Photo: InSapphoWeTrust via Wikimedia Commons
One of the biggest perks of living uptown is unquestionably the proximity to Central Park. The 847 acres of urban greenery serve as a playground for New Yorkers and tourists alike — a place to run, cycle and unwind amidst the oft-chaotic backdrop of Manhattan. Of course, considering its immense popularity, rules and regulations are required to maintain order. A particularly hot button issue? The iconic drives which run throughout.
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Back in June 2018, vehicles were banned from the drives, freeing up space for pedestrian activities. But since the announcement, an uptick of alternative traffic has created congestion — and the Central Park Conservancy is taking action. In partnership with the NYC Department of Transportation and NYC Parks, the Conservancy has launched a multi-year study to gather information and suggestions from the public on how to improve conditions and safety of the drives.
“Even before the pandemic, the drives were very congested and full of competing uses,” Erica Sopha, Vice President for Park Use and Stewardship, told us. “Once the pandemic began, we started to see an entirely new kind of use on the drives — [including] e-devices of all kinds. We saw a huge increase of delivery services on bikes and e-bikes as well, so more transportation was happening on the drives. We also saw New Yorkers in unprecedented numbers.”
Based on frequent public feedback (and observations from team members in the field), the Conservancy is hoping all New Yorkers who spend time in Central Park will fill out this survey (available here in Spanish) to share any relevant thoughts on how to elevate the experience of the drives. From there, they plan on spending approximately one year acquiring findings and then working closely with the City in order to tackle any concerns. There will also be community meetings in the not-so-distant future (we will keep you posted with further information as it becomes available).
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Though the Conservancy doesn’t keep data on accidents within the park, e-bike incidents have been a frequent discussion over the past few years.
Not holding my breath for the Riverside Park Conservancy to take the hint.
Pedestrian safety and bike/e-bike traffic enforcement is a joke in RSP and also RSP South.
Bikes and e-bikes are out of control. They refuse to use the bike lanes and use the sidewalks instead. And fast they ride!!!
Adam,
Fast for bicycles is not illegal, but running reds, riding against vehicular traffic, and riding on sidewalks is illegal for e-bikes and e-scooters. No, bicyclists and e-bike/e-scooter drivers are not required by law to use “bike” lanes, but the rules now say all driver/riders are to use lights at night.
The City does nothing to enforce these laws and rules out on the streets and avenues.
The Riverside Park Conservancy and Park Police are especially horrible about not enforcing rules that govern the use of bicycles and scooters, particularly on shared paths. The various Central Park authorities, though far from perfect, are much better than the RSP managers, who seem to suppose it funny when bicyclists and e-bike drivers endanger pedestrians.
I use the adjective “funny” not because of some response to my complaints, or because of access to interoffice emails, but because of the public attitude by RSP managers/police that “it’s a “free for all, you’re on your own as a pedestrian, and we don’t give an eff”. It’s an extreme example of official arrogance regards bicycles and e-whatever in RSP and RSP South.
Not holding my breath for the Riverside Park Conservancy to take the hint.
Pedestrian safety and bike/e-bike traffic enforcement is a joke in RSP and also RSP South. Though far from perfect, Central Park is much better.
Read the story! Their talking about Central Park.
Don,
And like Central Park, RSP is on the UWS.
Furthermore, if you actually read and understood what I wrote, you’d not have posted because I said: Not holding my breath for RSPC to take the hint; meaning the RSPC won’t pay any attention to efforts by various managers of Central Park to improve pedestrian safety.
Thank you for the story and for including the survey! Having lived in 10 different states I absolutely believe that Central Park is THE most beautiful and well maintained urban park in the country. I know lots of folks like to complain, and improvements are always welcome, but also think it’s important to note what a great job the team does on a regular basis!
Now having said all that – the absolute worst thing about the park IMO is the helicopters. Stop the Chop!