Last time I was in New York I was struck by how poorly it serves pedestrians in many places, and I really don't see that as a "pedestrians versus cars" thing. I don't think cars in Midtown are very well-served by the fact that the sidewalks are so narrow that pedestrians spill out onto the street to avoid the crush, or that poorly timed lights lead to box blocking at every intersection; a nuisance for pedestrians, but traffic jam causing for automobiles. (Some) Drivers howl if you suggest taking a lane away for, say, wider sidewalks or a protected bike lane, but to me those 3-4 lane urban streets make things worse for drivers because aggressive drivers (and in a city of cabs there are a lot of those) are constantly switching lanes. At the very least that makes driving more stressful, though I'd imagine that quite often it actually slows things down.
Smart improvements can be win-win, hopefully they spend the money well...
