Some Queens residents want Forest Park's Freedom Drive permanently closed to cars

There is a push from some Queens residents and activists to permanently close Freedom Drive inside Forest Park to cars.

The road was closed to vehicles during the pandemic, allowing pedestrians and cyclists to reclaim it, and reopened to traffic only last year.

Now, vehicles are banned from Freedom Drive from April through October, but some say the six-month shutdown isn't enough.

They argue keeping it closed to cars is safer and better for the environment.

"Cars could just be flying down any speed, and accidents do happen, especially with these turning roads," resident Richard Rodriguez said.

"It's safer without cars where children and families are walking," mom Maria Barrera said.

They've started a petition to try to have Freedom Drive closed permanently.

"Between 2011 and 2019, there were actually 23 crashes and 16 injuries on that stretch of road, and there hasn't been one ever since it was made into an open street," Mae Francke, with Transportation Alternatives, said.

Other locals, however, say cutting through the park is convenient for drivers.

"It's a shortcut. You beat a lot of traffic from down there," one driver said. "Having to go side street, I have every light and every stop. This way, just go straight up and a cut."

Some pedestrians even feel safer with drivers around.

"I used to walk my dog here in the middle of the night," another person said, "and then the cars are not passing and then I don't feel safe because I'm locked in the middle with all the homeless weirdos that sleep in the ditches."

The mayor's office said it's working with New York City Parks to explore additional opportunities.

Freedom Drive's seasonal closure starts Wednesday.