Starting this Monday, Central Park's East and West Drives will be closed to traffic, and open only to cyclists and pedestrians until Labor Day. According to Department of Transportation spokesman Seth Solomonow, there are an average of nine cars per minute on the West Drive during summer weekdays - when city traffic is at it's lowest - and seven cars per minute on the East Drive. During that time pedestrians and cyclists outnumber vehicles by three to one. With these closures, traffic on local avenues is expected to be "comparable to what they already see in other months." If successful, these closures could recur every summer, though some are hoping the closures could become permanent.
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