NYC doctors and elite Allen-Stevenson School battle over ‘Open Streets’ program

 An elite private school has turned an Upper East Side street into a playground — pitting the kids against infuriated residents and doctors who work on the block.

The stretch of east 78th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues is home to at least six doctors’ offices, whose physicians claim their patients can’t get to appointments because cars aren’t permitted to drop them off.

The area is cordoned off from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays as part of the city’s Open Streets program, allowing students from the all-boys, $57,000-a-year Allen-Stevenson School a place to play while a rooftop recreation area is being built.

“The impact has been somewhat devastating,” said Karen Lessing, who works in plastic surgeon Pamela Lipkin’s East 78th Street office.

“Ubers have canceled because they say, ‘We can’t come down the block’ … Many of my patients are Medicare patients with walkers, canes,” said Lauren Cassell Binbaum, a surgeon whose office is on the street. 

The area is cordoned off from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays as part of the city’s Open Streets program, allowing students to play while a rooftop recreation area is being built.

Helayne Seidman

It’s not just a nightmare for those trying to make a doctor’s appointment. The kids sometimes block bike lanes, forcing cyclists onto the sidewalk and into the path of pedestrians, residents and doctors complained during a recent Community Board 8 meeting.

Some kids are more than just pedestrian hazards, one doctor said.

“I had my car parked out on the street … and one of those pieces of sh-t kids — spoiled brats — jumped in my car, and it was running,” Dr. Lipkin told The Post.

The “Open Streets” program has angered residents and doctors who say it causes safety problems.

Helayne Seidman

The Allen-Stevenson School, which boasts Michael Douglas and former Disney CEO Michael Eisner as alumni, has used the tree-lined street as a playground since September 2020. It’s unclear when its rooftop recreation area is to be completed.

“This Open Street helps provide safe play space and drop-off/pick-up opportunities for children attending the Allen-Stevenson School,” said DOT spokesman Vincent Barone, who did not address community complaints.

In an effort to appease critics, the school has begun issuing passes for residents to be able to drive through without having to check in with guards posted alongside barricades at the entrance to the block.

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A sign notifying passersby that the street is closed.

Helayne Seidman

The outside of the Allen-Stevenson School.

Helayne Seidman

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“But I’m like, ‘Who are you to give out permits?’” Lipkin seethed.

Allen-Stevenson’s security director, Chris Acerbo, defended the program. 

“It gives students an opportunity to get out in the fresh air, [which] has a lasting impact on the rest of the day in the classrooms,” he told the community board.

Duncan Lyon, the head of the school, told The Post, “We take pride in being good neighbors.”

https://nypost.com/2023/01/14/nyc-doctors-and-elite-allen-stevenson-school-battle-over-open-streets/