Friday Video: The Triumph — And Tragedy — of Summer Streets

A scenic bike ride all the way from Brooklyn to the Palisades, without a single car blocking the view? Sounds great — can we do this every weekend?

Well, no. Summer Streets, the Department of Transportation’s 17th annual car-free streets event, has been expanded this year, with cars barred from more than 400 Manhattan blocks for three Saturdays this month.

And as Friend-of-Streetsblog Clarence Eckerson of Streetfilms argues in today’s video, it is an unqualified success. But to us, it’s definitely qualified: Even with the longer Manhattan route, Summer Streets still only comprises five Saturdays: three great days in Manhattan, plus one Saturday in each of the remaining boroughs. And the mileage is thinner than an intern’s resume: just 22 miles across those five boroughs.

Compare that to the civilized world: In Bogotá, Colombia, for example, cars are banished from 75 miles of roadways every single solitary blessed m’fing Sunday — a model for what a bike-oriented metropolis could look like (at least on weekends when car drivers go to their weekend estates anyway!).

So, yes, New Yorkers are stuck with the world’s crumbs. Yes, as Eckerson shows, they’re some pretty tasty morsels, but as our friends at Open Plans point out, the next mayor must extend the hours and days for Summer Streets. (You can help by signing the petition.)

Check out Eckerson’s coverage — which includes some historic footage from the first Summer Streets in 2008:

Summer Streets continues in Manhattan on Aug. 9 and 16, plus one last Saturday in Brooklyn and the Bronx on Aug. 23. Click here for full info.