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

A Round and a Roundy: ‘Open Streets for Schools’ Keeps Kids Safe

How our cartoonist saw the issue. Cartoon: Bill Roundy

Editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy by editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy.
Editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy by editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy.
Editorial cartoon of Bill Roundy by editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy.

Our editorial cartoonist Bill Roundy has been bemusedly watching the current debate over open streets for school kids.

We know that open streets keep kids safe from the coronavirus. And we know that open streets keep kids safe from the ever-present threat of being run over by a reckless driver. So certainly we know that the same thing is true for open, car-free streets in front of schools, right?

Apparently, this basic thinking is lost on car-loving Mayor de Blasio, who claimed last week that he's considering eliminating car traffic on streets around schools even though his actual words suggested he hadn't spent even 10 seconds thinking about doing any such thing. (In case you missed it, we covered the story in collaboration with Chalkbeat.)

The good news is that we've been watching Mayor de Blasio long enough to know his typical pattern: He pretends that suggestions like "open streets for schools" are just fringe thoughts thrown at him by people like us with "narrow" "world views." But then pressure mounts — and when the New York Times finally sides with the narrow-viewers, he implements a terrible version of the very thing we've been talking about. Then he slowly gets around to fixing it, albeit at one-tenth the scale it should be.

In other words, there's hope.

All of Bill Roundy's cartoons are archived here.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

‘Preventable’: Hit-and-Run Driver Kills Two on Third. Ave Corridor Eric Adams Refuses to Make Safer

A motorist struck and killed two men on a strip where Mayor Adams recently shelved a safety redesign amid a backlash from local business interests.

July 11, 2025

Why No BRT For NYC? Two New Reports Tackle Why Your Bus Service Sucks

Years of bus priority projects barely made a dent in speeds because Big Apple leaders won't install real bus rapid transit, two recent reports argue.

July 11, 2025

Citi Bike Riders Are Pissed About Eric Adams’s 15 MPH Speed Limit

Citi Bike's new 15 mph max speed limit is a bad deal for riders and a potential threat to safety, riders said.

July 11, 2025

Friday Video: Cyclists, Check Out Your Next City

Streetfilms' Clarence Eckerson visited London earlier this summer to check in on the Big Smoke's cycling revolution.

July 11, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Just the News Edition

We've got one more workday before we can hit the beach. Plus the news.

July 11, 2025

Council To Close Instacart Loophole, Pass Delivery Industry Regulation Bills

The City Council will vote on Monday to close the "Instacart loophole" and force all app companies to pay workers a minimum wage.

July 10, 2025
See all posts