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Some New York City residents believe they have a solution to midtown Manhattan’s traffic congestion. Citizen group vision42 has proposed building a light-rail system and pedestrian mall along Manhattan’s 42nd Street corridor.

The group recently unveiled the results of several corridor studies, which show that the light-rail system would cost less to operate than buses and carry three times more passengers; increase area property value by $3.5 billion; generate $277 million in annual revenue; and provide $250 million in transportation benefits such as reduced travel time, increased building occupancy, higher rent and fewer accidents.

Under vision42’s proposal, the city could close 42nd Street to vehicles and operate the light-rail line at a maximum speed of 15 mph using fuel-cell propelled vehicles.

"Light rail will be a complementary distributor for regional transit," said vision42 Chair Roxanne Warren in a prepared statement. "Subways can carry people from a long distance in a hurry, but they do not address the crowded sidewalks and slow, unreliable surface transit."