West Village Adds New 'Open Street' To Aid In Social Distancing

WEST VILLAGE, NY — New York City is adding nine Open Streets across the five boroughs and one of them is in the West Village.

The new West Village Open Street will exist on Thompson Street, stretching from West 3rd Street to Washington Square South. The entire space is 0.05 miles.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the new additions on Friday as part of the city's goal to create more outdoor recreation space in neighborhoods, allowing residents to spend time outside at safe social distances from their neighbors.

“Streets are meant to connect people to each other. The expansion of Open Streets demonstrates how we can continue to reimagine and transform our roads to better serve New Yorkers, keep our air cleaner with less polluting vehicles, and stay safer during the summer heat waves,” said Mark Chambers, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.

With Open Streets, pedestrians and bikers are free to use the road of each street, and no through traffic is permitted. Any other vehicle traffic is limited to local deliveries, pick-ups/drop-offs, and necessary emergency and city services.

Open Streets operate from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.