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Summer Streets
Summer Streets is a "street-opening" event in New York City. It involves 
the temporary closure of selected streets to automobiles, so that they can be enjoyed as pubic spaces by walkers, bicyclists and others. Modeled after events like
Ciclovia
in Bogota, Columbia and
Paris Plage
, the first Summer Streets took place on three consecutive Saturdays in August 2008, from 7am to 1pm.
It could be a step toward permanent car-free public space, as regular New Yorkers get a taste of real livable streets.
Transportation Commissioner
Janette Sadik-Khan
told the New York Times, “We’re really committed to treating our 6,000 miles of streets as more than just travel corridors, but as really vital public places. For many of us, our streets are really our front yards and this new initiative will allow us to enjoy them free of vehicles.” [1] It was a bold move on the part of the city, given that the previous administration had brushed aside the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists [2].
Location
Park Avenue
, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Central Park, and its side streets were closed — a total of 6.9 miles of street space. [3]
Some cross streets were left open so that traffic was not completely blocked between the east and west sides of the city.
In preparation for the street closures, parking was prohibited on the route beginning at midnight the night before each event, and businesses were advised to schedule deliveries for Friday rather than Saturday.
Map of the Summer Streets route is available here from NY DOT.
Description
The Department of Transportation urged both citizens and businesses to ‘come out and play’ during the half-day events. Organized activities included sidewalk chalk art, hopscotch, kids’ bicycle races, various dance classes (African, Cha Cha Cha, Kids Dance Class, Creative Movement).
Among those who attended Summer Streets, it was deemed a resounding success. Especially
dramatic was the scene at the Grand Central Terminal overpass, which has been a cars-only zone for decades. People could approach the statue of Cornelius Vanderbilt for the first time, and study artistic details of nearby buildings [4] that cannot be appreciated by motorists.
The first summer streets event is probably best described by first-hand observers [5,6,7,8]:
“The absence of engine noise and incessant honking didn't seem eerie, or even surreal. Just blissful.” - Brad Aaron.
“We could talk and listen to each other. Without automobile engines idling, anxious drivers honking, and bus air brakes squealing, it was breathtakingly quiet… Imagine how city streets would feel with more people talking to each other, and not shouting at each other.” - Jen Peterson
“I think it starts people thinking about all of the possibilities that are out there. It's easy to get stuck thinking that things MUST be the way that they are simply because they have always been that way.” - Susan Donovan
“The description ‘people on foot and on bikes doesn't begin to capture the full variety of users who turned out… Civility prevailed everywhere I looked, even when the street got a little cramped.” – Ben Fried
Issues
Ped-Bike Conflicts. There is a question about whether pedestrians and cyclists should be given separate spaces during Summer Streets events. Blogger Brad Aaron says that he was “nearly hit by speeding bikes no fewer than three times” during his outing. [5]But some like the mixing all modes of transport -- pedestrian, bicycle, skateboard, rollerblade. Commenter Urbanis wondered on Streetsblog after the trial run with bike lanes whether “the event had lost a little of its soul. I liked the mingling of pedestrians and cyclists at the first Summer Streets.” Reader Jen Peterson noted in an essay that the co-mingling works because pedestrians and bicyclists travel at a compatible pace [6]. A New York Sun blogger [9] estimated that bikes outnumbered all other users by 20 to 1, and that their speed confined pedestrians to the sidewalk.
Is
Park Avenue
the best choice? Some have noted that it is not particularly pedestrian-friendly, and that it lacks exciting street life and places to eat. [7]
Toward Permanent Closures
Temporary events like Summer Streets illustrate that people – pedestrians, cyclists, children – should take precedence over cars. The hope is that these events will be an eye-opener for the general public and increase advocacy for further traffic limitations.
In subsequent years, perhaps summer streets could be planned for every Saturday from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Ultimately, a city-wide network of boulevards could be set aside for people, and limited to local vehicles only, similar to the
bicycle boulevards+
concept. Biking and walking are not simply recreational activities reserved for Saturday mornings. They are viable modes of transportation, and city streets should be designed accordingly.
It is also hoped that the success of Summer Streets will inspire similar events in other cities.
ALSO ON THE LIVABLE STREETS NETWORK
- Streetsblog: I Walked Five Miles in the Middle of the Street
- Eyes on the Street: Summer Streets Gallery #1
- Eyes on the Street: Summer Streets Gallery #2
REFERENCES
Each source is referred to by the same number every time it is cited. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] Summer Streets. NYC Department of Transportation.
[2] Fatal Bicycle Accidents Reach All-Time High. The New York Times. February 27, 1998.
[3] City to Experiment with Car-Free Streets. City Room blog, The New York Times. June 16, 2008.
[4] A Historic Stroll Down Summer Streets. The Bowery Boys. August 12, 2008
[5] Does Summer Streets Need a Fast Lane? Streetsblog. August 18, 2008.
[6] Summer Streets: Bikes and Pedestrians Get Along Fine Without Cars. Streetsblog. August 12, 2008.
[7] Summer Streets is Over: Long Live Summer Streets! Streetsblog. August 25, 2008.
[8] I Walked Five Miles in the Middle of the Street, Then I Bought a Dosa. Streetsblog. August 11. 2008.
[9] Walking the Summer Streets. Culture of Congestion blog. New York Sun. August 26, 2008.
PICTURE REFERENCES
Pictures are cited in the order they appear above. Please keep citation style consistent.
[1] doddnyc/Flickr
[2] Streetsblog
