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Working to Reclaim Public Space for the Public Good on the UWS

Happy SpoOoOoOktober!!!

Halloween is practically here! Bring out the overpriced costumes, Hocus Pocus on VHS, skeletons on stoops, and Thriller choreography (and do not bring out the fake cobwebs, they are very dangerous for birds!)! 

But if you're someone looking for the truly horrifying parts of Halloween, it’s not just the goblins, ghouls, and ghosts. Traffic violence is one of the scariest Halloween realities. The statistics are haunting: Nationally, a child's chance of being struck and killed by a car on Halloween is more than double the daily average, jumping to 10 times higher for kids aged 4 to 8. In fact, pedestrian traffic deaths across all age groups surge by 43% on Halloween evening. When cars and trick-or-treaters compete for the same dark streets, the consequences are tragic.

Which is precisely why the Department of Transportation (DOT) "Trick-or-Streets" program is both fun and life-saving! For the fifth year in a row, DOT will be partnering with organizations across the city to transform our streets into car-free Halloween themed Open Streets throughout the month of October! 

Instead of squeezing our kids onto narrow sidewalks next to moving traffic, Trick-or-Streets lets us hand our shared public space back to the families it belongs to, keeping everyone safe while soaking up the festive atmosphere.

On the Upper West Side, there will be eight Trick-or-Streets events throughout the neighborhood! What a fun treat (without the trick)! Check out DOT’s interactive map!

Here are three incredible Trick-or-Streets events where you can experience car-free streets this month: 

• Saturday, October 17 (3pm–8pm) | Broadway (W 73rd to W 75th):

Visit the Broadway Mall Association on Broadway (from W 73rd to W 75th)! Bring the whole family and say hi to Cookie the Clown (3pm-5pm), enjoy performances by the Broadway Star Project, eat lots of candy, take themed photos, go on a nature scavenger hunt, draw with chalk in the street, and so much more! 

• Sunday, October 25 (11am–8pm) | Columbus Ave (W 68th to W 77th):

Join our friends at the Columbus Avenue BID on Columbus Avenue (from W 68th to W 77th)! Enjoy the music, the games, and the festive feelings while appreciating the streets when they’re given back to the people. From 3pm-6pm, bring your pooch in their best costume for Doggie Trick-or-Treating! 

• Saturday, October 31 (12pm–7pm) | Amsterdam Ave (W 106th to W 110th St):

Visit our partners at the Columbus Amsterdam BID on Amsterdam Avenue (from W 106th to W 110th Street / Cathedral Parkway)! Come enjoy all the things that make an event fun: games, music, arts and crafts, candy, dancing, and free flowers!

StreetopiaUWS will have a table at all three of these events during certain hours, so please drop by and say hello!

For more Trick-or-Streets events across the Upper West Side (and citywide!), check out the map! 

So this October, let's only be frightened by haunted houses and by how much fun we’re having, and not by the two-ton metal machines looming over our streets. 

-Andrea, Community Organizer for StreetopiaUWS

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