After three years of relative respite, the United Nations General Assembly is returning to New York at its usual scale this year. That means New Yorkers should anticipate street closures, detours and unannounced traffic freezes — and the accompanying frustration — as hundreds of world leaders and their staff arrive in the city.
Around 140 heads of state will be in the city, Patrick Freaney, who is in charge of the U.S. Secret Service New York field office, said during a news conference on Friday. Just 80 heads of state attended last year, largely because of the pandemic.
Gridlock will become the rule as world leaders gather and give speeches at the United Nations headquarters in Midtown Manhattan. There will be hundreds of motorcades and numerous security checkpoints.
“We strongly encourage New Yorkers and visitors to plan ahead, use alternate routes and use mass transit if they plan to visit the areas,” said Kim Royster, the chief of transportation for the New York City Police Department, during Friday’s news conference.
Ms. Royster said that Midtown Manhattan — 42nd Street to 57th Street and First Avenue to Fifth Avenue — will be affected. Police officers and traffic agents will be deployed at intersections to help the flow of traffic for cars, pedestrians and bicycles.
“If you must drive or make deliveries in the area, we advise you to avoid the area during the hours of 6 a.m. through 7 p.m.,” Ms. Royster said. A more detailed list of streets that will be affected can be found on the police department’s website.
City officials are encouraging people to take public transportation because it will be the “quickest and safest way around the anticipated gridlock,” said Kenneth Corey, the chief of Department for the N.Y.P.D., during the news conference on Friday.
He added that there are no “specific or credible threats” to the meeting or New York City, but “nevertheless, we ask everyone to remain vigilant at all times.”
“Customers can avoid heavy traffic by using the nearby Lexington Avenue 4-5-6 line, which will operate on a normal weekday schedule,” said a spokeswoman for the M.T.A. “Trains will run at least every two to three minutes and even more frequently during rush hour when vehicular traffic is expected to be at its most congested.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority has encouraged people taking the bus in and out of Manhattan to allow for additional travel time to and from their destinations.
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