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

Here They Are — Your Car-Free Street Scenes From Marathon Day

2:59 PM EST on November 3, 2014

If you can get to the course early enough, marathon Sunday lets you roam freely, for one morning, on some of New York's most atrocious traffic sewers. Here's a look at how some people made the most of the car-free time.

If you can't make it to the course by dawn, in the wake of the marathoners there's still some time to experience these streets without the stress of traffic:

Ben Fried
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.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Penn Station

Andy Byford’s ‘Trump Card’ On Penn Station Keeps Wrecking New York’s Infrastructure Projects

What will become of the Amtrak executive's plans for Penn Station under President Trump?

February 6, 2026
Snow Removal

FLASHBACK: What Happened To Car-Free ‘Snow Routes’ — And Could They Have Helped City Clear the Streets?

Remember those bright red signs that banned parking from snow emergency routes? Here is the curious story of how New York City abandoned a key component of its snow removal system.

February 6, 2026
Shaun Abreu

Council Transportation Chair Vows To Take On Drivers: ‘I Don’t Want To Just Futz Around the Edges’

Streetsblog grilled new chairman Shaun Abreu, who says he wants to bring more life and fewer cars to the street.

February 6, 2026
Today's Headlines

Friday’s Headlines: New York’s Strongest Edition

It's still snow problem around town. Plus other news.

February 6, 2026
Citi Bike

Lyft Appeasing ‘Winter Warriors’ With Swag As Majority Of Citi Bikes Remain Unusable

Service call? More like service gall.

February 5, 2026
Transit Funding

Budget Crunch: Advocates Push Mamdani For Massive Fair Fares Expansion

The expansion would offer free transit on the subway and bus for people making up to 150 percent of the federal poverty level, which is not a lot.

February 5, 2026
See all posts