Get Up and #Sneckdown

Inwood sneckdown, December 2016. Photo: Brad Aaron
Inwood sneckdown, December 2016. Photo: Brad Aaron

With nine inches of snow in Central Park as of this afternoon, NYC is in for some serious sneckdown action.

In case this is your first time — sneckdowns are “snowy neckdowns” formed as motorists drive through melting snow and slush, revealing where asphalt could be repurposed for street improvements to slow motor vehicle traffic and make walking safer.

The sneckdown concept has a storied legacy. In 2006, Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson Jr. noted “naturally occurring neckdowns” after a record snowstorm in NYC. Things really took off after Streetsblog founding editor Aaron Naparstek came up with the #sneckdown hashtag in 2013.

The next few days will be prime time. To share your finds, use the #sneckdown hashtag on social media (see Clarence’s tips on page 3 of this PDF to make the most of the experience). If you’d like Streetsblog to publish your pics, wherever you are, include a location in your tweet or Instagram.

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With Blizzard Mania ’16 reaching a fever pitch up and down the Eastern Seaboard, it looks like we’re in for the first serious sneckdowns of the season. For the uninitiated, sneckdowns are neckdowns created by driving patterns in melting snow or slush. Sneckdowns highlight excess asphalt that could be repurposed for streetscape improvements to slow motor vehicle […]
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