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Transit Sam, Occupy Returns

ALTERNATE SIDE PARKING RULES ARE IN EFFECT ALL WEEK

Mayday, it’s May Day! Occupy-related protests will return to Lower Manhattan Thursday afternoon, when one march heads down Broadway from Union Square to Whitehall St. at 5 p.m. A simultaneous march from Union Square to Foley Square may close Lafayette from 3rd St. 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. A third will stick around the Financial District, marching down Broadway from Worth to Beaver St. Also, look for protests at Zuccotti Park (Liberty and Broadway) and Federal Hall on Wall St. There may be street closures, so avoid these streets if possible.

The Five Boro Bike Tour returns Sunday, and since it starts and ends in Lower Manhattan, expect some traffic disruptions. Closures will begin at 7:30 a.m. on the following streets: Whitehall St. between South and Water Sts., State St. between Whitehall St. and Battery Pl., Battery Pl. between State and West Sts., Washington St. between Battery Pl. and Morris St., Greenwich St. between Battery Park and Trinity Pl., Trinity Pl. between Greenwich and Cedar Sts., Church St. between Cedar and Canal Sts., and White St. between Sixth Ave. and Franklin Pl.

A benefit walk for M.S. research will close several streets near Battery Park City 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday (partially overlapping with the bike tour): Chambers St. between West St. and River Terrace, Hudson St. between Canal and Chambers Sts., River Terrace between Chambers St. and North End, 3rd Pl. between the Esplanade and Battery Pl., and Battery Pl. between 3rd Pl. and Little West St.

The Washington Market School Block Party will close Duane St. between Church St. and West Broadway 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday.

Chambers St. will close between Church and Greenwich Sts. 8 p.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Saturday. West Broadway will close between Warren and Reade Sts. 8 p.m. Friday to 5 a.m. Saturday.

A reminder: Leonard St. is closed between West Broadway and Hudson St. through May 2014 for a water main installation project.

From the mailbag:

Dear Transit Sam,

I sometimes cross Houston St. at Mercer St., where the countdown clock gives me 12 seconds to cross. Other times, I’ll cross at MacDougal St. (25 seconds) and Wooster St. (21 seconds). Houston St. has the same number of lanes at each intersection, so why the difference in crossing times?

Joe, Soho

Dear Joe,

I asked the engineers at D.O.T. Signal Engineering, and it turns out that the pedestrian signals at Mercer and Greene Sts. were actually timed for crossing to the center median, not the full width of the street. They’ve since doubled the crossing times at those lights!

Transit Sam