June 7, 2006
City Parks Traffic Restrictions -- It's Definitely On
City Council members decided Tuesday to withdraw a bill that would have challenged the mayor's partial removal of cars from Central and Prospect Parks. The trial restriction prohibits vehicular traffic except for during morning and evening rush hours and allows cross-town traffic to continue through Central Park. The restriction was launched Monday and will run for six months. Central Park and Prospect Park list the exact street closing times on their respective sites.
Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, states that the goal "is to have car-free parks." A petition calling for a complete ban on cars in Central Park received 102,000 signatures. Many are hoping this trial run will lead to a more complete and permanent restriction. On the other side of the issue, many residents are concerned about rush hour gridlock stemming from traffic diverted out of the parks.
Gothamist is with the Parks Dept. on this one. We'll reserve judgment until we see how the six-month trial plays out.
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while we're at it, can we keep the horse carriages out of the park too - the smell is just too much for me
This is too bad.
The bill would have required a 3 month trial period when the loop road would be entirely free of cars, allowing for a more accurate study to prove once and for all that getting cars out of the Park is totally possible, and will not result in increased congestion. The DOT's 6 month trial is flawed because it does not close the entire road.
It's not Parks' decision, but DOT's that they are hiding behind. DOT says that same crap about everything they don't want to do, and then they are always proved wrong.
The city cried foul when they stopped 5th Ave from running through Washington Square Park in the 60s, too, but traffic didn't increase after all. Surprise, surprise. Transportation Alternatives is absolutely right on this issue. The people deserve safe, car-free parks.
As someone who bikes through Central Park every day on their way to work, I really wish it was 100% car free. It is not so much the quantity of cars, but the quality. What I mean by that is, if the parks paid any attention they would realize that not many cars use the park at all. However, the ones that do use the park treat it as their own Indy 500. They are going WAY over the speed limit, and commonly drive into the "exercise" lane. Not only that, but because the way the lights are timed, it is quicker just to go down one of the avenues. Cabs and cars will speed up and then slam on their brakes.
I better get in there on my new motorcycle before they close it down for good, I always wanted to race laps around that loop.
s - Thanks. It's great that you're more interested in showing off your crotch rocket rather than in the safety of park users.
There should never be any private automobile in any park at any time. Exceptions made for police, emergency, and maintenance.
i couldnt care less about showing it off to anyone, its about having fun riding it, and that loop around central park is amazing. i ride my bicycle 25mph around that loop, going 80 mph on my motorcycle would be that much more amazing. dont worry, i have good brakes ;)
The City Council's decision is just Bloomberg ass-kissing. Remember how there were restrictions last year, too? They didn't learn anything then? What's even more infuriating is that pedestrians, cyclists, and skaters share a single tiny 4 foot wide lane, while cars get two full lanes. If there have to be cars in the Park, they should only get one lane. Did you know that studies have shown that exercising in the presence of automobile exhaust causes particulate matter to lodge deeper in the lungs than normal? That, boys and girls, is bad for you.
I think the ultimate insult in all this is that virtually none of these cars are driven by Manhattanites. You can help by telling your cab driver to NOT use the Park drives!