[title]
April 20 is Earth Day and, as has been the case for the past few years, the city will celebrate by turning a portion of the streets into car-free zones. This year in particular, a total of 53 streets and plazas across all five boroughs will be part of the program, making it the largest-ever car-free Earth Day in the history of NYC.
To put things in perspective: this year, the Open Streets initiative includes 30 locations more than 2023's event. The operation will also last an hour long compared to last year, kicking off at 10am through 4pm.
"Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day encourages New Yorkers to leave their vehicles at home and appreciate our streets as shared open spaces for all," said NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez in an official statement. "As part of the city's largest-ever Car-Free Earth Day celebration, will be hosting programming, music, and other activities at dozens of car-free streets around New York City. And new, temporary public art will help us remember: We only have one planet—and we must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and respect our environment."
In addition to making areas more accessible to bike riders and pedestrians, the celebration will include musical and art-related programs for everyone to enjoy, plus a series of awesome activations.
Hoping to encourage folks to partake in some physical activity, for example, Citi Bike will be offering users unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic bike for 24 hours in total. To make use of the promotion, simply input the promo code CARFREE24 on the City Bike app.
The Department of Transportation has also commissioned four artists to created environmentally-focused works that will be on display temporarily along some of the included routes.
Artists Amanda Thackray and Wendel Jeffrey, for example, have created a kelp forest through the use of 24 flags made from upcycled plastic bags.
Natalie Wood, on the other hand, is debuting "EcoHarmony," "a grouping of repurposed furniture transformed into luscious organic sculptures through live plants, showcasing the potential of nature reclaiming the built environment," according to an official press release. During the day, she will actually be giving away a thousand plants.
New Yorkers will notice a bunch of graphics for aluminum signage installed on streetlight poles all throughout the boroughs, those are the brainchild of Lyubava Kroll as part of her "Keep NYC Green" piece.
Here is the list of streets and plazas that will be going car-free on Earth Day:
Manhattan
Dyckman Street
Route: Broadway to La Marina
St. Nicholas Avenue
Route: 181st Street to 190th Street
Broadway
Route: East 17th Street to West 46th Street
Brooklyn
Fifth Avenue
Route: 40th Street to 45th Street
Queens
Woodside Avenue
Route: 75th Street to 78th Street
The Bronx
East 188th Street
Route: East Fordham Road to Grand Concourse
Creston Avenue
Route: East 188th Street to East Fordham Road
Staten Island
Port Richmond Avenue
Route: Post Avenue to Castleton Avenue