Cars Banned in Central Park

Starting June 27, cars will no longer be allowed to drive through Central Park.

1 minute read

April 23, 2018, 10:00 AM PDT

By Casey Brazeal @northandclark


Horse Carraige

nanrana / Shutterstock

New York will ban cars in central park all year round. "Our parks are for people, not cars," Mayor Bill de Blasio said explaining his decision. "Motorists have been banned from the 'loop drives' in the northern part of the park since 2015. Starting on June 27, they won’t be permitted on any of the drives," Nicole Brown writes in AM New York. Transverse roads will not be effected by the ban and emergency vehicles will also be allowed to continue to use the roads.

The move to ban cars from central park comes after the mayor had been criticized for not doing enough to protect pedestrians and for opposing congestion pricing.

Friday, April 20, 2018 in AM New York

"Planetizen federal action tracker" logo superimposed over black and white image of US Capitol dome.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

October 28, 2026 - Zachary Whalen

A car drives through a puddle, making a large splash. Rain pours down.

California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour

If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.

October 28, 2026 - Grist

Lake Powell with much of the water evaporated.

Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River

Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.

October 30, 2026 - Yale Environment 360

: Construction of massive Samsung semiconductor fabrication plant

In Texas, data centers are swallowing promised parkland

Residents who moved to Taylor, Texas for a rural community now have to contend with three data centers in their backyard.

November 3 - Inside Climate News

A construction crew working on SunZia.

How a Chicago-sized wind farm beat the odds and powered on

The project spanned five presidential administrations and a standoff with a U.S. military base.

November 3 - Grist

A rendering of the basketball court, a green court under a blue sky.

MTA gives itself 30 days to transform pit into basketball court

The site has been under construction since 2022; the city originally estimated it would finish the court in 2024.

November 3 - Gothamist