New York City will close another two miles of streets to cars this week as part of an effort to give pedestrians and cyclists more space to spread out during the coronavirus pandemic.
As of May 7, the city will work with local Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) to open up 1.9 miles of streets to New Yorkers in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. The latest round of street closures comes less than a week after the city launched its open streets initiative by pedestrianizing seven miles of asphalt in and near parks.
“You’re going to see these, kind of, open streets in all five boroughs more and more,” de Blasio said at a Wednesday press conference. “And you’re going to see different kinds of organizations that have the capacity to help make them work and give them real structure.”
The new 1.9 miles launching Thursday are:
- Broadway between E. 21st and E. 23 streets in Manhattan
- Broadway between W. 24th and W. 28th streets in Manhattan
- Broadway between W. 36th to W. 41st streets in Manhattan
- Orchard Street between Delancey and Houston streets in Manhattan
- Ludlow Street between Delancey and Houston streets in Manhattan
- Stanton Street between Allen and Essex streets in Manhattan
- Rivington Street between Allen and Essex streets in Manhattan
- Willoughby Street between Pearl and Lawrence streets in Brooklyn
- Lawrence Street between Fulton and Willoughby streets in Brooklyn
- Willis Avenue between E. 147th and E. 148th streets in the Bronx
- E. 148th Street between Willis and Bergen avenues in the Bronx
- 34th Avenue between 69th and 77th streets in Queens
All streets, except for the strip of 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, will be managed by local BIDs, which are quasi-governmental groups that promote the interests of commercial corridors in neighborhoods across the city.
The open streets initiative was unveiled in late April, in partnership with the City Council, after transportation advocates and elected officials hounded the mayor to revisit the concept after he scuttled a car-free streets pilot only 11 days after its launch.
New York City missed its chance to be a leader on the issue, with other U.S. cities including Oakland, Boston, and Minneapolis already creating miles of new public space for locals to properly social distance. But New York ultimately plans to close 100 miles of streets to cars in the coming months—a significant commitment from a mayor who only weeks earlier described New York as “just profoundly different than those other cities.”
City officials are kicking the effort off with at least 40 miles of streets in May. The Council says it will identify additional streets with communities in the coming weeks.
The mayor also announced a transportation recovery panel this week, noting that it will focus less on “the immediate restart decisions” and more on “how we think about the months and years ahead.” A shift away from car dependency is a top priority of that panel. City Hall has yet to announce the members of that new board.
“Is this a moment to rethink how we get away from too much dependence on cars? And the answer is yes,” de Blasio told reporters. “We need to see this as a transformational moment—even with all the pain, even with all the challenges—we are not going to bring New York City back the way it was.”
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May 07, 2020 at 04:36AM
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New York City rolls out next wave of open streets - Curbed NY
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