The Department of Transportation has kicked off the school year on Thursday by expanding its Open Streets for Schools program to a record 72 sites citywide, with Brooklyn campuses making a strong showing.
The initiative transforms blocks outside schools into car-free zones during key times of the day, giving students safer routes for drop-off and pick-up, while also carving out new space for recess, outdoor play and even classroom activities.
For families, it means less traffic stress at the curb; for students, it’s a chance to learn and play right in their own neighborhood.
“As a former teacher myself, I understand the importance of doing our part to keep kids safe and to teach them about street safety,” said NYC DOT Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez.
Several Brooklyn schools are now part of the Open Streets network, including P.S. 146 The Brooklyn New School on Rapelye Street; P.S. 169 Sunset Park School; P.S. 137 Rachel Jean Mitchell; P.S. 90 The Magnet School for Environmental Studies & Community Wellness in Coney Island; and Riverdale Avenue Community School in Brownsville, among others.
The program’s growth is powered by a partnership with Street Lab, a nonprofit that works closely with schools in underserved neighborhoods. Street Lab helps with permits, furniture, and programming, making it easier for schools to transform their blocks into safe, vibrant extensions of the classroom.
Brooklyn schools also stood out in this year’s citywide “We’re Walking Here!” student safety competition, an annual contest that challenges students to create public service announcements warning about the dangers of reckless driving.
This year’s Brooklyn winners are:
First Place
P.S. 69 K Vincent Grippo School
Second Place
P.S. 194 K Raoul Wallenburg School
Their winning videos will be featured online and used in a new Vision Zero curriculum this academic year.
Brooklyn schools with Open Streets:
- St. Saviour Catholic Academy – Seventh Street
- The Dock Street School for STEAM Studies – Dock Street
- Mary McDowell Friends School – Summit Street
- The Little Brooklyn PreK Center @ Third Avenue – Whitwell Place
- Brooklyn RISE Charter School – Hanover Place
- *P.S. 284 The Gregory Jocko Jackson School – Osborn Street
- Brooklyn High School for Law and Technology – Madison Street
- P.S. 90 The Magnet School for Environmental Studies & Community Wellness – West 12th Street
- P.S. 146 The Brooklyn New School – Rapelye Street
- P.S. 169 Sunset Park School – 43rd Street
- P.S. 137 Rachel Jean Mitchell – Chauncey Street
- Hellenic Classical Charter Schools – 18th Street
- LEEP Dual Language Academy Charter School – 54th Street
- Riverdale Avenue Community School – Strauss Street
- Central UTA – Penn Street
- P.S. 118 The Maurice Sendak School – Seventh Street
- *P.S. 31 Samuel F. Dupont – Lorimer Street
(asterisk denotes sites currently under review).
