Freedom Drive, a short connecting road that cuts through Forest Park in Richmond Hill, officially opened back up to traffic on Jan. 5 after having been closed down the past five years for pedestrian and bicyclist use only. Late last year, Queens Community Board 9 held a public hearing and took a vote to determine whether or not to open the road year round, and ultimately settled on a compromise to keep it exclusively for pedestrian use during the warmer months from April to October, and closed the rest of the year for commuters.
However, some residents and park advocates weren’t satisfied, and wrote an open letter petitioning Mayor Zohran Mamdani, newly appointed NYC Parks Tricia Shimamura and others to forgo the board’s advisory vote and block the cars permanently after reports of illegal dumping and reckless driving returned.
