Park Ave Closed To Cars For ‘Summer Streets’ On Saturday

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY – Summer Streets, an annual program in New York City that transforms some of the city’s biggest boulevards into car-free zones, enabling pedestrians, cyclists, and other non-motorized traffic to enjoy this space without the presence of vehicles, takes place in the heart of the Upper East Side this weekend.

On Saturday, Aug. 10 – and Saturday, Aug. 17 – New Yorkers can enjoy a car-less Park Avenue from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. You’ll still have to watch out for those bicycles, however.

For those who are feeling particularly ambitious, a stretch of roadway running all the way from the Brooklyn Bridge to W. 125 Street in Harlem will be closed to cars. This includes:

• Lafayette Street and Park Avenue between Brooklyn Bridge and East 109 Street
• East 109 Street between Park Avenue and 5th Avenue
• 5th Avenue between East 109 Street and Central Park North
• Central Park North between 5th Avenue and Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard
• Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard between Central Park North and West 125 Street

New York Lags Behind

Summer Streets, which occurs a couple times each summer, is a far cry from other pedestrianized street programs in other major cities.

Paris, for example, typically closes the Champs-Élysées to cars once a month, and Mexico City closes its Paseo de la Reforma (and more) to cars almost every Sunday between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m.

New York City’s program, which began in Manhattan in 2008, has grown over the years, broadening to include streets in all five boroughs last summer.

Will Street Closures Expand?

Can New Yorkers look forward to a program like Mexico City's, or an extension of Summer Streets into fall and spring?

A spokesperson for the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), which administers the program, did not answer that questions directly.

"Summer Streets continues to grow, and we're thrilled to have expanded even further this year with extra operating hours, bringing car-free spaces and diverse programming to all five boroughs,” the spokesperson said, in a statement. “We are committed to continually expanding on its success, both through the record amount of new pedestrian space we’ve built and through our Open Streets initiative, creating vibrant public spaces for all New Yorkers to enjoy.”

Approximately 500,000 New Yorkers participated in the program last year, according to the DOT.

Other seasonal car-free street closures include Car-Free Earth Day, Holiday Open Streets in Midtown, and Trick-or-Streets on Halloween.

The DOT coordinates closely with emergency response agencies for all Summer Streets and Open Streets locations and has established rules in the Open Streets program to ensure access in case of emergencies.

Will you be out in the street on Saturday? Send your photos or stories to michael.mcdowell@patch.com.