NEW YORK (1010 WINS/WCBS 880) -- New York City will expand the hours of nearly 100 open streets for trick-or-treaters on Halloween, officials announced Monday at a briefing crashed by protesters.
The impacted streets will be car-free between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m. next Monday to improve safety for kids and families, Ydanis Rodriguez, the transportation commissioner, said at the press conference in Jackson Heights.
“New York City will be showing how to transform miles of public space into a Halloween wonderland,” Rodriguez said.
A list of the open streets that will take part in “Trick or Streets” can be found here at NYC.gov.
Monday morning's briefing was interrupted by Jackson Heights residents who are angry that 34th Avenue has been turned over to cyclists and pedestrians.
Queens Borough President Donovan Richards had to shout above the protesters, who booed and banged items as he spoke.
“We’re going to turn this into a place once again that our children can have a great time in,” Richards said to a mix of jeers and applause. “Happy Halloween, even to all of the—all right, I’m going to be kind today.”
During the press conference, officials also cut the ribbon on a redesign of the 34th Avenue open street, which transforms a 1.3-mile stretch of the avenue.
Jim Burke, co-founder of 34th Avenue Open Streets, said the program has been great for children. He noted there are seven schools along the corridor.
“There’s about 7,000 kids who use this to go back and forth to school,” Burke said. “A lot of the schools have no space. And now they have a place.”
The expansion of Open Streets has become a flashpoint in many outer-borough neighborhoods, where a larger share of residents own cars.
Protesters at Monday’s event contend that the streetscape has become a magnet for homeless people and impacted their quality of life. They also contend the change has made it more difficult for first responders and residents who require Access-A-Ride vehicles.
Among the critics was resident Jason Kucharski, who said street furniture outside his apartment building has attracted the homeless. “It’s a total quality-of-life issue,” he said. “I’m on the third floor here, and constantly the smell of marijuana is going into my 4-year-old’s window.”
Kucharski said numerous complaints to his city councilman have been ignored.
Rodriguez said all city departments had input during planning.
“NYPD, sanitation, fire department—they are able to continue to do their job,” the commissioner said.
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