On Saturday , April 22 , New Yorkers will be forced out of their cars . While the city is already one of America ’s most footer - friendly metropolis , Manhattan is hand more urban space over to people to take the air and cycle in honor of Earth Day , asGothamistreports .
A full 30 blocks of Broadway , one of the city ’s major thoroughfares , will be close to cars , motortruck , and double-decker that Saturday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. That ’s a major climb from last year ’s Earth Day celebration when only four block of the street went automobile - free . The city ’s other borough will also close some road to cars for the twenty-four hours , though none of the other areas affected are as tumid as the Manhattan closure .
It ’s a move in line with New York City ’s plans to improve traffic safety and make the metropolis more well-disposed towardsbikesandpedestrians . This is n’t the only time of the year footer get to cuckold through city streets ; New York also close around seven miles of roads to vehicle dealings for three Sundays each August for an event calledSummer Streets . But New York City is behind the curve when it come to car - free 24-hour interval .
Several European cities , likeBrussels , already enter in an annual car - free day , and many are moving to make pedestrian takeovers of roads more even ( though many do n’t count metropolis buses as cars for these purpose ) . Madrid ’s Gran Vía will be closed to secret cars in the next few year , according toplans from the city ’s city manager , along with 24 of the city ’s other majordowntown streets . Oslo plans to extinguish secret car from its city center by 2019 .
In September , Paris closed off more than400 milesof its roads to gondola traffic , excluding public buses , taxis , and emergency vehicles . As part of Mayor Anne Hidalgo ’s efforts to reduce pollution from cars , several sphere of the city center will presently bepermanently closedto cars , while other roads are closed semi - on a regular basis , like the Champs - Élysées , which is pedestrian - only on thefirst Sundayof every calendar month .
[ h / tGothamist ]
