The city’s Department of Transportation is launching a new Open Street on Staten Island specifically geared towards the borough’s Jewish community, with its hours of operation aligned with the Sabbath.
DOT will close vehicular traffic on two connected blocks in Castleton Corners — Suffolk Avenue between Harold and Queen streets, and Vermont Court between Suffolk Avenue and Gansevoort Boulevard — on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays starting this weekend and running through September.
The hours for the Open Street, developed in partnership with the Council of Jewish Organizations of Staten Island, align with the Jewish Sabbath, which takes place on Saturdays. Among other things, observant Jews cannot operate motor vehicles during Shabbos.
“Our Shabbos Open Streets are a great example of the broad variety of partners NYC DOT engages with to manage and program our Open Streets,” said DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez in a statement. “We welcome community groups and institutions to consider applying to take part in the program and help New Yorkers reimagine their streets.”
The Open Streets will operate from 2 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
DOT also announced another summertime car-free roadway on The Rock, namely Front Street along the North Shore’s coastline. The waterfront Open Street will run about half a mile from Bay Street in Clifton to Prospect Street in Stapleton on six Saturdays this summer — June 17 and 24; July 15, 22, and 29; and August 5 — with a different theme each week.
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