Remember This Hashtag – #marathonfunday
Quick, what's the biggest car-free event of the year?
By
Ben Fried
5:25 PM EDT on October 31, 2014

Quick, what’s the biggest car-free event of the year?
Summer Streets gives New Yorkers the longest stretch of contiguous roadway with no traffic, but marathon Sunday might reclaim more asphalt — even if you don’t count the route itself, all the car-free side streets along the way add up.
Of course, if you get up early enough you can enjoy block after block of the marathon route before the course gets cleared for the race. Doug Gordon and his daughter Galit did it last year on Fourth Avenue in Brooklyn and it looks like a ton of fun.
This year there’s a movement afoot on Twitter to capture the spirit of car-free New York City streets on marathon day. To share your photos, use the hashtag #marathonfunday.
Ben Fried started as a Streetsblog reporter in 2008 and led the site as editor-in-chief from 2010 to 2018. He lives in Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, with his wife.
Read More:
More from Streetsblog New York City
Can Bus Riders Form A Voting Bloc? We’re About To Find Out
Transit advocates have a new plan to turn bus riders into a political force.
November 3, 2026
Bronxites: Don’t Sacrifice Our Waterfront Access For Yet Another Amazon Warehouse
A logistics company is looking at building a large warehouse on the South Bronx waterfront, and environmental advocates want the state to intervene.
November 3, 2026
Tuesday’s Headlines: Empire State Wilting Edition
It was easier to build New York's iconic tower than it is to build bike lanes. Plus other news.
November 3, 2026
Report: NYPD’s Dangerous Increase In High-Speed Pursuits Did Not Decrease Crime
So what were John Chell and Jeffrey Maddrey doing by ramping up police chases? Nothing successful, that's for sure, a new report shows.
November 2, 2026
Would A One-Way Conversion Fix Brooklyn’s Grand Street Or Make It Worse?
The idea would be to convert Grand Street and Metropolitan Avenue, but that could turn both roads into speedways.
November 2, 2026