Open Streets
Summary: Open streets mitigate environmental damage, improve public health, encourage economic growth, make the streets safer, and raise the quality of life for all.
Open streets have been proven to reduce traffic collisions and make the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Opening streets to pedestrians, cyclists, bars, restaurants, and vendors would help mitigate climate change and increase public health.
Open streets reduce both air and noise pollution.
Open streets, by encouraging transit use, walking, and biking save residents thousands annually.
Investing in roads and public transportation creates more jobs than highway construction projects.
For years New York has suffered the disastrous consequences of poor Urban Planning that displaced, segregated and deprioritized the people of New York. Moses era initiatives like the Cross-Bronx expressway that displaced as many as 5,000 families when an alternate proposed route along Crotona Park would have only affected 1-2% of that amount, and Moses’ idea to infill much of the Jamaica Bay area that caused the extensive flooding and damage during Hurricane Sandy, have repeatedly damaged the vitality and livability of New York City. It’s time to move away from the Robert Moses era which prioritized cars over public transit and exacerbated environmental, economic, and racial injustices. It’s time to put people over cars.
This crisis has made it obvious how little space we have left for people and how much space we have dedicated to cars. We must begin to transition many of our streets away from cars to permanently open them.
In an effort to provide enough space for social distancing measures, New York City is opening 40 miles of streets for pedestrian and cyclist use. However, the city should expand the size and scope of New York City’s open streets program so we can hasten economic recovery time all while ensuring optimal health and safety of residents to protect them from further outbreaks.
Open streets mitigate environmental damage, improve public health, encourage economic growth, make the streets safer, and raise the quality of life for all.
Vehicle usage is responsible for 1/3 of all air pollution in the United States. New York City has substantially higher rates of air pollution than the global average. Air pollution is both an environmental issue and a public health issue. High levels of air pollution are linked to higher rates of asthma, lung cancer, and other chronic diseases.
Air Pollution levels are also disproportionately higher in Black and Brown communities. Opening streets to pedestrians, cyclists, bars, restaurants, and vendors would help mitigate climate change and increase public health. We must ensure Black and Brown communities have equal access to open streets as wealthier neighborhoods.
Since the start of 2020 there have already been 2,353 pedestrians and 679 cyclists injured in NYC traffic crashes. Annually, traffic collisions cause around 4,000 children deaths nationwide. Open streets have been proven to reduce traffic collisions and make the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists. For example, Oslo, Norway recorded zero pedestrian and cyclist deaths last year due to an increase in cyclist and pedestrian infrastructure over the past 5 years.
Open streets promote alternative modes of transportation such as public transit, walking, and biking. This is not only better for the environment, but for individual health as well.
Car-filled streets and crowded sidewalks and subway cars pose a public health risk. By limiting greenhouse gas emissions, open streets, introduce cleaner air in neighborhoods plagued by pollution and disproportionately affected by COVID-19, making the environment markedly safer for residents. They also contribute to noise pollution — a major stressor that disproportionately harms low-income children. By reducing car traffic off, open streets reduce both air and noise pollution.
Open streets, by encouraging transit use, walking, and biking will save residents thousands annually. For example, in Dallas, TX people saved an average of $9,026 annually by switching from driving to taking transit, and people in Cleveland, OH saved an average of $9,576. This money adds up, it is projected that open streets could save a compounded $19 billion a year in New York City. All this extra money means greater stimulus for the local bars, restaurants, retail stores, and other local businesses. Moreover, open streets increase foot traffic to local businesses, thereby helping businesses bring in more customers and turn a profit.
Investing in roads and public transportation creates more jobs than highway construction projects. Bicycle and pedestrian projects use fewer physical materials than car projects, therefore a greater proportion of the project budget can be spent on wages and salaries. Bicycle infrastructure also creates significant economic stimulus through bicycle manufacturing, sales and repair, bike tours, and other activities. In Wisconsin, bicycles add over $556 million and 3,400 jobs. Furthermore, the cost of maintenance of spaces proposed for walking is minuscule compared to the cost of paving roads for cars, paying traffic cops, installing traffic signals, etc.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made it apparent how detrimental lack of space is for health, safety, and economic recovery, we must learn and adapt. With open streets, the future of New York might look more like Milan, Paris, or Barcelona. Picture similar spacious streets with room for leisurely strolling and gathering. Residents and tourists could sit outside for food and drink at one of many restaurants that now offer plentiful outdoor seating. The entire culture of New York could shift for the better, making New York more accessible and livable for people instead of cars.