Next month, New York City will expand its Summer Streets program, doubling the amount of pedestrian-friendly, car-free space to 20 miles.
All five boroughs will be included in the expansion, which will last until August. It will stretch from 125th Street in Manhattan to Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn, Vernon Boulevard in Queens, the Grand Concourse in the Bronx, and Richmond Terrace in Staten Island.
In Long Island City, Queens, Mayor Adams announced the start of the enlarged program on Monday morning.
“I hope folks are not missing this. We drove to Eastern Parkway instead of the tiny, dead-end block and said, “Let’s open it and be just symbolic.” We traveled to the Bronx’s Grand Concourse, the most enormous concourse in the city, Adams said.
“We’re going after the big areas where people can congregate together and walk around.”
The program, which debuted in 2008 but was suspended during the pandemic for a year, resumed operations between 2018 and 2021.
Over 500,000 individuals participated in the program, offering free bicycle maintenance and instruction the previous year.
This year, it will result in the closure of 20 miles of streets to cars at various moments throughout the summer, which may not be a scenario that many drivers are thrilled about, especially regarding critical thoroughfares like Eastern Parkway.
However, the mayor didn’t appear very concerned and hoped that Summer Streets would inspire cars to take public transportation, ride a bike, or walk instead of getting behind the wheel.
“I’m astonished at how few people use our subway system and discover how fantastic it is. Even some citywide leaders may not have been on board for very long. I ride the train a lot. It’s a great way to get around the city, according to Adams.
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