A car ban in Central Park will go into effect in June, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.
“Our parks are for people, not cars,” he said in a statement. “For more than a century, cars have turned parts of the world’s most iconic park into a highway. Today we take it back.”
Motorists have been banned from the “loop drives” in the northern part of the park since 2015. Starting on June 27, they won’t be permitted on any of the drives, de Blasio said.
The ban will not apply to the transverse roads that run crosstown at 66th, 72nd, 86th and 96th streets. It also won’t apply to emergency vehicles.
Central Park goes car free in June. 24/7, 365 days a year — because parks are for people, not cars. pic.twitter.com/kvRUgIudx1
— Bill de Blasio (@NYCMayor) April 20, 2018
Advocates have been pushing for a car-free Central Park for decades, said Transportation Alternatives executive director Paul Steely White.
“We’re thrilled to finally witness a positive conclusion to the four decade-long campaign to rid Central Park of vehicular traffic,” he said in a statement.
The city also made Prospect Park permanently car-free in January after a pilot program last summer that got support from local politicians and community members.
