Dear Mayor Adams,

We are New Yorkers who have found the Open Streets program a rare bright spot during a difficult time for our city. Open Streets have given us safe space to be outside, rebuilt local businesses, connected us to our neighbors, and signalled New York City's recovery. 

But, more than half of our city's Open Streets have been abandoned by the City, and those remaining are inequitably distributed. I stand with Transportation Alternatives in asking you to correct these inequities and make permanent 24/7 Open Streets part of NYC 25x25 — a plan to convert 25 percent of car space into space for people by 2025. Specifically, I ask that you: 

• Transform all Open Streets into permanent 24/7 fixtures of the streetscape, reducing or eliminating on-street parking, and installing a variety of permanent infrastructure to discourage car access and slow speeds.
• Lengthen all Open Streets to a minimum half-mile. 
• Conduct an audit of traffic-related harms, including green space distribution, asthma rates, congestion, air quality, heat island effects, and traffic violence, and distribute Open Streets and resources based on this audit.
• Provide the resources required for City agencies to be the primary caretaker of Open Streets. Where agency staff is unavailable, create and fund an Open Streets Caretaker program, which pays local businesses, community organizations, and residents to care for Open Streets. 
• Deliver on the promises of 2020 and 2021 Open Streets legislation, including the immediate opening of 20 DOT-managed permanent 24/7 Open Streets. 
• Pioneer New York City's first Low Traffic Neighborhoods, surrounding already low-traffic Open Streets.
• Expand the School Streets program to close one street outside every New York City school, providing car-free space for drop-off and pick-up, temperature checks, play, and outdoor learning. 
• Expand the Open Streets program on special occasions to provide cleaner air and more open space to New Yorkers when and where they are most needed.

Mayor Adams, with your support, Open Streets could serve all New Yorkers and aid our city's recovery.