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FLIP THROUGH TODAY’S PAPERS AMNY NEWSLETTER Tackle the city, with our help. Subscribe AMNY NEWSLETTER Manage your settings. Manage * Home Pros * Jobs * News * All * By Neighborhood * Business * Coronavirus * Police & Fire * Eat & Drink * Education * Entertainment * Opinion * Politics * Real Estate * Sports * Transit * Things to Do * Events in Manhattan * Events in Brooklyn * Events in Queens * Events in The Bronx * Things to do with kids * Post an Event * Entertainment Guides * Business Events * Webinars * Boroughs * Manhattan * Brooklyn * The Bronx * Queens * Staten Island * Sports * All * Mets * Yankees * Giants * Jets * Knicks * Nets * Islanders * Rangers * Soccer * Tennis * Olympics * NY Sports Betting Apps * DraftKings Sportsbook NY * Caesars NY * FanDuel Sportsbook NY * Online Casino * NJ Casino * Finance * Contact Us * Games * Digital Editions * Pet Pros * Podcasts * Brand Content Search: * Search: * News * All * By Neighborhood * Business * Coronavirus * Police & Fire * Eat & Drink * Education * * Entertainment * Opinion * Politics * Real Estate * Sports * Transit * Things to Do * Events in Manhattan * Events in Brooklyn * Events in Queens * Events in The Bronx * Things to do with kids * * Post an Event * Entertainment Guides * Business Events * Webinars * Boroughs * Manhattan * Brooklyn * The Bronx * Queens * Staten Island * Sports * All * Mets * Yankees * Giants * Jets * Knicks * Nets * Islanders * Rangers * * Soccer * Tennis * Olympics * NY Sports Betting Apps * DraftKings Sportsbook NY * Caesars NY * FanDuel Sportsbook NY * Online Casino * NJ Casino * Home Pros * Jobs * Finance * Contact Us * Games * Digital Editions * Pet Pros * Podcasts * Brand Content * Transit ‘OPEN’ OR SHUT CASE: NYC HIT WITH FEDERAL ADA LAWSUIT SEEKING TO END OPEN STREETS By Ben Brachfeld comments Posted on April 25, 2023 Photo courtesy of Christina Santucci/Queens Post Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams FacebookTwitterShare A dozen New Yorkers with disabilities have filed a federal lawsuit against the city, claiming that its Open Streets program violates the Americans With Disabilities Act, with the hope of scuttling the program. The lawsuit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court Monday, says everything about Open Streets is a ruse down to its name, deeming it “Orwellian Newspeak” and arguing it would more appropriately be called “Closed Streets.” The plaintiffs argue that by occasionally closing off some streets to car traffic, seniors and people with disabilities who can only travel by motor vehicle — particularly those living on Open Streets — are facing illegal discrimination. “The program results in the de facto closure of New York City’s public avenues and streets to individuals with disabilities — whose only or primary access to the streets and to the buildings, businesses and services on the streets — is through the use of motor vehicles,” the 12 plaintiffs, who live in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens, allege in the suit, which names the city and various organizations managing Open Street locations as defendants. AdChoices ADVERTISING The 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights, Queens.Transportation Alternatives Open Streets began at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, intended to provide open space on local streets for locked-down city residents. The program proved one of the more popular pandemic-era policies, and has returned each summer, with this year’s program set to encompass more than 300 city blocks across all five boroughs. Volunteers with local civic groups manage the open streets, which are typically in operation for a set number of hours per day, mostly in summer months. The volunteers set up the barricades to block off car traffic, leaving the streets for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists. Some Open Streets are entirely closed off to motor vehicles except for emergency services, while others allow access to locals seeking to park or drivers making deliveries. They often are the site of outdoor dining, public art displays, and community programming and performances. The city has declared it intends to redesign some popular Open Streets, like Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn and 34th Avenue in Queens, to more permanently reflect a pedestrian focus, with the hope that barriers might not be needed. In 2021, a Siena College poll, commissioned by safe streets advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, found more than 6 in 10 New Yorkers supported expanding Open Streets in their neighborhoods. Last October, the Department of Transportation, which oversees the program, released a study finding Open Streets provided a considerable economic boost to local businesses along their stretches. The 34th Avenue Open Street in Queens.Photo by Ben Brachfeld But the plaintiffs say that DOT is ignoring the needs of more than half a million New Yorkers with limited mobility by pursuing the program. They even contend DOT is specifically beholden to “anti-car lobby” groups like Transportation Alternatives, whom they explicitly liken to “brown shirts,” a term for Nazi soldiers. The lead plaintiff is Jess Charles, a 94-year-old with Addison’s Disease, who lives on the Avenue B Open Street in the East Village. Despite having limited ability to walk, Charles says that he has to schlep two blocks from home to get picked up by a car service for medical appointments and social occasions. The suit alleges that the