As we move towards the summer solstice today, there are other cities heating up the summer activities in their towns. Manhattan’s Summer Streets will prohibit car traffic on nearly seven miles of city streets from the Brooklyn Bridge to 72nd Avenue on the first three Saturdays in August from 7:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. That is a lot of streets.
Starting August 6 there will be free bike rentals, fitness classes, theatrical performances, a huge water slide and even a zip line in Foley Square.
Remember when the City of North Vancouver did their “Slide the City”event last year? The event is expected to return for two days this year, with an estimated cost in the $25-$35 range to water slide down the 1,000 foot slide on Lonsdale Avenue. Here are side by side photos of the City of North Vancouver water slide and New York City’s water slide below.
Janette Sadik-Khan did remarkable work leading the Department of Transportation in New York City to reimagine public life using city streets. In another bold move, a Shared Streets program will limit traffic in a 60 block area south of the Brooklyn Bridge to the Battery from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturday August 13. On that day the streets will be open to pedestrians, cyclists and a limited amount of cars, all under the active monitoring of the New York Police Department.
Is there a place either in Kitsilano, the West End and Commercial Drive to turn one day events into summer festivals supportive of residents and merchants? Can we morph car free days into a summer festival celebrating active transportation, citizens and summer?
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Reblogged this on Sandy James Planner.
My beef with Car Free Day in Vancouver is the fact that is a misnomer. In reality it’s Car Invasion Day for the local residents who have to fight for access to their own homes within three blocks either side of these arterials. The majority of attendees drive to these events. They should change the name to Car Diversion Day and admit that cars are just a prevalent off the arterials as on.