By Bob Tannenhauser
The Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District announced the cancellation of July 10th Open Streets.
“We have had to make the very hard decision to cancel Open Streets [on] Sunday, July 10,” the BID wrote. “Due to covid-related staff shortages, we are not able operate the program this Sunday.
“We will absolutely be back Sunday, July 17 with lots of programming for you to enjoy!”
Cancel this for good pls
Cancel yourself
Hard disagree! Open streets has been awesome and if you’ve bothered to go out and see there’s been hundreds of people out enjoying it every week
What’s going to be different between July 10th and 17th? YOU’RE OUTSIDE! This isn’t how the virus is transmitted! On the flip side, any excuse to cancel this open streets nonsense is a good excuse.
Uh did you read the article? The staff are sick.
What part of the fact that too many of their employees called in sick didn’t you get? It’s not about risking covid being outdoors, it’s about not having enough staff to open.
So a closed street will be open!
Glad to hear that Covid is starting to “give back.”
Could be the turn we’ve been waiting for!
So the M7 and M11 buses will not be detoured and will run regular routes?
That is great.
“Open Streets” should not be on avenues, particularly bus routes.
Mass transit must be the priority.
“Open Streets” should be cancelled permanently.
Jesus this comments section is toxic.
The comments aren’t toxic. They’re common sense. We are surrounded by two world-class parks. By all means, get outside by walking one or two blocks to one of them with your kid. Why would anyone want to play on hot asphalt on a NYC 90+ degree day? No amount of chalk or bubble stations would make that worth it.
I’ve seen plenty of people enjoying it in the past, so maybe everyone doesn’t agree with you?
UWSers do not NEED this type of non-sensical ‘programming’ to ‘enjoy’. What delusional gobble-speak!
What UWSers NEED is peace and quiet; ease of access to domiciles and shops; and reliable, predictable, functional public transit.
If this CABID cabal could actually address public safety for small businesses and their patrons, perhaps the public would take the entity seriously.
Closed streets are peace and quiet.
Sounds like it’s you that needs some peace and quiet. Don’t speak for the many, many, many people that enjoy Open Streets. If you are so unhappy with it, maybe NYC isn’t for you?
People have to stop telling others to get out of the city if they don’t like your opinion and good forbid have their own. Learn to respect other points of view. It is called democracy.
Didn’t tell him to do anything. It was a question. The question mark should have tipped you off.
Re: “Open Streets Cancelled”:
Or, as The New York Post might say, in 64 point all-caps, “OPEN STREETS CLOSED!”
How do emergency vehicles get down the street if something happens during Open Streets?
Hoorah!!!! No one would ever approve six months of weekly street fairs on Columbus Avenue, yet somehow this program was implemented without community approval or Community Board review. What a relief that the buses will be running freely and the little kids will not be encouraged to play in the streets. FYI, there are two world class parks very close by. Feel free to check them out!
I would approve of six months of weekly street fairs. It’s better than traffic.
You all seem to be ignoring the fact that this program is meant to support the restaurants that we frequent… who have been severely affected by the pandemic. How would ya feel if your favorite restaurant closed its doors?
Very few of the restaurants have additional seating in this outdoor setup. I hope that after this version of the experiment, they give it up.
Most of them do as a matter of fact.
As a Columbus Avenue resident both the open streets and the noise/smoke polluting outdoor restaurant under my window should be closed. The restaurant across the street acts properly, but the restaurant below my window seems to follow no rules. I am for supporting local businesses, but these open streets seem to have no regard for the many people who live along these avenues and have to deal with disruption every Sunday.
As a Columbus Avenue resident (on one of the open street blocks), I am 100% sure that the best air quality and the least noise that we get all year is during the open street on Sundays. It is such a joy to wake up to the peaceful sound of kids playing instead of cars and trucks barreling down the street and sending pollution directly into my apartment. I wish open streets on Columbus were more frequent.
If you think restaurants are noisy and polluting wait until you hear about cars…
As opposed to you, who has no regard for the many, many, many neighbors that love it.
There is no need for all these open streets when there are no activities scheduled and nothing special is happening! What I DO notice are more vendors selling their junk, blocking the sidewalks . Common sense says with Two beautiful parks on either side, what purpose does this nonsense serve? So a couple of people can play for home?
There are programs on a different block at the top of every hour during the open street. They are mostly geared toward kids and families and they are extremely popular.
Every sunday is a special day on this stretch of Columbus — the farmers market and the grand bazaar bring huge crowds the neighborhood and the open street provides much needed space for people to spread out.
I’ve rather enjoyed the overspill of vendors onto the sidewalk (the entire street is closed so it doesn’t actually bottleneck walking path) adjacent to the regular Sunday bazaar. Plus the crafting table from Paper Source, outdoor music from restaurants, random games (not corn hole, but something like that), and children doing chalk art on the asphalt.
What a joy to walk out my door today and see buses running on Columbus. When the Open Streets (I refer to them as closed streets) was announced, closing Columbus to public transportation on Sundays for basically 6 months, I thought it had to be an error. I sent an email to Gale Brewer’s office explaining seniors rely on buses, and taking them away on Sundays from mid-May to the end of October was unfair. I received a non-sensical response.
In the Sundays the decree has been in effect, I have not seen the crowds the program was supposed to attract to support local businesses. And, as another writer pointed out, restaurants are hot setting up additional tables to attract business, as many do during street fairs. I read WSR, Patch, local newspapers, and saw no announcement of the fact that today Columbus would truly be open, meaning no one could make plans to take advantage of the situation. This entire program seems a debacle and should be scrapped. Of course, that will not happen because some “officials” have decided the street should be closed and the thoughts/wishes of the residents mean nothing.
Most residents evidently love it! It’s always super crowded. In fact, with the event canceled this week, the sidewalks were absolutely packed.
Thank you for expressing my views exactly. I have a really bad knee and depend on the #11 to get to my church. They don’t think of people like me. Each time upon my return, all I see are empty streets in the 70s.
The #s 7 and 11 buses were still diverted to the 79th street crosstown route going east on 81 street. I guess they didn’t get the memo.
A victory for the elderly and disabled who need the streets to get taxis, or access a ride, etc. Did anyone think of them or is it all about making sure that you and your dog have more room to roam?
You can get a taxi at any cross street.
Let them eat cake? Many people who take buses cannot afford taxis. Many people who don’t take buses can’t afford taxis. And aren’t we supposed to be supporting greener public transportation rather than taxis which are as bad or worse polluters than the cars we are banning from these streets?
I’m there every Sunday, and unless I’m missing something, the open street is just a bunch of kids doing chalk drawings
I was thrilled last Sunday to see vehicular traffic on Columbus Avenue: #7 and # 11 buses, a police car cruising -keeping the peace, cabs, cars with out of state licenses. I thoroughly enjoyed the peace and quiet with no amplified instruments and singers. The Avenue is a sun-drenched column with no shading. Pedestrians walk the sidewalks on the shady side. Every Sunday I pray for rain, so I can listen to music of my choice in my home with the windows ajar. Would you publish the Open Streets guidelines for participants – especially where and how loud hawkers and musicians can set-up? What are the rules of the road for bikers and scooters? It’s dangerous on the sidewalks and in/crossing the streets. Thank you.