Economic and Environmental Justice Advocates Join Fight for Car-Free Central and Prospect Parks This Summer

30 May 2006

As the summer arrives in New York, the demand for safe, environmentally healthy places of recreation that are free from the noise, pollution and dangers of automobiles skyrockets. While some lucky New Yorkers will travel to the Hamptons and other vacation destinations this summer to satisfy that need, many New Yorkers, especially those with limited incomes, have only Central Park and Prospect Park to turn to. Unfortunately, once again this summer, the quiet break from the city they seek to offer will be shattered by the vehicular traffic that is permitted to drive through the parks.

Intro 276, a bill that has been gaining momentum in the City Council, would remove that traffic without impacting surrounding neighborhoods while restoring the parks as safe, healthy, car- free places of summer recreation. Not surprisingly, organizations focused on improving New York's parks, environment, public health and public safety have enthusiastically backed Intro. 276. In this age of soaring obesity, diabetes and asthma, car-free parks are seen as simply making sense.

But as of late support has also be coming from economic and environmental justice groups, like the WE ACT for Environmental Justice ("WEACT"), who see Intro. 276 as ensuring low and middle income New Yorkers receive the same access to safe, healthy, and quiet places of recreation as wealthy New Yorkers. As Peggy M. Shepard, WEACT's Executive Director explained, "Intro. 276 puts the needs of the many over the needs of the few. Literally millions of New Yorkers rely on Central and Prospect Parks to get away from the City during the summertime; and they deserve their parks free of the noise, pollution and danger of cars. While we recognize that there may be short term impacts in Central Harlem in light of the traffic changes, the long-term health, safety and environmental benefits a car-free park would offer far outweigh any short-term inconveniences."

Other economic and environmental justice advocates argue that giving preference to the few New Yorkers who are wealthy enough to own cars and insist on driving them through Central and Prospect Parks, when the overwhelming majority of New Yorkers want cars removed from the parks this summer, is unfair and undemocratic. Paul Steely White, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives, echoed the majority sentiment, commenting that "the primary motivation behind the development of Central and Prospect Parks was to create a 'countryside within a city' where New Yorkers could escape the frenzy of urban life. Welcoming cars into these parks, especially during peak periods of weekday, summertime use, is entirely antithetical to that purpose." As to Mayor Bloomberg's current unwillingness to embrace Intro. 276, White added, "We are asking the mayor to reconsider, bearing in mind that to average New Yorkers these parks are much more valuable as vacation assets than as traffic arteries."

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