Northeast - Central Park etiquette?

Hi

Am fairly new to NY cycling and when I don't have time to get out of NYC I settle for a few laps of central park. Not ideal by any means but better than nothing I guess.

Was just wondering - is there any 'rule' as to where to ride on the road in the park, i.e. are slower riders expected to keep to the right as in normal traffic, or in the centre, or the right? Sometimes it seems like a free-for-all with weaving left & right the norm, but recently I was scolded by a group of overtaking cyclists for being 'offside', when I was riding (at a fairly decent pace I should add) pretty much in the centre of the two car lanes.

Would appreciate anyone's input on this, thanks.

I'll second what botto said. The only grief I've gotten there was when I just started riding in the park and I stopped and pulled a right turn to the curb without checking behind me. I almost caused a nasty accident with another cyclist. Got a much deserved yelling from the cyclist. So always check for overtaking traffic.

Be alert and take it easy. Stay out of the pedestrian lane during car-free hours. Biggest problem I have is people going the wrong direction, be it on bike or on foot. Always keep an eye out for them.

I just ride unpredictably and stay middle to right. If any riders start telling me off cuz I'm "offside" or whatever, I'd just tell 'em to "f*ck off".

i notice the park loop don't tend to follow the same convention as on a street. seems to me most slower cyclists stay to the left side (closest to the pedestrian lane) and faster cyclists overtake on the right side.

To make a short answer long

A couple of weeks ago I was in Cental Park and stopped near the 90th Street entrance to drink some gatorade and listen to my iPod. When I was ready to do some more laps I checked to make sure there were no cars coming and that I wasn't getting in the way of any cyclists or joggers before crosing the east drive. Just as I was getting up to, maybe, 14 - 15 mph a woman doing 20+ mph passed me and barked "You can't just cut in like that!!" "uh.. yes I can" I responded but of course she was well out of hearing range by then.

Back when I was a kid there weren't any recreational lanes. Bicycles were relegated to that inner path with the wooden rails and were expected to go counter-clockwise around the park. When they striped recreational lanes, I presumed the inner (leftmost) lane was for joggers and the outer lane was for cyclists... traveling counter-clockwise around the park, when the park is open to traffic. It really bugs me when 200 joggers decide to run clockwise without any concern for anyone traveling in those lanes.

When the park is closed to traffic generally joggers will stay in the recreational lanes, on the left, and anything moving faster will stay in the center. It still bugs me when joggers run clockwise. :p

thanks for the info - it seems to me to make most sense to follow trafiic convention, i.e. slower riders keep vaguely to the right...so I guess I'll just stick to that, ride a predictable line and hope for the best!

Just ride predictably & watch out for rouge cars in the 'car-free' after hours. I'd recommend a light if you're riding early morning or late at night. At least the wrong-way cyclists or runners might see you before running into you.

I wouldn't worry much about jerkish behavior from cyclists in the park. Everyone has their own ideas about what is 'right'. Just stay alert & look out for slower/faster riders, moms w/ strollers, old men with walkers, couples walking their dog on one of those retractible leashes, kids, tourists, horse-drawn carriages, etc, etc. Have fun! :D

thanks for the info - it seems to me to make most sense to follow trafiic convention, i.e. slower riders keep vaguely to the right...so I guess I'll just stick to that, ride a predictable line and hope for the best!
Normal traffic convention does not apply in the park because traffic flows counterclockwise. Slower riders should stay closer to the inside of the loop, which means the left side. Overtaking cyclists should pass on the outside of the loop, which means to the right.

You're right about being predictable - that's the most important thing.

+1 to the post earlier about the joggers. They're clueless. It's great how they'll run along the line next to the car lane, so when the park is open to motorists, you either have to wait until you can get in the car lane to pass, or you have to pass on the inside, which is dangerous for both the jogger and the cyclist (because you know the jogger won't turn to look before darting to his/her left). I think I'm gonna put some bayonets on my bullhorns. http://sheldonbrown.com/lirpa.html#bayonetz

i haven't been on a ride in CP for a long time, so maybe this is no onger the case: it wasn't the joggers that bugged em the most, it was the idiots on rollerblades, awkwardly rolling along, at 5 mph, 6 abreast.

Yep, they're still there. I only ride later at night, so I usually see the serious bladers who actually along at a pretty good speed.

I don't mean to scare anyone off the Park. It's a great loop. You just have to keep your head up & be aware.

It really bugs me when 200 joggers decide to run clockwise without any concern for anyone traveling in those lanes.

This aggravates me more than anything. What's worse is that on many evenings I see organized runs of 100+ runners in a single group, running the wrong direction.

I've actually been avoiding the park lately. TOO many running newbies training for the NYC Marathon late into the night.

i haven't been on a ride in CP for a long time, so maybe this is no longer the case: it wasn't the joggers that bugged me the most, it was the idiots on rollerblades, awkwardly rolling along, at 5 mph, 6 abreast.

My worste memory of Central was on a training session on the East side
( long straight along side the reservoir )
doing sprint intervals and not seeing the rolloblader with ski poles.
Pole went into front wheel and lobotomized my Paris Sport track bike.

I rolled out of it pretty well no broken bones but frame,fork & front wheel were toast.
Blader just shrugged shoulders.