As part of New York City’s annual Earth Day efforts, more than 50 streets across the boroughs will be off limits to cars for a significant portion of the day.
The car-free day, known as Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day, will take place on April 20th. The yearly event is sponsored by WABC this year and is part of the local transportation department’s ongoing initiative to reduce car emissions, traffic, and congestion for a single day dedicated to showing appreciation for the environment.
Ydanis Rodriguez, the Transportation Commissioner, said on Tuesday that this year’s event will be the biggest yet, as drivers will be blocked off from sections of 53 total streets between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., which is more than 20 up from last year’s 30 car-free streets. The closures are also planned to last an hour longer than they did in previous years.
Locations that will be affected include Broadway, Union Square, and Times Square in Manhattan; Fifth Avenue in Brooklyn between 40th and 45th streets; and Woodside Avenue in Queens from 75th to 78th streets.
“Car-free day is about celebrating Mother Earth,” Rodriguez said at a news conference. “We encourage all New Yorkers on this day and as many days as possible to leave their vehicles at home and opt to more sustainable modes of transportation like transit, biking, or walking.”
City officials began restricting traffic on certain streets for Earth Day in 2016, and the event has now become an annual tradition in the city where New Yorkers are encouraged to either bike or walk on streets that would normally be congested with cars.
The transportation agency will also be hosting performances, art installations, and other programming along some of the streets closed off to drivers. While Citi Bike, with the help of Lyft, will offer free 30-minute rentals across the city during the event, which can be redeemed by anyone using the promotional code “CAREFREE24.”
On its website, the Department of Transportation has published a full list of the streets that will be closed.
