Bed-Stuy Left Out Of City's Open Streets Social Distancing Effort

BEDFORD-STUYVESANT, BROOKLYN — A further 12 miles of streets across New York City will be open only for foot and bicycle traffic starting Thursday, including in many Brooklyn neighborhoods.

Boerum Hill? Check.

Carroll Gardens? Check.

Park Slope? Yes, with an asterisk.

Bed-Stuy? Nope.

To keep up to date with coronavirus developments in Bed-Stuy, sign up for Patch's news alerts and newsletter.

The Bed-Stuy snub didn't go unnoticed by people on Facebook groups devoted to neighborhood goings-on.

"I...don't see a single open street in Bedstuy?" wrote Christie Taylor on the 11,000-strong Bedford Stuyvesant Brooklyn group.

Taylor isn't missing anything. Mayor Bill de Blasio's announcement Wednesday —touted as an expansion of places for New Yorkers to get outside and safely socially distance amid the coronavirus pandemic — didn't include a single Bed-Stuy street or park.

And a double-check on the official Open Streets site maintained by the city again shows no Bed-Stuy street.

Well, maybe one if you count a single city block running through the middle of Callahan-Kelly Park. The park straddles the border of Bed-Stuy, East New York and Bushwick — if you know Broadway Junction subway station, you're there.

Hizzoner is roughly halfway to his stated goal of opening 40 miles of streets this month, with 100 miles to eventually open.

So maybe Bed-Stuy residents can look for more options in future announcements, but some critics are already saying it's too late.

Coronavirus In NYC: Latest Happenings And Guidance

Email PatchNYC@patch.com to reach a Patch reporter or fill out this anonymous form to share your coronavirus stories. All messages are confidential.