NYC Now Has 67 Miles Of Open Streets For Restaurants, Bikers, & Pedestrians

If you’ve looked at NYC on Google Maps recently, you’ve probably noticed some sporadic dashed lines around the city, as if Google instructed a toddler to go “minimalist-yet-wild” with a blue crayon. Let us introduce you to NYC’s Open Street program - in case you don’t know her already.

• Open Streets is an initiative that blocks off city streets to cars in an effort to create more space for pedestrians, bikers, and, in some cases, restaurants’ outdoor seating. It was laid out in early April by Mayor de Blasio, and it’s one of the country’s only wide-spread programs of its kind.

• In a press conference on Thursday, June 24th Mayor de Blasio announced an additional 23 new miles of NYC’s Open Streets, bringing the city’s total to 67 miles of streets closed to traffic. The overall goal is to hit 100 miles by the end of the summer.

• These new Open Streets include nine miles of bike lanes, (like a path that connects Central Park and the Queensboro Bridge) and blocked-off roads in areas that have been particularly impacted by the Covid-19 crisis, like the East Bronx and Far Rockaway in Queens.

• Most Open Streets operate from 8am to 8pm on weekdays, and you can find the location and details on all of the newest miles here.

• Right now, restaurants all around the city can utilize Open Streets on weekdays between 8am and 8pm, and you can see exactly where they are on [Google Maps}https://www.google.com/maps).

• On June 18th, Mayor de Blasio promised that, “beginning in July, restaurants can offer seating on Open Streets on nights and weekends.” There’s little information available on how exactly that will work, so stay tuned for more updates.

Source: Mayor de Blasio Press Conference From Thursday, June 24th