Park Slope 'Open Street' Concern Draws Mayor's Personal Attention

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — An "Open Street" stretch of Prospect Park West reserved for foot- and bicycle-only traffic is slowing ambulances' path to a local hospital.

At least that was the concern of a lone caller to WNYC's Brian Lehrer Show on Friday.

Still, it was enough for Mayor Bill de Blasio — a Park Slope resident when not holding the "Hizzoner" honorific — to promise personal attention to the complaint.

"I will follow up on that personally and I want you to please give your information to WNYC so we can follow up with you," he told the caller.

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Susan, as the caller identified herself, told de Blasio that she applauded the city's "Open Streets" program — an effort to give New Yorkers more room to safely socially distance outdoors during the coronavirus outbreak by making certain streets pedestrian- and bicycle-only.

The city now has 34 miles of open streets — or 43 miles, if you count the temporarily protected bike lanes, as the city does.

But Susan said a stretch along Prospect Park West between Garfield Place and Third Street has become "inappropriate." People hardly use it because it's so near the park, she said.

And then there are the ambulances.

"And at least on two occasions within the last few days, ambulances that would be going down Prospect Park West towards Methodist Hospital have been deterred and had to go down Garfield Place," Susan said. "They were backed up, they couldn't get through because the traffic was backed up having come off of Prospect Park West all the way to Seventh Avenue. And that's dangerous."

Patch reached out to Methodist Hospital for comment but hadn't received a reply by Friday afternoon.

De Blasio heard enough to register concern.

"My children by the way were born in Methodist Hospital, so I certainly know a lot about Methodist Hospital and if the ambulances are having a problem that worries me," he said.

City staff will reach out to NYPD and Department of Transportation officials to see if there were problems and potentially make a "modification," de Blasio said.

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