Car-Free Streets
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In Its Third Year, Car-Free Day Isn’t Getting Any Bigger
Car-Free Day is a fine event that suffers from being something of a political orphan. Mayor de Blasio has never embraced it and made it his own, and without mayoral backing it hasn't attained the scale of more notable car-free events around the world.
February 13, 2018
Saturday: Ride for Car-Free Central Park
A car-free Central Park is a popular cause, and advocates have made a lot of progress, but the job's not done yet. Below 72nd Street, car traffic still roars on the West Drive and Terrace Drive on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. The Center/East Drive between 6th Avenue and Park South and East 72nd Street is a motor vehicle shortcut on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
January 5, 2018
It Only Takes a Few Well-Placed Bollards to Make a Midtown Block Safe From Vehicular Assault
It would be a terrible mistake to replace clumsy short-term security theater with clumsy permanent security theater.
January 3, 2018
The Joy and Freedom of a City Without Car Traffic
On Sunday, streets all over Paris belonged to people biking, walking, and riding transit.
October 2, 2017
For the Tenth Summer, Park Avenue Will Go Car-Free for Three Saturdays
Saturday marks the first Summer Streets of the year, where New Yorkers can bike and walk on seven car-free miles between the Brooklyn Bridge and 72nd Street from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.
August 4, 2017
NYC Kids Shouldn’t Have to Jump Through Hoops to Get a Play Street on Their Block
Obstacles abound for local groups that want their own Play Streets. For instance, the city won't approve Play Streets without the blessing of the local police precinct and the local community board -- which is apt to be more concerned with keeping drivers happy than giving kids room to play.
July 20, 2017
NYC Needs a Network of Car-Free Streets
New York City in 2017 has several car-free blocks and pedestrianized street segments where traffic once rules, like Plaza 33 and Myrtle-Wyckoff Plaza. But unlike several other world cities, New York still doesn't have a connected grid of car-free streets.
July 14, 2017
The City That Tamed Cars So People Can Walk and Bike Where They Please
Nijmegen, a small Dutch city, was never on my radar. But I found myself in town last month for the Velo-City 2017 conference, and it was a marvel. The extent to which Nijmegen has prioritized walking, biking, and transit -- and kept car traffic at bay -- is something every city should strive for.
July 13, 2017
Envisioning NYC’s Next Streets Revolution
New York can be a city where everyone from young kids to elderly seniors can get around without fear, where neighborhood streets can be places of congregation and activity instead of motorways. To become that city, we'll have to shift a lot more street space from cars to transit, biking, and walking.
June 23, 2017
DOT to Widen Sidewalks on 7th Avenue Between Penn Station and Times Square
Midtown sidewalks are notoriously too skinny to handle the huge numbers of people on foot near Penn Station. The pedestrian crush around the nation's busiest transit hub routinely flows beyond the boundaries of the curb, and people are forced to walk in car lanes. It's uncomfortable, stressful, and dangerous. But people on foot will soon have some breathing room.
May 23, 2017
