NYC DOT to Kick off Open Streets Season With Expanded Car-free Earth Day Celebration

Press Releases

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 3, 2025
Contact: (212) 839-4850, press@dot.nyc.gov

NYC DOT to Kick off Open Streets Season With Expanded Car-free Earth Day Celebration

NYC DOT Will Celebrate the 55th Anniversary of Earth Day on Saturday, April 26, With 54 Streets Across the Five Boroughs Opened to Pedestrians as Part of Open Streets: Car-Free Earth

Citi Bike Will Offer Free One-Day Passes to All Riders

NEW YORK - New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT) Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez announced today the largest-ever Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day event - with a record number of car-free streets and expanded events in Queens, Brooklyn, The Bronx, and on Staten Island. The annual event, hosted by NYC DOT, makes select city streets car-free and promotes activism and education surrounding climate change, environmentalism, and sustainable modes of transportation. The event also marks the official start of the city's Open Streets and Public Space Programming season.

"New York's public realm gets better and more inviting with each passing year-vibrant plazas with music and art, bustling streets with outdoor dining, and well-cared for parks teeming with trees and plants. There's no better way to explore it than a walk or a bike ride to take it all in," said Deputy Mayor Jeff Roth. "Our public realm is the best of our city-this Car Free Earth Day is an excellent reminder to enjoy it sustainably."

"Car-Free Earth Day is a chance for New Yorkers to enjoy our city's world class streetscapes as open spaces for all," said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez. "We only have one planet - temporary public art, programming, music, and other activities at dozens of car-free streets around New York City will help us remember: we must all do our part to reduce our carbon footprint and respect our environment."

"Lyft is thrilled to partner with NYC DOT this Earth Day to offer free day passes that encourage New Yorkers to give Citi Bike a ride for the first time," said Citi Bike General Manager Patrick Knoth. "Last year, 51% of commute hour rides on the Lyft platform were taken on a Citi Bike. Bikeshare programs like Citi Bike are a powerful tool to help cities reduce carbon emissions and we are incredibly proud of our partnership with the City of New York that makes the Citi Bike program such a huge success."

This year's, Car-Free Earth Day will include 54 car-free streets and plazas across the five boroughs, with locations featuring public art or community programming-up from 53 locations as part of 2024's event. Select streets will be open from 10 am and 4 pm.

Through the support of Lyft, on Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day, Citi Bike will offer unlimited 30-minute rides on a classic Citi Bike for 24 hours. Riders can take advantage of the offer by using the promo code CARFREENYC25 in the Day Pass tab of the Citi Bike app.

ABOUT CAR-FREE EARTH DAY

First launched in 2016, Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day originally converted select Manhattan streets into public plazas and car-free streets for pedestrians, cyclists, and local businesses. Last year, NYC DOT awarded $30 million in contracts to expand resources available to in-need Open Streets, plazas, and other public spaces. Expanded resources include staffing, permitting and administrative support, community outreach, promotion, fundraising, grant writing, and more.

Signature event locations are listed below, and the additional 47 community-organized locations can be found at nyc.gov/carfreenyc.

NYC DOT also announced that five artists have been commissioned to provide temporary, environmentally focused artworks along certain routes through the NYC DOT Art program. New York-based illustrator Ishita Jain's whimsical illustration, titled Branching, honoring some of the oldest New Yorkers-the City's majestic trees-will be featured on 300 JCDecaux bus shelters citywide. The popular NYC DOT Art Stop Letters will also come to Car-Free Earth Day with a brand-new botanical design by NYC-based illustrator Caitlin Keegan. Her work illustrates springtime in a car-free utopia.

NYC DOT Art will also present two sculptural installations at Car-Free Earth Day. Connecticut-based interdisciplinary artist Molly Gambardella is bringing her Asphalt Asters, which tranforms community-sourced single-use plastic bags into larger-than-life sculptures. The second installation by New York-based artists Anjali Deshmukh and Ernest Verrett, titled Rising. Curtain.,is a beaded curtain depicting a map of global temperatures from 1901 to 2000 to raise awareness about climate change and prompt consideration of its effects. Visitors are invited to reflect through a series of games that help the sculpture change throughout the course of the event. Artists were selected through recent open calls from the NYC DOT Art program. Learn more about NYC DOT Art initiatives and open calls at nyc.gov/DOTArt.

