On Nov. 13, Queens Community Board 9 voted to open Freedom Drive, a small road in Forest Park connecting Myrtle Avenue to Park Lane, back to traffic after it spent the last five years fenced off for pedestrians and NYC Parks plans to follow through with the decision.
NYC Parks pitched the compromise itself at a recent community board meeting after the community had split between the desire to keep it free of cars for pedestrian use and the wish to see the old shortcut opened once again for commuters. Over 100 community members attended the meeting for the period of public comments, including Council Member Joann Ariola and Capt. Pratima Maldonado.
Freedom Drive was closed five years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic as a part of the Open Streets Program to provide people larger paths to socially distance. Since then, the road as become popular with residents and children, who use to walk to other trails in Forest Park, ride bikes and play games.
“The opening of the road seemed to be very passionate, and based on hearsay and personal experience, and I was very disappointed that we weren’t talking facts.” said Andrew Smith, who lives just blocks away from Freedom Drive with his family and started a petition to keep the road closed, which received over 800 signatures.
Smith took issue with some of the arguments to open the road to traffic, particularly that it would help reduce crime. Maldonado spoke at the meeting, stating that the 102nd Precinct officers could not adequately patrol the area, as they did not have a code to the two gates that blocked the road. Public safety was the most cited reason to open the road, including board member Regina Santoro who claimed her daughter’s family was threatened while alone by a “deranged man” with a knife last spring and officers were unable to respond.
However, Smith says officers simply drive around the gate and park on the curb of the road.
“They were literally there on Sunday, and I watched them drive around the gate… so I don’t understand [the argument],” said Smith.
Other members of the public, including the principle of the nearby PS 66, Massiel Lanz, stated that the road closure had greatly improved children’s safety within the neighborhood and worried that the re-opening would reintroduce speeding cars that were present before it closed, despite the fact it would provide another road for buses and parents to access the school. Despite the objections, the board approved the compromise by a vote of 33-9. Both Maldonado and Ariola agreed with the compromise after petitioning for its full re-opening for several years now, though residents like Smith were “disappointed” the path will only be open during the summer.
“NYC Parks is working to open Freedom Drive to off-season vehicular traffic as safely and quickly as possible,” said a spokesperson said, though a final date has not been determined.
