Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Car-Free Streets

Williamsburg Walks Doubles Foot Traffic on Bedford Avenue

wburg_walks.jpg

Transportation Alternatives has been measuring the effect of Williamsburg Walks, the car-free street event on Bedford Avenue, and look what they found:

Foot traffic on Bedford Avenue was 96% higher than the averageSaturday, based on pedestrian counts. The number of children and seniors using thestreet also increased. And because so much more space was available for walking andsitting, the street felt open and uncongested.

The numbers come from pedestrian counts conducted on two Saturdays earlier this summer, which averaged 240 people per 15-minute span, compared to a count of 470 pedestrians during the same interval on the first day of Williamsburg Walks.

These figures should help ease any lingering anxiety that opening streets up to pedestrians won't be good for local businesses. And they bolster the argument that car-free events should not be graded on the appearance of "crowdedness." If Bedford Avenue seems less bustling than usual when cars are gone and twice as many people are present, imagine how hemmed in pedestrians must normally be, when cars are taking up the street.

Photo: Neighbors Allied for Good Growth

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Ugly Truth: Feds’ Canal Street Raid Pushed Aside NYPD, Safety and Free Speech

President Trump's heavily armed and masked immigration troops are turning American cities into battlegrounds — and eliminating accountability and free speech in the public realm.

October 27, 2025

Bikelashers Beware! Court Street Redesign Has Turned Chaos to Safety

Court Street's protected bike lane already shows a lot of promise. But that doesn't stop the hate.

October 27, 2025

Adams Administration Has Made It Nearly Impossible To Build Safe E-Bike Charging Stations

It's impossible to build an e-bike charging cabinet in NYC, despite city initiatives meant to boost the industry.

October 27, 2025

That’s Rich! DoorDash Supports E-Bike Speed Limit

DoorDash supports a 15-mile-per-hour speed limit, but that's easy for them to say, given that under-pressure workers will be the ones getting tickets.

October 27, 2025

Monday’s Headlines: Everybody to the Limit Edition

Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani wants to keep the 15-mph Citi Bike e-bike speed limit. Plus more news.

October 27, 2025

Friday Video: Amtrak Is Way More Successful Than You Think

Why do so many people still treat Amtrak as a failure — and what would it take to deliver the rail investment that American riders deserve?

October 24, 2025
See all posts