Central Park is going car free starting in June
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that Central Park will be going car-free, excluding the park transverses, beginning in the end of June.
The mayor said the ban win begin on June 27 because it is the day after the last day of school for New York City public school students. It is also the first day that public pools are open in parks throughout the city.
Traffic will be banned on all roads south of 72nd Street that cars, pedestrians and cyclists currently share.
It impacts West Drive, Center and East Drive and Terrace Drive.
"Central Park is not just one of New York's favorite parks - it's one of the most-beloved, most-recognized parks in the entire world," Parks Commissioner Mitchell Silver said. "Now, we're making history by demonstrating just how clean, accessible, and safe an urban park can be."
The ban will be on a trial basis, as the city watches the impact on traffic.
However, Prospect Park in Brooklyn went car-free for several months last summer, and now that car ban is permanent.
The city says returning the park's loop road to walkers, joggers and cyclists will reduce air pollution in the park and improve safety.
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