BYE BYE, CARS!: DE BLASIO ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS JOIN ADVOCATES FOR A BICYCLE RIDE BEHIND LAST CAR DRIVING THROUGH CENTRAL PARK

World's most iconic green space goes permanently and officially car-free tomorrow; Only Central Park’s four transverse roads will now be open to private vehicles, returning park to its original purpose as an urban refuge and recreational space

  Officials from the de Blasio Administration will join parks and cycling advocates on Tuesday evening for a bike ride behind the last car driving through Central Park.  As of 7pm this evening, the park is now entirely and permanently car-free, restored to its original use as an urban refuge and recreation space.

“Back on Earth Day, we announced that this summer, Central Park would be once and for all dedicated to people, not cars,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio.  “For more than a century, we had turned parts of the world’s most iconic park into a highway – and starting tonight, we have officially taken it back for good. We are prioritizing the safety and the health of the millions of people who flock to Central Park.  A special tonight goes to those advocates, pedestrians, cyclists and park lovers who fought for decades for a priceless policy change.”

In April, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that as of June 27, the last sections of Central Park’s loop drives in the southeastern corner of the park -- that had remained open to cars during weekday rush hours -- would become permanently car-free. Tomorrow was chosen as the first car-free day because public school classes concluded today and outdoor pools open tomorrow across the city.   The transverse roadways at 97th, 86th, 79th and 65th Streets are unaffected by these changes, as they were built into the park’s original design as fully-separated, below-grade streets to accommodate thru-traffic.  This past January, Mayor de Blasio had also designated Brooklyn’s Prospect Park permanently car-free. Both of the city’s iconic 19th century parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux are permanently car-free.

“We are thrilled to be here tonight to take an evening bike ride and wave goodbye to Central Park’s final car  -- ushering in a new era for one of the world’s most iconic green spaces,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “This change in Central Park, as well as in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park earlier this year, will make all the difference to pedestrians and cyclists, and everyone who loves our parks.  We thank the Mayor for his leadership, along with Transportation Alternatives and other advocates who fought for decades to make this day a reality.”

“Making Central Park traffic-free shows the country and the world how clean, accessible, and safe an urban park can really be,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “Thanks to the Mayor, DOT, and our friends at the Central Park Conservancy, we can enjoy this beloved, historic park in a whole new way.”

“Central Park is an oasis of open space in our concrete jungle, an urban landmark in which cars have felt out of place for some time now,” said City Council Speaker Corey Johnson. “I am thrilled we are taking this final step in returning Central Park to its original intentions, and I encourage all New Yorkers – and tourists too – to enjoy this incomparable, and now car-free, park to the fullest this summer and forever after.”

EDITOR'S NOTE:

We can only count the days down until we can say 'BYE BYE' to our current mayor.