DUMBO Residents, Commuters Frustrated With Flocks Of Photographers
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- It's been named one of the most popular spots for Instagram pictures in New York City, but all of the people looking for that perfect photo opp are causing some safety concerns.
It's an iconic shot -- the Manhattan Bridge framing the Empire State Building -- and you can only see it from Washington Street in DUMBO.
"I Googled it and I see the picture is wonderful here. That's why we come here," tourist Ashley Onslo told CBS2's Ali Bauman.
But for commuters and residents, the view is getting old.
"There's people going back and forth taking pictures, sometimes laying on the floor, and they really don't care," commuter Albert Colon said.
"You can honk, you can actually inch up to the person that's actually trying to take the picture and literally until you get, like, a half an inch away, will they only then move," commuter Sam Pepic said.
Cell phones and Sony cameras fill the intersections, day or night.
"Some days there will be people who shut down the streets with no police authorization for music videos and stuff," one resident said.
"From the second floor I hear the honks and the 'get out of the way,'" Pepic said.
The view isn't anything new, but it used to be considered a neighborhood secret before social media turned it into a destination.
"Posting and just the commodity of actually taking this picture here ... I'd say it's picked up vastly in the past couple of years," Pepic said.
Add some costumed characters and it can feel like a mini Times Square.
"They should make it a pedestrian plaza, like similar with what they've done to Broadway," one man said.
NYPD data shows there have been at least 13 traffic collisions on that block so far this year.
"Make it just a pedestrian walkway instead of people having to, like, guess because no matter what, they're not gonna stop coming down here," resident Dan Melnick said.
The Department of Transportation says they would consider redesigning the street to address residents' concerns.
But for now, a picture may be worth a thousand words, but only one word matters on this block -- move.
