OPEN STREETS: MAYOR DE BLASIO AND SPEAKER JOHNSON NAME FIRST STREETS TO BE USED FOR SOCIAL DISTANCING AMONG PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS

Over seven miles in all five boroughs; Streets will be open each day to pedestrians and cyclists — with limited vehicle traffic — from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. starting Monday

  In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Speaker Corey Johnson today announced the first group of streets that would be opened to pedestrians and cyclists every day starting next week, when spring temperatures are forecasted to arrive. The streets, spanning over seven miles and reaching all five boroughs, are part of the Open Streets initiative designed to provide greater social distancing among New Yorkers.

“New Yorkers deserve safe ways to enjoy the warm weather while we fight through this crisis, and I’m proud of my team for jumping into action with this first group of open streets,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Our parks have played a critical role in maintaining public health during this crisis. But we cannot afford to have a high demand for open space create unhealthy situations. That’s why we’re opening streets and offering more options for New Yorkers to get outside safely.”

"Today is a great first step and an exciting day for an entire city starved of adequate open space,” said Council Speaker Corey Johnson. The Council is glad our efforts on this initiative have brought us this far, and we are eager to work with our colleagues in government, community groups, and our neighbors to keep expanding this program in a safe, effective, and enjoyable way. While we continue our fight against this awful virus, we need to give people the space they need to maintain proper social distancing, and I'm glad we're making progress towards that goal.”

“As we continue to fight this virus, we need to provide New Yorkers with public spaces to properly socially distance while ensuring our streets remain safe,” said Deputy Mayor Laura Anglin. “I applaud and thank our agencies, the City Council, and countless partners across New York City for collaborating on a quick and actionable open streets plan. We look forward to naming even more streets in the coming weeks.”

On Monday, the Mayor and the Council announced that 40 miles of streets citywide would be opened during May to allow greater social distancing, with a plan to expand to 100 total miles to be identified in the weeks ahead.  

Beginning Monday, May 4, the following streets within parks will be open:

Park	Boro	Street	From	To	Mileage
Fort Tryon Park	MN	Margaret Corbin Drive	Fort Washington Ave	Cabrini Blvd	0.88
Forest Park	QN	Freedom Drive	Park Lane S	Myrtle Ave	1.10
		East Main Drive	Metropolitan Ave	Overlook Parking Lot
		West Main Drive	Band Shell Lot	Golf Course Lot
Silver Lake Park	SI	Silver Lake Park Rd	Forest Ave	Victory Blvd	0.72
Callahan-Kelly	BK	Sackman Pl	Truxton St	Fulton St	0.05
Flushing Meadows Corona Park	QN	Meadow Lake Drive	Model Airplane Field	Meadow Lk Bridge Parking Lot	1.50
Grant Park	BX	Grant Ave	170th St	169th St	0.20
Total mileage					4.45

The following streets adjacent to parks will also be open.

Park   Boro   Street   From  To    Mileage

Williamsbridge Oval  BX   Reservoir Oval E/W  Bainbridge Ave   Bainbridge Ave   0.60

Court Square              QN   Court Sq W                Jackson Ave        Dead End            0.10

Carl Schurz Park       MN   East End Ave             E 83rd St             E 89th St             0.31

Lt. William Tighe

Triangle                     MN   Dyckman St              Broadway            Seaman                0.05

Prospect Park            BK   Prospect Park West    3rd Street            Garfield Place      0.15

Prospect Park            BK    Parkside Ave             Park Circle          Ocean Ave           0.56

Stapleton

Waterfront Park       SI      Front Street               Canal St               Edgewater St        0.51

Highbridge Park    MN   Laurel Hill Terrace    Amsterdam Ave    Amsterdam Ave   0.41

Total mileage                                    2.69

Pedestrians and cyclists can use the roadbed of each open street. No through traffic will be permitted, with remaining vehicle traffic limited to local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, necessary city service vehicles, and emergency vehicles only. These drivers are alerted to be hyper-vigilant and to drive at 5 MPH along these routes.

“We are excited to announce this first group of Open Streets for pedestrians and cyclists, many of which are in and around our parks, which have already proven to be such a precious resource during this crisis,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “But today’s streets are only the first step. We have many more miles in our sights. We urge Community Boards, BIDs and neighborhood organizations to recommend other streets we can open – particularly in areas that have been hard hit by COVID-19.”

“The additional open space that this plan provides by way of our parks, their perimeters and so much more, goes a long way toward encouraging New Yorkers to socially distance and ensuring our city’s safety and health,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. “I am inspired by the way that our sister agencies have come together to reimagine the use of the public realm.”