Holiday Street Closures Add to New York's Car-Free Street Totals

"New holiday traffic restrictions in streets around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree went into effect on Friday," report Catherina Gioino and Anna Sanders.

"The city eliminated two lanes of car traffic on Fifth Ave. between 48th and 52nd Streets, forcing vehicles to drive in the center two lanes. And 49th and 50th Streets between Fifth and Sixth Avenues were also closed to car traffic," according to Gioino and Sanders.

The reporters find mostly positive reviews for the arrangement. One skeptic quoted in the article expresses concerns about parking and impacts on local businesses, but most of the soundbites in the article express unequivocal enthusiasm for the traffic restrictions.

The holiday street closures further reduce the number of automobile lanes in the city, a few months after cars were restricted from 14th Street in Manhattan.