New Law Would Restrict Space For Times Square Vendors, Mascots

MIDTOWN, MANHATTAN, NY — As pedestrian and tourist traffic amps up in Times Square, a bill passed this week by the City Council that places limits on street vendors and costumed characters who have created unpleasant interactions with passersby in the past.

The bill, which was passed by a 39-2 measure earlier this week, restricts vendors and mascots to certain zones around Times Square, which attracted 300,000 visitors in the past month. The increase in foot traffic represents a 30 percent increase from two months prior as New York City continues to reopen after being hampered by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Councilman Keith Powers said that the legislation would enhance the overall experience in Times Square by allowing the Department of Transportation to implement rules regarding public safety concerns, establish pedestrian flow zones, and create an active organization to continuously work together on these issues.

“With this legislation, we are making one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions more attractive – and comfortable,” Powers said in a news release “Today, we are improving the bustling experience in Manhattan’s most famous public plaza by truly establishing pedestrian safety zones as we welcome back New Yorkers and visitors alike.”

City Council Speaker Corey Johnson said this week that the uptick in pedestrian traffic has created issues in Times Square in which a competition for space is created. He said that the City Council is working with the Times Square Alliance to ensure that commercial activity can take place, but that it happens in spaces that do not lead to unpleasant interactions with pedestrians.

Powers said that in recent years, the city has received more complaints about touching without consent by costumed characters in Times Square. The Times Square Alliance reported that 1 in 2 New Yorkers had unpleasant experience with vendors or mascots in Times Square while 1 in 5 had been touched without their consent.

This legislation updates existing regulations to ensure the original intent of the legislation and makes it clearer how and where commercial activity can take place. The zones currently dictate where payment for photos with costume characters is exchanged, with the ability for characters to wander outside of bounds to solicit business.

This bill would ensure all activity takes place within the appropriate zones but does not impact workers’ ability to do their job, according to the release. These updated zones will create expectations and guardrails for where business transactions can take place, making visitors and New Yorkers feel safer, while improving pedestrian flow.

The law, which now goes to Mayor Bill de Blasio, would go into effect in 60 days.

“As we look forward to New York’s recovery and the return of the hundreds of thousands of people who flock to Times Square daily, these new rules ensure that visitors, theatergoers, residents and employees have the best possible experience in this iconic neighborhood,” Times Square Alliance President Tom Harris said.