New Yorkers Get Chance to 'Reimagine' Streets, Including Shutting Them for Cars

By: Meir Strenhill.

Residents of New York City have the chance to redesign how people view streets, including the possibility of closing them to vehicular traffic and opening them to pedestrians.

The Department of Transportation announced Monday that applications for the Open Streets program are now available online. At least three of Boro Park's streets could benefit from some changes due to extreme safety concerns. These are Fort Hamilton Parkway and 44th Street, New Utrecht  Avenue and 50th Street, and 11th Avenue and 46th Street.

While Open Streets may be popular elsewhere, in Boro Park, where many residents drive, street closures would lead to traffic headaches, and shutting roads is a controversial issue.

Last year, the city decided, based on public input, to shut hundreds of roads to cars, opening them for people and cyclists to walk in them. It expects to continue more of the same for the 2023 Open Streets application.

The transportation agency works with community-based organizations, educational institutions, and groups of businesses to execute Open Streets citywide. It can also help to develop operational plans to manage the street for multiple uses, including outdoor dining, programming, and outdoor learning or recreation for schools.

Stores that have previously been part of Open Streets need just to enter their 2022 approved Application ID to retrieve previously submitted information that they can then update. New partners must submit a full application. 

The deadline for the 2023 application is January 31, 2023, for Open Streets, which will launch after July 1, 2023.

All applications should be submitted via nyc.gov/openstreets#apply.