New York City is one of the hot spots in the Corona crisis: 292,000 sick and 17,500 dead. The requirement to stay at home places a heavy burden on citizens: many have neither a balcony nor a terrace, and it is difficult to move around outside of other people.
Mayor Bill de Blasio is now planning to block up to 160 kilometers of roads to vehicles. Residents should get more space in order to be able to adhere to the distance rules; That would not be possible on the sidewalks alone.
Foto: Andrew Kelly / Reuters-“data-zoom-src =” https://bilder.bild.de/fotos/rettungswagen-haben-in-brooklyn-gegenueber-von-manhattan-ready-201418371-70316550/Bild/1.bild.jpg “/>
Ambulances are waiting in Brooklyn across from ManhattanFoto: Andrew Kelly / Reuters
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160 kilometers – that’s roughly the distance from Berlin to Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt) or from Düsseldorf (NRW) to Koblenz in Rhineland-Palatinate. The mayor is quoted in the US media: “We will first concentrate on streets in and around our parks.” The area around these lanes is already often overcrowded. “These streets next to the parks are an obvious opportunity to create more space.”
<img class="photo ondemand zoomable" src="https://bilder.bild.de/fotos-skaliert/ein-fussgaenger-spaziert-auf-dem-beinahe-leeren-broadway-201418369-70316552/1,w=1280,c=0.bild.jpg" width="1280" alt="Ein Fußgänger spaziert auf dem beinahe leeren Broadway" data-zoom-title="27. April: Ein Fußgänger spaziert auf dem beinahe leeren Broadway
April 27: A pedestrian is walking on the almost empty BroadwayPhoto: John Minchillo / dpa
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In the past, some thoroughfares in the city had already been temporarily closed. In March there was a pilot project with some closures. Due to bad weather, the offer was only moderately well received, the mayor canceled the project.
De Blasio: “We tell people that they still have to seek protection and yes, of course they keep their social distance. But we knew that in warm weather there would be an impulse to get out more. “
Also planned: sidewalks are to be expanded, bike paths are to be expanded. The first 65 kilometers of road are to be closed in the next four weeks, the rest during the summer. It is still unclear exactly which routes should be car-free.
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