3 Livable Streets Ideas to Embrace in 2026
The new year and new administration are the right time to think big about public space on the UWS.
Here are three big ideas Council Member Brewer and Council Member Abreu should champion that would transform how Upper West Siders experience their communities.
Support kids and families with School Streets
📍 A vision for a School Street on 107th St at MS54, Upper West Side. Illustration by Carl Mahaney
There are only three schools in CB7 participating in the DOE’s open streets for schools program. In CB9 there are zero. That means tens of thousands of students and their families are shut out of the benefits of safer and quieter streets, cleaner air, and more space to socialize and just be a kid. Starting and ending each day with gridlock and chaos is optional, and with school streets we can prioritize what’s most important: our kids.
Start with...
schools like P.S. 009 on West 84th Street and P.S. 125 on West 123rd Street. During school days, these narrow streets are clogged with school buses, idling vehicles, and curbs lined with parked cars. We can change this.
📍 A vision for a School Street on West 123rd St at PS125, Upper West Side. Illustration by Carl Mahaney
Transform mobility and improve safety with a Bike Network
📍 What would West 72nd Street look like if it better served everyone who uses the street? Illustration by Carl Mahaney.
The first separated bike lane was installed in CB7 in 2010. CB9 still doesn't have a single protected bike lane. More than fifteen years later, there’s been some incremental improvement, but it’s far short of ridership growth and need. There’s no reason riding a bike on the UWS should be a dangerous activity. In fact. It should be normal, and a bike network is the way to get there.
Start with...
West 72nd Street, which is the lowest of low-hanging fruit — a natural connection between Central Park and Riverside Park and an oversized road that is the perfect canvas for a world class cycling street. Further up, 110th or extend Columbus and Amsterdam.
📍 From grayway to greenway. Illustration by Carl Mahaney
Improve livability with low traffic streets
More than 80% of traffic in CB7 and CB9 never stop in the districts. That means added pollution, noise, and unsafe streets with no benefit to the community. There’s a proven tool to address this condition; it’s called low traffic streets or low traffic neighborhoods. By eliminating through traffic, we can create calmer, safer blocks where local trips come first, not cut-through drivers. This means fewer conflicts at intersections, cleaner air, and streets that feel like part of the neighborhood again.
Start with...
residential blocks with lots of schools and home to older adults, and build from there. The great thing about low traffic neighborhoods is that they’re additive, and the positive effects are cumulative.