Prospect Park to go Car-Free

The change will now become permanent after testing a car-free Prospect Park over the summer.

Coming after a series of measures over the years to decrease traffic within the park, vehicle traffic will now be prohibited on both loop drives in Prospect Park in an effort to increase safety and usability of the 526 acre park.

It's a few days late, but a good birthday present for Prospect Park's 150th anniversary.

The change is set to take effect January 2, 2018, but this careful wording in the official press release shows that there are still steps to overcome:

While the analysis of the car-free trial is still being finalized, its preliminary results clearly indicate no alternative driving route experienced more than a minimal delay, with most experiencing no change in travel times whatsoever. Based on that data, officials are now confident a fully car-free park can be implemented without adverse impact. These results are consistent with those seen after the closure of the West Drive in June 2015, when the most affected alternative southbound route saw an increased travel time of less than a minute, while other afternoon drivers actually saw travel times improve.

Watch the full announcement below: