Car-Free Streets
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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
Downtown Hartford Marries Parking Meter Reform With Car-Free Streets
Pratt Street is the latest street in the United States to go car-free, at least some of the time, as part of Hartford's first agreement to spend parking meter revenue on local streetscape improvements.
May 8, 2017
Bike-Share and Open Streets: A Perfect Match
Open streets events, or ciclovias, give people a new way to explore their city's streets. Without cars on the streets, they're a natural opportunity for people who don't usually ride a bike to hop on two wheels -- and that's precisely why it's important to include bike-share systems in the mix, says Stefani Cox at the Better Bike Share Partnership.
May 3, 2017
A Little Rain Didn’t Stop New Yorkers From Enjoying the Car-Free Streets This Weekend
Despite the overcast skies and drizzle, New Yorkers flocked to car-free streets in four boroughs on Saturday, the second year the city has marked Earth Day by turning over streets to people.
April 24, 2017
Oslo’s Journey to a Car-Free City Center
In 2015, the new city government in Oslo, Norway, announced its intention to make the downtown car-free by 2019. I immediately put it on my list of places to check out for Streetfilms. Last fall I made the trip, not knowing exactly what I'd find.
April 13, 2017
Rodriguez: NYC Can Move Cargo Without Relying on Big Trucks in the Center of Town
Trucks chew up NYC streets and account for a disproportionate share of traffic deaths in the city. City Council transportation chair Ydanis Rodriguez has some suggestions to reduce the impact of freight traffic on city streets.
April 12, 2017
