Northeast - High Line park NYC

I was riding down near the newly opened High Line park and decided to go check it out. As I was carrying my bike up the stairs a park ranger stopped me and said that they are not allowed. I understand that they can stop you from riding on the High Line but roll it along??? I asked her if strollers were allowed and she said yes. Seems strange to me.

Yeah, they need to change the wording on the sign from "No bicycling" to "No bikes allowed". I tried the same thing last week and was told no dice. They could also use w/ more bike racks than what's there now which is none.

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Same experience here and there really isn't enough bicycle parking at Gansevoort Street to accommodate all the cyclists who want to visit. The rules also say no dogs allowed, but the last time I was there, I did see two or three dogs in the evening. Maybe once the newness wears off they'll at least allow people to walk their bikes up there. It really is a drag walking all the way to the other end and then having to go back to the same exit where you parked your bike.

The "No Bicycles/No Bicycling" issue causes confusion in lots of places. With so many languages being spoken in the New York area, more and more signs at parks and other public places are using international symbols like the bicycle inside a circle with a red line going through it. I never know whether that means no bicycling or no bicycles, period.

As you alluded to, some of the strollers and joggers used by parents these days have a larger footprint than many bicycles. And when you consider that they are generally pushed ahead of the parent, they actually consume even more space than a cyclist walking beside his/her bike. I think lawmakers and law enforcement presume (perhaps rightfully so) that, if they allow people to walk bikes in certain areas, it's only a matter of time before people start to push the limits and ride their bikes through these areas when no one is looking.

I think lawmakers and law enforcement presume (perhaps rightfully so) that, if they allow people to walk bikes in certain areas, it's only a matter of time before people start to push the limits and ride their bikes through these areas when no one is looking.

That kind of grade school logic (not yours but rather the logic you've described) is exactly the finger of American culture that pushes my buttons. A co-worker, back from visiting her family, was just telling me about a cliff near Bordeaux in France that the government has set aside for para-gliding, with a landing spot being volunteered by a local farm. Imagine the nanny-state liability issues that would come up in the States. We can't even enter many public spaces while pushing our friggin' bicycles!

Two weeks ago I was at a beach on Long Island and on the way to the restrooms saw a sign forbidding roller skates/blades, skateboards, and bicycles on the sidewalk promenades. You can slowly plod to your plot of beach and bake in the sun while eating twinkies, but don't even think about getting any type of cardiovascular exercise. What a great attitude to have in a country with a huge obesity problem!

That kind of grade school logic (not yours but rather the logic you've described) is exactly the finger of American culture that pushes my buttons. A co-worker, back from visiting her family, was just telling me about a cliff near Bordeaux in France that the government has set aside for para-gliding, with a landing spot being volunteered by a local farm. Imagine the nanny-state liability issues that would come up in the States. We can't even enter many public spaces while pushing our friggin' bicycles!

Two weeks ago I was at a beach on Long Island and on the way to the restrooms saw a sign forbidding roller skates/blades, skateboards, and bicycles on the sidewalk promenades. You can slowly plod to your plot of beach and bake in the sun while eating twinkies, but don't even think about getting any type of cardiovascular exercise. What a great attitude to have in a country with a huge obesity problem!

You have a point but keep in mind too that people are a part of the problem as well because often you'll have people disobey posted signs, so they're probably looking to avoid the problem of having to police people with bikes altogether which isn't something I favor can understand.

>>>You have a point but keep in mind too that people are a part of the problem<<<

Yes...unfortunately, human nature IS to test how far we can push the rules.

There's a multi-use path out here on Long Island that ends at the Jones Beach Theater, just short of one of the beach's most popular areas. The temptation to ride through the theater parking lot, all the way to the boardwalk, is very tempting -- even though "no bicycling" signs are posted in two conspicuous places. Still, people do it all the time, creating even more of a nuisance for state park police, whose primary job is to curb alcohol consumption and the sometimes raucous behavior that goes with it before and after concerts. These are the cyclists who are going to cause the closure of the path some day - or, at the very least - the closure of the gate that permits cyclists to walk their bicycles through the parking lot to the beach.

I agree that the liability issues that cause lawmakers to rubber stamp most recreational opportunities with a "NO" can be laughable, but I also can see why lawmakers don't trust the average person to behave responsibly when cut a little bit of slack. In the case of the High Line, I'd be willing to bet that, within a few days of eased restrictions on bike walking, a group of those Critical Mass people will organize one of their disruptive protests, rallying a thousand people to defy the police and ride their bikes down the center of the walkway until the whole thing has to shut down. Then they will post a self-congratulatory video on YouTube and claim to have achieved a victory for bicyclists.

Sorry, guys. As much as I'd love to ride through the city and walk my bike across the High Line, I think the City is right to hold its ground on this one.

Oddly enough, no bicycling in Washington Square Park means you should walk your bike through the park. On the High Line it means no bikes permitted at all.

That might not be so bad if the City provided adequate bicycle parking at each entrance - maybe some bike racks with two points to secure both wheels. Unfortunately that's not the case.
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That might not be so bad if the City provided adequate bicycle parking at each entrance - maybe some bike racks with two points to secure both wheels. Unfortunately that's not the case.

I agree. The city needs to put in some bike racks. It's really bad for bike parking in that area and doubly so since they force us to leave our bikes if we want to walk on the Highline.