a release from transportation alternatives:
Hard on the heels of last week's triumphant rally, which drew more than 700
spirited attendees, the New York Times published a major story on page one of
this past Sunday's Metro section referring to the rally and announcing that park
and transportation officials are in discussions about closing three more
entrances to the park and banning cars from the loop road between 7 p.m. and 7
a.m. as early as this spring.
The article also cites two important new studies. The first, which counted cars
entering the park several months ago, found that traffic is down an average of
26 percent since 1991. The second, by the Regional Plan Association, indicates
that closing the loop to traffic entirely "would not significantly increase
traffic on major avenues outside the park, as some have ominously predicted."
The article appears after this message (minus the two great pictures of the loop
with and without cars) and can be found at
http://centralpark.c.topica.com/maac...bnHFQsbaeQA8g/
These new developments are largely owing to the hard work of a small band of
tireless car-free park volunteers and savvy and equally hard working
Transportation Alternatives staffers. All deserve a heartfelt round of
applause.
But as welcome as the proposed incremental improvements would be, rest assured
that the campaign will not stop until the loop road has been returned to its
original status as a place of recreation and renewal.
Ken Coughlin, Chair
Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park Committee