4. Central Park
Central Park wasn’t built originally for cars, designed before the advent of the automobile, and it seems to always be on a teetering balance between car-free and car. Last October, a bill was introduced in City Council to ban cars for three months this summer to study the effects, but it’s been tabled pending a DOT impact study.
Cars were first allowed in Central Park in 1899, but only by permit. In 1966, the park goes car free on weekends in the summer, and becomes a year-round ban by 1967. Since then it’s about increasing (or decreasing) the car-free times and days. Today, it’s banned on weekends and on parts of the weekdays. We wonder if DeBlasio’s vintage electric cars would be allowed…You can see the complete car history of Central Park at Transportation Alternatives.
