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I feel ambivalent about taking pleasure in anything right now, with ambulance sirens a constant reminder that the death toll in my city is rising by hundreds every day. But I confess that walking down the middle of the street during my daily stroll, and seeing others do the same, gives me a quiet thrill. What if New York City streets were like this all the time — spaces for people first and cars second?
As cities around the world close off select streets to through traffic during the pandemic, New York has lagged behind. Even though this is the densest city in the country and the area currently hardest hit by coronavirus in the world, Mayor Bill de Blasio has dragged his feet on giving New Yorkers breathing room by designating some streets car-free. He implemented a paltry 1.5-mile pilot program and then shut it down, claiming it was too difficult to staff the streets with police officers. (If you’re wondering why you need police officers to discourage drivers versus, say, signage, join the club.) The city council may yet force de Blasio’s hand, but it’s clear that the most powerful person in this city has a hard time imagining New York with fewer cars, even though climate-minded urbanists say cities must aggressively deprioritize them to meet the emissions targets laid out in the 2016 Paris Agreement.
I feel lucky for so many things these days, my health and my job foremost among them. I also feel lucky to be able to take a walk on a nearly carless gem of a street every day. I just wish everyone in New York were so lucky.
This story was originally published by Grist with the headline Coronavirus could help us reclaim city streets — but only if officials act on Apr 25, 2020.