Holiday Gridlock Alert: NYC closes off cars to traffic for three Sundays

Sunday, December 4, 2022
MIDTOWN, Manhattan (WABC) -- December 4th was the first Sunday that New York City closed off parts of Fifth Avenue in Midtown to cars.

The city shut down Fifth Avenue from 48th to 57th Streets for two more times this holiday season. The blocks will be car-free from 12 p.m.- 6 p.m.

The move will allow people to do their holiday shopping and look at festive window displays and the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree without having to navigate through traffic.

"Every year, people come from across the world to New York City, and to Midtown Manhattan specifically, during the holiday season. This year, we are going to make that experience safer and more enjoyable for all New Yorkers and visitors with more access to Open Streets," Mayor Adams said.
However, not everyone is excited about the plan.

"You are going to make more traffic, and you have people who can't drive as it is," said Lynn Schoen from Staten Island.
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"I think it's horrible to close it, because it's just gonna create gridlock everywhere else," added cab driver Manny Antelada.



The city says it's building on its open streets concept that proved successful during the pandemic. In this case, though, the MTA on Tuesday night said it still had no plan for how to reroute buses around the closure.

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