NYC Summer Streets program set to return in July, with record number of car-free miles
More than 20 miles of car-free streets will be returning to New York City this summer, courtesy of the Summer Streets program.
The annual initiative is back and the Department of Transportation says this year will be its most expansive yet, providing New Yorkers a unique way to spend a Saturday outdoors.
What Summer Streets is all about
The annual event has been taking over the streets of the Big Apple since 2008, with the goal of offering residents and visitors a unique way to experience the city by providing, this year, a record 22 miles of public space devoid of vehicles.
For the third straight year, the program will impact all five boroughs. For the first time ever, city residents will also be able to travel the length of Manhattan, from the Brooklyn Bridge to Inwood, the DOT said Tuesday.
"With Summer Streets this year, we're not only going to 125th, but we're going to Dyckman, 22 miles," DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez said.
Queens and Brooklyn will kick off the first Saturday of the program on July 27, followed by Manhattan on Aug, 2, 9 and 16, and then Brooklyn and the Bronx on Aug. 23, with festivities running each day from 7 a.m. until 3 p.m.
The city said the series will also include free fitness classes, bike-riding lessons, art installations, and performances.
"It has the ability to help native New Yorkers come together"
New Yorkers said they are thrilled to once again have the opportunity to take part in the program.
"Sometimes people are intimidated riding bicycles in New York City, and Summer Streets is a great way to get started," Brooklyn resident Eric Brooks said.
"People in New York don't have much space to be out in the street, so it's good for physical health but also mental health," Bronx resident Belkis Loia said.
Brooklyn native Kaya Kulu said she grew up experiencing the event in Manhattan with her family and is glad to see it now taking place throughout the entire city.
"It has the ability to help native New Yorkers come together. I really get to enjoy supporting small businesses, walking around the streets, meeting people I didn't know," Kulu said.
"Everybody is so happy, so excited," another person added.
