Yo! Did you know that Prospect Park in Brooklyn was totally car-free this summer from Monday, July 17 through Monday, September 11—almost two whole months?
Well, it was. And the experiment went so swimmingly that Mayor Bill De Blasio announced on Monday that this new traffic-free park will be the norm from now on.
That’s right! Starting this January 2nd, both East and West drives of the park will be closed to vehicles. Like, for good!
De Blasio framed his decision as aiming to preserve the park as the “safe, quiet refuge for Brooklyn’s families” that it was always intended to be.
Dating all the way back to the late 1800s and featuring all kinds of events and concerts along with the greenery, this Brooklyn oasis is definitely worth protecting from the city smog.
The change is not expected to have much of an impact on traffic or travel times in the park or on the surrounding streets—pedestrians and cyclists already outnumber car traffic at a ratio of 10 to 3, so giving them free rein only makes sense.
Police and Parks Department vehicles will still be allowed in though, in case any vandals out there thought they finally had a free-for-all.
Cars definitely aren’t getting the best press in NYC lately—a recent report on major traffic hotspots found that through a combination of wasted time, carbon emissions, and wasted fuel, the use of these vehicles is projected to cost almost $64 billion.
Guess there’s always Citi Bike?
[via Gothamist] [Feature Image Courtesy Instagram]