| Fiction | Fact |
|---|---|
| Ambulances and Emergency Vehicles can’t get through the Open Street | DOT designs all changes to streets with the input and approval of FDNY to ensure fast 24/7 access by emergency vehicles. The primary hazard to emergency vehicle access on side streets is Double Parking. Click here to see how. |
| Taxis, Rideshare Services, and Deliveries can’t get onto the Open Street. | All of these vehicles have access to the Open Street. Some drivers may be confused by the presence of the temporary metal barriers, despite the signs indicating access. The barriers will be gone once NYC-DOT completes the Street Improvement Project (SIP). |
| Open Streets wants to ban all cars. | Open Streets does not want to ban all cars. On W 103 there has always been 24/7 access for vehicles, a policy to be continued under the SIP. It should be remembered that only 1.3% of the city’s streets are involved in the Open Streets program.The majority of Open Streets are only “closed” to car access for a set amount of hours each month. Open Streets’ goal is to provide a safe, open, inclusive public space for communities to walk, gather, connect, and enjoy free programming. |
| Open Streets is managed haphazardly or is unsanctioned. | Open Street is a permanent citywide program that is led by NYC DOT. It has been in place since 2020. |
| The Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Street Improvement Project (SIP) happened quickly and without any community input. | Park to Park 103 has been discussed and considered since 2009 Link to Block association letter). Over the past 3 years, multiple surveys and panels conducted by city organizations, non-profits, the W 102-103 Streets Block Association, and Park to Park have gathered community input for the project. The project was endorsed in 2022 by the 102nd-103rd Streets Block Association and Community Board 7’s Transportation Committee and Full Board with only one dissenting vote. |
| The DOT’s SIP will cause a significant loss of parking spaces on W 103rd Street. | The street redesign includes converting 15 on-street parking spaces across 3 blocks between Amsterdam Avenue and Riverside Drive. Thousands walking to and from mass transit, or getting about in a wheelchair or by bike, will benefit from the safety and beautification of the SIP. Read more about parking and street space here. |
