You are reading

Several Queens Streets Near Parks Will Open to Pedestrians Monday

Freedom Drive, from Park Lane South (shown) to Myrtle Avenue, will be opened to pedestrians Monday (Google Maps)

May 1, 2020 By Allie Griffin

Several streets in Forest Park, Flushing Meadows Corona Park and near Court Square will be closed to traffic and opened to pedestrians Monday, as part of the city’s new Open Streets initiative.

Earlier this week the City Council and Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that 100 miles of New York City streets would be turned over to pedestrians and cyclists as the coronavirus pandemic continues into warmer months.

The goal of the initiative is to provide more outdoor space for New Yorkers looking to get some fresh air amid stay-at-home orders. The additional mileage of open space will make it easier for people to follow social distancing rules as more people go outside to enjoy the warm weather, de Blasio said.

“The open streets are going to be another way we help encourage social distancing,” the mayor said today at a City Hall briefing.

The first streets to open are in and around parks, so spillover of park visitors can safely keep six feet apart from others.

“The focus [will] be on those streets near parks because we expect them to attract a lot of people in the warmer weather,” de Blasio said. “We want to expand the parks, if you will, by opening up these streets.”

In Queens, three streets within Forest Park and one street within Flushing Meadows will open to pedestrians and cyclists Monday. A street adjacent to Court Square in Long Island City will also open Monday.

The Forest Park streets opening are:

  • Freedom Drive, from Park Lane South to Myrtle Avenue;

East Main Drive, from Metropolitan Avenue to the Overlook parking lot;

West Main Drive, from the band shell lot to the golf course lot

In Flushing Meadows Corona Park, 1.5 miles of Meadow Lake Drive, from the model airplane field to the Meadow Lake bridge parking lot, will open.

Next to Court Square, Court Square West, from Jackson Avenue to the dead end, will also open.

No through traffic will be permitted on the streets. However local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, necessary city service vehicles and emergency vehicles are still allowed on the roadways. The permitted vehicles must drive at 5 MPH along the streets.

The Department of Transportation is working with local elected officials to identify which streets to open up.

The city will open 40 of the 100 miles of streets this month and identify the remaining 60 miles in the weeks ahead.

email the author: news@queenspost.com
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

FDNY promotes more than 100 members to higher leadership ranks at Queens College ceremony

Queens College hosted an FDNY promotion ceremony on Tuesday that saw 109 members of fire operations move up the ranks before family and friends in the Colden Auditorium.

One deputy chief was promoted to the rank of deputy assistant chief, two battalion chiefs were promoted to deputy chief, 12 captains were promoted to the rank of battalion chief, 38 lieutenants were promoted to captain and 56 firefighters were promoted to the rank of lieutenant.

Fresh Meadows MS-13 gang associate sentenced to nearly a half-century in prison for murder of Corona teen in Kissena Park: Feds

An MS-13 gang associate from Fresh Meadows was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison on Tuesday, Aug. 26, for the 2018 slaying of a Corona teenager in Flushing’s Kissena Park.

Juan Amaya-Ramirez, 27, and his co-defendant Oscar Flores-Mejia, 25, from Elmhurst, who is also an associate of the transnational criminal organization, pleaded guilty to the murder of 17-year-old Andy Peralta in Brooklyn federal court last September.

Plant Powered Metro NY helps reverse chronic illness with food and community

Aug. 28, 2025 By Jessica Militello

When Northern Queens resident Sherika Sterling discovered Plant Powered Metro NY’s Jumpstart program, she was struggling with a list of health issues that she thought she would have to deal with her entire life. After joining the program and changing to a plant-based diet, she was able to reverse many of her chronic ailments, including being pre-diabetic, after being equipped with practical tools, knowledge and plant-based recipes.