last time that Charles had a fall paramedics had to “scramble to remove the barricades” on the Open Street in order to reach him. “Mr. Charles fears that he may need an ambulance again in the future,” reads the suit, “but the barricades will prevent or delay access.” Another plaintiff is Upper West Side resident Gerard Feidner, 68, who lives on 103rd Street, an Open Street. Feidner has heart disease and diabetes, which affects his mobility, and he has little choice but to drive to appointments and functions. Given his medical condition, it is “exceptionally difficult” for him to travel with barricades across his street. Mill Jonakait, 77, of Fort Greene, is another plaintiff, and she was born without a femur in her right leg, which is 10 inches shorter than her left. She walks with a limp and becomes fatigued after a few blocks. Since nearby Willoughby and South Portland avenues became Open Streets, she says she cannot find parking near her home on Carlton Avenue, forcing her to walk farther to and from her car. The plaintiffs are seeking a federal injunction against the program, which would effectively halt it and restore the roadways to unfettered motor vehicle access. “Carpet Collage” on the Vanderbilt Avenue Open Street in Brooklyn.Shawn Skinner The DOT did not provide comment on the specifics of the lawsuit. “Open Streets enhances safety, accessibility, and equity for a large number of New Yorkers using the roads, including seniors and people with disabilities,” said DOT spokesperson Scott Gastel. “The City will review the case.” Transportation Alternatives declined to comment. On Wednesday, DOT will hold a virtual hearing on a newly proposed set of agency rules governing Open Streets, which deal with everything from applications, management, staffing, and prohibited acts. Banned behaviors include flying a kite, feeding squirrels or building a fire. New Yorkers are also not allowed to place tables or chairs on an Open Street without a permit. But the stipulations are facing backlash from the advocacy community, who argue they make the program unnecessarily punishing to the volunteers running the sites, with violations of any rule subject to a $500 fine. Safe streets advocacy group Open Plans contends the rules demonstrate DOT is making the program “increasingly cumbersome and bureaucratic.” “These rules make it clear it is harder and harder to volunteer for the city,” the group wrote in its testimony. “The city is offloading responsibility for their program onto volunteers. Big picture, if the City wants people to use the streets as easy as a vehicle can, they shouldn’t require a permit, site plan, run of show and to indemnify the City to do so.” FacebookTwitterShare ABOUT THE AUTHOR THINGS TO DO IN NYC Post an Event Tomorrow, 7 pm DOG MAN: THE MUSICAL NEW WORLD STAGES April 28, 7:30 pm STREB PRESENTS: TIME MACHINE STREB LAB FOR ACTION MECHANICS April 29, 9 am GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY PROSPECT PARK PENINSULA April 29, 9:30 am SUPER SEEDLINGS! VCPA GARDEN & COMPOST SITE April 29, 11 am WINK THE NEW VICTORY THEATER May 11, 4 pm BOMBAY SAPPHIRE SAW THIS, MADE THIS INSTALLATION THE CHELSEA FACTORY View All Events… JOBS IN NEW YORK ADD YOUR JOB * Fresh and Tasty BakeryClerical Customer Service * ROBERT A. FLASTER, P.C.Receptionist/Gal-Friday * HOLLIS PRESBYTERIAN CHURCHPART TIME SEXTON VIEW ALL JOBS… HOME PROS Find a pro EAT IT. DRINK IT. DO IT. TACKLE THE CITY, WITH OUR HELP. Subscribe LATEST NEWS * Bronx police pursuit ends with chaotic crashes, totaled SUV * Bronx lawmakers aim to codify legal counsel for New Yorkers under 18 prior to interrogation * Teenager stabbed to death on Brooklyn street: NYPD * East Village attacker sought for stabbing man in butt in broad daylight * Ryan 1st to 5 wins, Twins beat Yankees 6-2, take season series SPORTS * Giants could be interested in trading picks during 2023 NFL Draft * Rangers are wasting an Igor Shesterkin series masterclass ahead of Game 5 * Caesars promo code: Knicks vs. Cavaliers $1,250 first bet offer for NBA Playoffs * Quinnen Williams responds after Jets “optimistic” response about extension before 2023 workouts * Islanders hang on, beat Hurricanes 3-2 in Game 5 to cut series deficit THINGS TO DO * Bronx Night Market to return for sixth season on April 29 * Fragrance brand Snif and L’Appartement 4F Bakery partner for a pop-up celebrating new product launch * Hester Street Fair kicks off Season 14 at The Seaport April 22-23 * Here are a few ways you can celebrate on 4/20 in New York City * ‘All about loving each other’: BTS pop-up shop in Hudson Yards draws hundreds of K-pop fans RELATED ARTICLES * Double hit-and-run of cyclists during protest in Manhattan just another day in NYC * Street safety group wants to partially defund NYPD traffic enforcement efforts * 20 miles of new bus lanes and busways being added to NYC streets: de Blasio * Transit advocates call out NYPD for ‘using 6,000-pound SUVs as weapons’ THINGS TO DO IN NYC Full calendar HOME PROS Find a pro MORE FROM AROUND NYC Bronx Times FRIENDS OF PELHAM PARKWAY HOLD 6TH ANNUAL EARTH DAY CLEANUP QNS PAIR OF THIEVES STEAL MAN’S SHOES DURING ASSAULT AT GLENDALE STORE Brooklyn Paper CITY INVESTIGATING SAFETY OF RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS IN EAST NEW YORK AFTER TWO-ALARM FIRE Gay City News MONTANA HOUSE CANCELS AFTER RALLY FOR TRANSGENDER LAWMAKER * Contact Us * Networking Events * Home Pros * Advertise * * © amNY 2023 Schneps Media * Privacy Policy * Terms of Use ✓ Thanks for sharing! 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