said was a violation of their First Amendment rights. Many said marking off areas as no solicitation zones would hurt their business.
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