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UPDATE: De Blasio Announces Open Streets, Primarily Centered On Parks, Starts Saturday, 5/2
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 1, 2020
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Scott Lynch/Gothamist
By
Jake Offenhartz
Published May 1, 2020
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City officials have revealed the first batch of car-free streets that will soon be open to pedestrians and cyclists, as part of a hard-fought effort to give New Yorkers adequate space to socially distance as the weather gets warmer, starting at Saturday, May 2nd, when weather may hit the 70s.
Updated: In a Friday evening Tweet, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that seven miles of "open streets," the majority of which are located inside city parks, will come online starting on Saturday. Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., the corridors will be closed to vehicle traffic, with exceptions for local deliveries, pickups/drop-offs, and emergency vehicles.
The mayor and the City Council originally announced on Friday that the plan would rollout on Monday.
“New Yorkers deserve safe ways to enjoy the warm weather while we fight through this crisis, and I’m proud of my team for jumping into action with this first group of open streets,” the mayor, who spent weeks opposing the proposal, said in a statement on Friday.
After repeatedly claiming that New York could not follow other cities in converting streets during the pandemic, de Blasio reversed his position on Monday, as members of the City Council threatened to take their case to Governor Andrew Cuomo. The mayor has since committed to opening 40 miles of streets in May, and a total of 100 streets overall.
Still, some advocates for pedestrian-and-cyclist-friendly streets expressed skepticism that City Hall is truly committed to the project — noting that less than 3 miles of the initial tranche of streets were located outside of parks.
Others have called on the mayor to look to cities like Paris, where 72 percent of on-street parking for cars is being replaced by “Corona Cycleways.” Milan and Brussels have also limited driving inside their city centers.
In a blog post this week, advocates with Transportation Alternatives wrote that it was "especially important that Mayor de Blasio learns from other U.S. cities that Open Streets do not require a police presence." An initial open streets pilot program was abandoned by the mayor, who claimed it required a heavy law enforcement presence that drained the city's limited resources. It's unclear what level of enforcement the soon-to-be open streets will involve.
In what may be a sign of the administration's tepid approach, Friday's press release included the approval of City Councilmember Robert Holden, a longtime advocate for drivers, who previously claimed that cyclists were the "most dangerous" vehicles on the road.
"I believe it will have a minimal impact on the community while providing some more space for safe recreation during the pandemic," Holden said.
Tagged
COVID-19
de Blasio
coronavirus
open streets
Jake Offenhartz
Jake Offenhartz is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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