Jackson Heights Locals Lobby For Car-Free Street By Travers Park

JACKSON HEIGHTS, QUEENS — Jackson Heights residents are pushing the city to make good on a promise to ban cars on a stretch of 78th Street that borders Travers Park.

City Council Member Daniel Dromm and Assembly Member Catalina Cruz joined forces with dozens of residents at a crowded town hall meeting Monday night to demand the city to pedestrianize 78th Street between Northern Boulevard and 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights, according to a report by Streetsblog.

The city had long planned to ban cars on that block to connect Travers Park with the Garden School and Rory Staunton Field across the street as part of a multimillion-dollar park renovation, Streetsblog reported. Then, car dealership Koeppel Mazda, which is located at the corner of Northern Boulevard and 78th Street, opened a service entrance on the block, throwing a wrench in the city's plans.

"As of today, the administration has said they remain committed to the project as originally planned," Dromm said. "I don’t know what that means, but we have to keep the pressure on to make sure that they continue to keep that commitment to our community. There is a struggle, a battle ahead."

Residents and activists rallied last month to draw attention to the cause, and the Jackson Heights Green Alliance has launched a petition asking Koeppel Mazda and Mayor Bill de Blasio to honor the city's promise to make 78th Street car-free.

Travers Park closed in 2018 for the NYC Parks Department's massive redesign, according to the Jackson Heights Post, but a large portion reopened earlier this year. A separate capital project will create a redesigned Travers Parks’ tot lot.