This post contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday that he would ban vehicles from the roads winding through Central Park below 72nd Street starting June 27, the day after public schools close for summer break. The scenic drives currently are open to traffic during limited hours.
“This park was not built for automobiles,” de Blasio said during the announcement in Central Park. “It was built for people.”
According to The New York Times, the east-west transverses at 65th, 79th, 86th and 97th Streets, which run through the park and keep traffic flowing from one side of Manhattan to the other, will not be affected. Official park vehicles and police cars will still be permitted on Central Park roads, as well tourist-friendly pedicabs and horse-drawn carriages. Although de Blasio pledged to ban the horse-drawn carriage industry on the first day of his administration, he has been unsuccessful as of this date, three months into his second term.
Conservationists and runners alike are enthused about the mayor’s decision. “People have a focus on urban life that’s not dependent on the car,” Christopher Nolan, chief operating officer for the Central Park Conservancy, told The New York Times.“You come to the park to escape the city. By letting the cars in, you perforate the edge of the park and let the city in.”
De Blasio’s decision is just the latest update in the changing landscape of Central Park’s relationship with vehicles. According to the Times, Mayor John V. Lindsay first announced in 1966 that Central Park would be closed to cars on Sundays. The next year, Saturdays were added.
In 2015, de Blasio banned cars on Central Park drives north of 72nd Street, which previously had been open for traffic during rush hours, and in January of this year, the mayor also permanently banned cars from Prospect Park in Brooklyn.
Polly Trottenberg, New York’s transportation commissioner, anticipates there will be minimal traffic impact on streets surrounding Central Park following the June ban, and New York Police Department agents will be posted at intersections to help direct the flow of traffic. “It takes a few weeks, but people find new routes and blend into the grid,” Ms. Trottenberg said. “Particularly here in Manhattan, there are a lot of different routes people can take.”
But cabbies aren’t thrilled about the impending ban. “You run from the traffic by going through the park,” cab driver Mory Kaba told the Times. Kaba said he currently uses the Central Park loop at least three times a day in order to escape the crush of Manhattan traffic. “I don’t make money sitting in traffic. But what can I do?”
Featured image by Getty Images.
The American Express Platinum card has some of the best perks out there: cardholders enjoy the best domestic lounge access (Delta SkyClubs, Centurion Lounges, and Priority Pass), a $200 annual airline fee credit as well as up to $200 in Uber credits, and mid-tier elite status at SPG, Marriott, and Hilton. Combined with the 60,000 point welcome offer -- worth $1,140 based on TPG's valuations -- this card is a no-brainer for frequent travelers. Here are 5 reasons you should consider this card, as well as how you can figure out if the $550 annual fee makes sense for you.
- Earn 60,000 Membership Rewards® points after you use your new Card to make $5,000 in purchases in your first 3 months.
- Enjoy Uber VIP status and free rides in the U.S. up to $15 each month, plus a bonus $20 in December. That can be up to $200 in annual Uber savings.
- 5X Membership Rewards® points on flights booked directly with airlines or with American Express Travel.
- 5X Membership Rewards points on prepaid hotels booked on amextravel.com.
- Enjoy access to the Global Lounge Collection, the only credit card airport lounge access program that includes proprietary lounge locations around the world.
- Receive complimentary benefits with an average total value of $550 with Fine Hotels & Resorts. Learn More.
- $200 Airline Fee Credit, up to $200 per calendar year in baggage fees and more at one qualifying airline.
- Get up to $100 in statement credits annually for purchases at Saks Fifth Avenue on your Platinum Card®. Enrollment required.
- $550 annual fee.
- Terms Apply.
- See Rates & Fees
Editorial Disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.
Disclaimer: The responses below are not provided or commissioned by the bank advertiser. Responses have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the bank advertiser’s responsibility to ensure all posts and/or questions are answered.
