New Yorkers can once again expect to see miles of the city periodically closed to cars this summer, now spanning all five boroughs. The expanded Summer Streets program, which Mayor Eric Adams called a “bold new vision for public space across the city” during a press conference on Monday, will begin on July 29 in Queens and Staten Island, and then extend to the remaining boroughs in August.
“The streets are just not places where cars drive up and down,” Adams said. “We have redefined that entire thought.”
Summer Streets began in 2008, during the Bloomberg administration, with the city’s Department of Transportation (DOT) closing down certain blocks to cars as a way to open up more outdoor recreational space in Manhattan. The program was expanded during de Blasio’s tenure, suspended in 2020 because of the pandemic and then brought back in abbreviated form in 2021.
Last year, the Adams administration provided the program with even more space, extending the Manhattan area all the way up to East Harlem. This year, the program expands to every borough, totaling 20 miles of car-free streets on select Saturdays.
“When we open our streets, we open up the opportunity to enjoy everything this city can offer,” DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said. “The streets belong to you, and to all New Yorkers – and everyone is invited.”
When the program is in swing, certain blocks in the city will be closed to automobile traffic on Saturdays between 7 a.m. and 1 p.m., according to the DOT website. Organizations and performers are being invited to submit proposals to host events on the car-free streets during this time.
Not everyone is on board with the program. In past years, people have complained about increased traffic and congestion while streets are shut down. The program calls for closing down parts of Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn and Grand Concourse in the Bronx, which are major hubs for transportation.
But Adams said the program will force would-be drivers to…
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