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

STREETFILMS: As New York Starts ‘Open Streets,’ Let’s Look at How Oakland Does It

Cities such as Oakland and Minneapolis (bottom right corner only) show how streets can be opened up for pedestrians without a lot of cops.

We're not reinventing the wheel. We're just slowing it down.

Mayor de Blasio's announcement Friday of the initial streets that will be opened to pedestrians seems to be leaning more on the model of Oakland's "slow streets" program rather than the initial NYPD-overseen pilot program that could not expand beyond a scant 1.5 miles because of the police department's insistence of deploying at least one officer one every corner.

As the latest film from our Streetsblog colleague Clarence Eckerson Jr. reveals, Oakland figured out how to do it with minimal disruption.

"People are using the streets, but not overly using them," the city's Department of Transportation Director Ryan Russo said. "We're using soft closures with road closed and pedestrian and bicycle warning signs ... but still allowing emergency vehicles and local deliveries, making those streets much more welcoming."

Russo added that drivers have respected the program and are driving slowly. "The police department is not enforcing slow streets," he said. "We want it to be self-enforcing. We're proud that other cities are also implementing slow streets."

The mayor had long insisted that New York City is different from the Bay Area. And, indeed, it is, but many of the streets chosen by the mayor for the first part of his 100-mile project — streets such as East End Avenue in Manhattan, Reservoir Oval in The Bronx, or Front Street in Staten Island — are roadways that can be Oaklandified without significant police enforcement.

And maybe New York won't prove so different after all.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Monday’s Headlines: ‘We Speak English in America’ Edition

Read that talk bubble. That's really what the cop said to a man under arrest. Plus other news from a busy weekend.

May 12, 2025

Cyclist Launches Class Action Suit For Bogus NYPD Red Light Tickets

The NYPD keeps ignoring a law that allows cyclists to pass through a red light on the "Walk" sign. Now, someone is making a federal case about it.

May 12, 2025

Decision 2025: Mayoral Hopefuls Discuss the Death of Outdoor Dining

We asked, will you commit to expanding both Open Streets and outdoor dining in the roadway. And here's what they said...

Car Harms Monday: ‘Car Brain’ is the Demon Spawn of Car Dependency

Our policies, our budgets and our cultural narratives assume everyone can and does drive. That's car brain.

May 12, 2025

Zohran Mamdani Wants to Take a Free Bus … Straight to Gracie Mansion

So let's talk about the candidate's fare-free bus policy.

May 12, 2025
See all posts