Mamdani Must Reverse Adams Putting Cars on Park Roads: Advocates - Streetsblog New York City

"At the very moment the city is committing to safer, more ambitious street transformations on major corridors, allowing motor vehicles back onto streets within public parks moves in the opposite direction,"

"Reintroducing cars into spaces that had successfully functioned as car-free undermines this vision and sends a conflicting signal about the city's commitment to safety, accessibility, and people-centered public space,"

"Eliminating these popular and successful open streets sets up a dangerous precedent and points to a pattern of rolling back street safety improvements in the service of a minority of drivers."

Two dozen parks, street-safety, and disability advocacy groups urged Mayor Mamdani to ban cars from roads inside Forest Park (Queens) and Silver Lake Park (Staten Island) after former mayor Eric Adams allowed vehicles back onto those park streets. The advocates argue that reintroducing cars undermines safety, accessibility, and people-centered public space, and that removing popular open streets creates a dangerous precedent favoring a minority of drivers. The closures began during the early Covid-19 pandemic to create car-free corridors for pedestrians and cyclists; advocates say restoring those car-free spaces aligns with broader city street-safety goals.

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