SIGNATURE EVENT LOCATIONS

Manhattan:

• Broadway: 17th Street to 46th Street
• St. Nicholas Avenue: 181st Street to 190th Street
• Dyckman Street: Broadway to La Marina/Inwood Hill Park

Queens:

• Woodside Avenue: 75th Street to 78th Street

Brooklyn:

• 5th Ave: 40th Street to 50th Street (expanding from 40th Street to 45th Street)

The Bronx:

• E 188th Street: E Fordham Rd to Valentine Ave + Creston Ave: E 188th St. to E Fordham Rd + Valentine Ave: E 188th St. to E Fordham Rd (expanding E 188th Street)

Staten Island:

• Port Richmond Ave: Richmond Terrace to Castleton Ave (expanding from Castleton Ave to Post Ave)

"Car-Free Earth Day is an opportunity to celebrate our city's public space and commit to working together every day to build a greener future for New York. I encourage everyone to spend time on an Open Street, take a free Citi Bike Ride, and check out the public art and community programming in Manhattan and across the city," said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. "I commend DOT Commissioner Rodriguez for continuing to grow Car-Free Earth Day so that more New Yorkers can envision a more vibrant, sustainable future."

"I'm thrilled to celebrate the largest Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day ever held in our city," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "This event is a great way to encourage city residents to reduce our reliance on cars and to take other steps that will reduce our carbon footprint and help limit the negative impacts of climate change, which we have already started to feel. I am greatly looking forward to the Car-Free Earth Day festivities that will take place on Woodside Avenue in Queens and at six other locations across the city."

"Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is not just about promoting sustainability but also about reclaiming our streets to create a safe space to build community, culture, and joy," said Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso. "I'm thrilled to see this initiative come to 5th Avenue between 40th street and 50th street in Brooklyn, and I look forward to working with NYC DOT and local communities to bring additional car-free programming to more streets across our borough."

"I'm proud to celebrate the biggest Car Free Earth Day yet, and I look forward to the return of the Summer Streets program! New Yorkers across the five boroughs will take advantage of this opportunity to walk, bike, and play in a safe environment free of vehicle traffic," said Congressmember Jerry Nadler. "With nearly 30 blocks set to be free of traffic on Broadway, I look forward to joining our neighbors for this event, which demonstrates how much more connected our neighborhoods can become when we prioritize people over private car travel."

"As an avid cyclist and vocal advocate for sustainable and equitable urban spaces, I enthusiastically support the New York City Department of Transportation's historic expansion of Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day," said State Senator Robert Jackson. "Transforming city streets into thriving centers of community activity, clean transportation, and environmental awareness signals our city's bold commitment to healthier neighborhoods and a sustainable future. I commend NYC DOT for championing a vision of urban life centered on people, not vehicles, and proudly welcome this milestone event to my district and our entire city."

"Open streets are a wonderful way to bring neighborhoods together, encourage New Yorkers to step out of their cars, and increase engagement with businesses," said Councilmember Keith Powers. "This year, we are offering more options than ever, opening new streets to New Yorkers and bringing our community together to engage with one another and enjoy free public programming. I look forward to taking a stroll on the open streets this summer!"

"Car-Free Earth Day is a fantastic event that sparks creativity and brings our communities closer together, making them safer and more lively. Turning streets into pedestrian-friendly spaces encourages us to rethink how we manage public space and promotes awareness of climate change and sustainable transportation," said City Councilmember Carlina Rivera. "I applaud the Department of Transportation for its ongoing dedication to transforming streets and plazas into safe, welcoming spaces for families."

"Open Streets: Car-Free Earth Day is a powerful celebration that showcases how our streets can be transformed into vibrant public spaces, prioritizing people over cars," said Ken Podziba, CEO of Bike New York. "This event allows New Yorkers to experience a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable city-all while enjoying the freedom and joy of biking. We are proud to support this vision by offering free Learn to Ride classes and, for the first time, free bike repairs at three locations throughout the event, making cycling more accessible to all. We applaud Commissioner Rodriguez, who launched Car-Free Earth Day in 2016, for his dedication to expanding this incredible initiative and empowering New Yorkers to reclaim their streets."

"We're so excited to start another year of Open Streets and Car-Free Earth Day," said Jackson Chabot, director of advocacy and organizing at Open Plans. "People-centered streets are powerful; they create new opportunities for New Yorkers to walk and bike, help us build a sustainable future, and give us new space to gather and connect. We're thankful to DOT for continuing to expand these vital programs and look forward to celebrating Open Streets all summer long."

"Car Free Earth Day celebrates the benefits of car-free Open Streets, putting people first on the streets of New York City," said Ben Furnas, executive director of Transportation Alternatives. "Not only are car-free streets good for the environment - they're good for safety and the economy, too. We're excited to celebrate this year's Car Free Earth Day and hope to see similar and ongoing investment, support, and resources for Open Streets across New York City."