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Open Streets Program Rife With Little Enforcement And Many Broken Barricades
By
David Cruz
Published Jun 21, 2020
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David Cruz / Gothamist
By
David Cruz
Published Jun 21, 2020
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The intersection of Edgecombe Avenue and West 155th Street in Sugar Hill is one of the more than 150 zones that are part of the Open Streets initiative that Mayor Bill de Blasio announced last month, which aims to make 100 miles of streets open to pedestrians and cyclists (from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.); an effort to open more space during the pandemic.
But around the city, the wooden barricades have been broken and tossed to the side. Upon first glance at the Sugar Hill stretch, one would think the area is not part of the network of open streets, with barricades intended to keep drivers out left curbside, and no enforcement or officer in sight, despite the NYPD's ranks back at full, pre-pandemic capacity.
The plan assured zones would bar unnecessary through traffic, thought the city's Department of Transportation allows drivers dropping people off or making deliveries to pass through so long as they drive at a maximum speed of 5 mph. However, drivers seems to have taken back the open streets, disregarding the rule and the barricades altogether.
It's a pattern seen in parts of the city.
A broken NYPD barricade, used to cordon off this street, lies broken as a car approaches.
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In Crown Heights, a resident named Nora, who asked her last name be withheld, thinks Open Streets is a great idea, serving as a two-fold approach to dealing with COVID-19 while allowing her Brooklyn neighbors to stretch their legs without the fear of drivers speeding through. But the barricades intended to block traffic at the designated Open Streets zone on Lincoln Place between Washington and Bedford avenues have been left on curbs for weeks. In some cases, they are left blocking wheelchair access, she said, adding that, "It's frustrating for de Blasio to claim that there's X amount of open miles of streets and and then there aren't, so I think either do the job or don't, but you can't get credit for something that's not actually happening."
Artur Kasimov of Rego Park, Queens has noticed a complete disregard for the Open Streets zone on 99th Street between 66th Avenue and the Horace Harding Expressway. Cars are usually spotted bypassing the barricade and whizzing down the street often going 20 to 30 mph, according to Kasimov. Since the program sprung up overnight in the largely Russian neighborhood, Kasimov believes a better rollout was warranted.
"I don't think putting a couple of those police barriers — those wooden, [or] metallic barriers — and just calling it a day, is gonna work. Not in this neighborhood. You need to put, especially on the first month, you need to put a cop car — you need to, even if it's just parked — and just put flashing lights, so people get nervous while they're driving to the street. There probably should be education to say, 'Hey, the [open] street is here for a reason.'"
In the East Village, more blue barricades were spotted curbside.
The city Department of Transportation referred questions to the NYPD, which did not respond to a request for comment. The Mayor's Office also did not return an email seeking comment.
With Sophia Chang
Tagged
COVID-19
nypd
de Blasio
open streets
David Cruz
David is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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