A big, heartfelt 'thank you' to all who attended yesterday's City Hall rally. You played a key role in making it the success that it was. The crowd, which the Times estimated at 150, stood on the City Hall steps holding more than two-dozen 20-foot banners displaying some of the thousands of Car-Free Central Park petition sheets. This provided a compelling visual backdrop for the speakers, who were introduced by Transportation Alternatives' Executive Director Paul Steely White: Public Advocate Betsy Gotbaum, Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, City Council Member and Chair of the Council's Transportation Committee John Liu (who arrived on rollerblades), and City Council Member Gale Brewer.

All spoke in favor of a Car-Free Summer in the park, and Brewer announced that she is introducing a resolution in the Council calling for a Car-Free Summer (this was the surprise we couldn't reveal beforehand). WNYC radio announced the rally during the local news in the morning and the rally itself was covered by Channels 5 and 7, the Times (Metro Briefs today), the Daily News, The New York Post, the New York Sun, and Metro News (links below). The weather was also amazingly cooperative: There was no rain for the duration and the sun peeked through the clouds much of the time.

The only disturbing note was that City Hall police barred an estimated 75 people from joining the rally because they arrived more than 20 minutes late (after 12:20 pm). They were forced to watch from outside the gate. Whatever happened to the idea of City Hall being "the people's house"?

Below is a link to a short film of the rally by Bike TV's Clarence Eckerson.

Ken Coughlin, Chair
Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park Committee

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