![\"Car-Free](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NYC-Car-Free-Earth-Day.jpg\" "\\"Car-Free")
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New York City\u2019s annual Car-Free Earth Day<\/a> returns later this month, turning streets across the five boroughs into car-free corridors for recreation and free programming. The event, set for April 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., will feature several \u201csignature locations\u201d in each borough with activities focused on climate change and sustainability. Citi Bike will offer free one-day passes for its classic bicycles during the event.<\/p>\n \u201cCar-Free Earth Day is a reminder that we only have one planet\u2014and that our streets play a critical role in our fight against climate change,\u201d Department of Transportation (DOT) Commissioner Mike Flynn said.<\/p>\n \u201cTransportation is the second biggest source of carbon emissions in NYC, and finding ways to make clean transportation options quicker, easier, and more affordable is key. We encourage all New Yorkers to come out to enjoy temporary public art, programming, music, and other activities at dozens of car-free streets around NYC.\u201d<\/p>\n Marking the start of the city\u2019s Open Streets season, Car-Free Earth Day launched in 2016 by transforming select Manhattan streets into car-free public plazas. In 2024, the DOT awarded $30 million in contracts to expand Open Streets, plazas, and other public spaces.<\/p>\n The DOT has also commissioned artists to create temporary, environmentally focused works through its public art program for Car-Free Earth Day. The popular NYC Art Stop Letters will appear at the event with an original design by NYC-based illustrator Molly Magnell, highlighting springtime in a car-free urban landscape.<\/p>\n Additionally, the agency will present two new sculptural installations. Interdisciplinary artist Duy Ho\u00e0ng will present \u201cAn Indicating Cycle,\u201d a sculptural book that highlights various indicator species that reflect current environmental conditions due to their sensitivity to climate change. <\/p>\n The \u201cpages\u201d of the work reference figures and diagrams from scientific textbooks and museological specimen drawers. By turning the pages, visitors can learn about the species\u2019 life cycles and their role in environmental stewardship.<\/p>\n A large-scale interactive installation by artist Frahydel Falczuk, \u201cThe Plastic Sea,\u201d will evoke the sensation of being submerged in a sea of plastic as a commentary on waste and consumption. Visitors will weave colorful strips of non-recyclable plastic film into green mesh, transforming discarded materials into rippling, immersive surfaces reminiscent of ocean waves.<\/p>\n Signature Car-Free Earth Day events will take place at the following locations:<\/p>\n Manhattan:<\/p>\n Broadway between 17th and 46th Streets<\/p>\n St. Nicholas Avenue between 181st and 185th Streets<\/p>\n Dyckman Street between Broadway and La Marina\/Inwood Hill Park<\/p>\n Queens:<\/p>\n Woodside Avenue between 75th and 78th Streets<\/p>\n Brooklyn:<\/p>\n Fifth Avenue between 41st and 45th Streets<\/p>\n The Bronx:<\/p>\n East 188th Street from Grand Concourse to Valentine Avenue<\/p>\n Staten Island:<\/p>\n Port Richmond Avenue between Castleton Avenue and Bennett Street<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/NYC-Car-Free-Earth-Day-2022-1040x694.jpg\")
Car-free Earth Day on Avenue B in 2022. Credit: NYC DOT<\/a> on Flickr<\/a><\/p>\n