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Mayor de Blasio: Central Park to become car-free in June

<p>Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that in just a few months, Central Park will permanently become car-free.</p>

News 12 Staff

Apr 21, 2018, 11:56 AM

Updated 2,419 days ago

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Mayor Bill de Blasio has announced that in just a few months, Central Park will permanently become car-free.
As of June 27, the final loop drives in the park that are currently open to car traffic will close to cars for good.
These include Center Drive, Terrace Drive, East Drive and West Drive.
The mayor says the move will return the park to its original purpose, as a recreational space, helping the more than 42 million people who use the park each year to enjoy it without the pollution and safety issues that have been concerns for years.
"And it comes back to remembering the meaning of a park like this. This park was not built for automobiles, right? This was not the purpose of this park to be a place for automobiles," says Mayor de Blasio. "Literally, it was built before there were automobiles. It was built for people and the idea of thinking about every aspect of our lives and finding ways to make that change, that's what this is all about."
However, the transverse roads cutting across the park at 97th, 86th, 79th and 65th streets will not be affected by these changes.