Greenway History

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Greenways are actually a century-old idea; in many cases, new greenways are being re-created out of old ones that were paved over or allowed to fall to ruin as motor traffic gained a stranglehold on land-use planning. Had these pathways been maintained all along, much of the network would be in place now.

Each of the five boroughs has park paths and waterfront esplanades that have long been used by cyclists and pedestrians. The oldest greenway in the U.S. is Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, designed by Olmsted and Vaux and opened in 1895. The Ocean Parkway greenway is a wide, paved, tree-lined path with a simple low rail separating bicycle and pedestrian traffic. Though it runs alongside a six-lane highway, the greenway path is separated from motor traffic by a strip of greenery.

Ocean Parkway bike path, 1896. The city widened the path after 10,000 cyclists jammed the opening celebration in 1895. New York Public Library.

Also extant are many of the attractive bicycle paths that long-time parks commissioner Robert Moses built alongside his highways. Traces of this 50-year-old system of paths can be found along the Belt Parkway in Brooklyn, the Bronx River and Hutchinson River Parkways in the Bronx and Westchester, the Cross Island Parkway in Queens and the Wantagh Parkway on Long Island. Cyclists and hikers often stumble across crumbling remains alongside other highways around the region, most notably the old Vanderbilt Parkway in eastern Queens.