On Earth Day last year, a new city tradition was born: Midtown and Downtown thoroughfares were closed to cars in a gesture of reducing pollution.
Now in its second year, Car Free NYC: Earth Day will take place on April 22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. It is part of Mayor Bill de Blasio’s Vision Zero initiative.
This year the event is bigger, stretching across more blocks and including parts of the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens.
Thirty city blocks, running down Broadway from 47th to 17th streets, will be closed to all vehicles and events and activities will usurp the roadways.
Car-free zones will also run from 181st to 190th Street along St. Nicholas Avenue; in The Bronx from East 161st to East 163rd Street on Eagle Avenue; in Brooklyn on Montague Street at Court Street; and in Queens on Woodside from 75th to 77th Street, and also Shore Boulevard from Ditmars Boulevard to Astoria Boulevard.
“Car Free Day is about encouraging New Yorkers to leave the car at home for a day and celebrating the potential of open streets,” said City Councilman Ydannis Rodriguez, chairman of its transportation committee.
Below are some of the events planned for Manhattan. More detailed listings of the Car Free NYC: Earth Day activities can be found on the city’s programming guide.
— Times Square at 47th Street and Broadway: Dance and musical performances, historical bike tours;
— Garment District at 38th Street and Broadway: Arts and crafts workshops, sculptural art walks, pop-up parklet, planting workshop;
— Herald Square at 34th Street and Broadway: Fitness classes, historical walking tours, musical performances, Civil Society programming;
— 26-27th streets: City urban, energy, environmental, sanitation and health departments will give workshops workshops and demos;
— Flatiron at 23rd Street and Broadway: Parkour demos, fitness and dance classes, bike and environmental programs, wilderness skills training, ping pong expos and free play;
— Union Square 17th Street and Broadway: Fitness classes, historical walking tours.
