Cars would be shut out of Central Park for three months next year under a New York City Council bill, a test to see whether banishing cars permanently could work, reported the Daily News.
The legislation was introduced this week by Manhattan Councilmembers Helen Rosenthal and Mark Levine.
"We strongly believe we can eliminate cars from the park without having a massive impact on traffic, and so it's just time to do it," said Levine, chair of the parks committee, noting more and more pedestrians and bicyclists are using the park's drives. "It's become a real safety hazard to have motor vehicles on those same paths."
It's also an effort to make the entire park an interrupted green space: According to the bill, from June 24 to Sept. 25, 2015, the city will test the effect on traffic on nearby roads, pedestrians and the environment.
"The Mayor has long been a proponent of reducing traffic in our parks. We look forward to closely reviewing the Council's proposal," said Wiley Norvell, a spokesman for Mayor de Blasio.
