timmhaan

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
https://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

Konakazi

Huzzah! That's great. I hope this happens before I'm old and gray.

Now just get rid of the rollerblader and we're in business

timmhaan

you and me both. i've been following this with some interest now for a while, and i think it's a great endeavor. it's appalling to me that they let traffic into the park currently, i can't tell you how angry it makes me to get honked at or pushed off to the side of the road in an area designed for recreation and relaxation.

ultra-g

Can TA start a campaign to ban UWS & UES moms with their 10 feet wide strollers?

Konakazi

While we're at it, let's have some actual enforcement on the Greenways! I can't tell you how often I've been riding the Greenway and had either a crowd of people walking in the obviously designated bikelane, or people holding hands, or people with 4 dogs, etc.

There is clearly a lane for pedestrians/joggers and one for bicyclists.

vincenzosi

I can deal with the walkers and such a lot easier than I can deal with the standers. You know, the jerks that just plant themselves in one spot and don't move for half an hour and usually congregate six at a time?

Those bastards.

Grrr...

slvoid

Ok, now let's have an all car free prospect park.

Konakazi

One park at a time! Don't get greedy.

Standers are bad. Basically the Greenway is great but it's bad enough having people walk in bike lanes in the rest of the City, let alone BIKE ONLY paths on the Greenway.

slvoid

But I live in Brooklyn.

timmhaan

well, the way i see it the pedestrian problems will reslove themselves soon as the winter "kills" them off. at least we have temporary relief during those months. cars on the otherhand never stop no matter what the weather. besides, when was the last time you had a mother and stroller smack into you at 45 mph, destroying your bike and endangering your life?

Konakazi

I think having them walk out in to a bike path or not move, and have you forced to veer at the last second is pretty dangerous in itself.

ch0mb0

hear, hear! those drivers are a hassle since there's not always as many cops watching them...the cops are too busy chasing bikers :S

nycm'er

As one who has a broken collarbone due to a jay walker I am all for the removal of peds and dog walkers on the paths. The moms dont need to be going 45mph with their strollers to hurt us, just being there. I plowed into this moron kid in the EV and he was fine, my front wheel was toast, I was out of work for six weeks, (I freelance so that really hurt) and I have my first broken bone, all because people arent afraid of bikes and cops dont enforce laws that may protect bikers

Konakazi

Ugh that's like my nightmare. Actually I had something similar happen. I was riding up to my mom's on the upper West side, really hauling ass. I get up to 66th or so and I see this woman step off the curb.

I'm blowing my whistle and she gets back on the curb.

Then, of course, at the last possible second, she panics and tries to dart in front of me, and instead I plow right in to her.

We were both somehow alright as I managed to brake at the last second to take some impact out of it but she was so embarassed that she just apologized and literally ran off.

The one upshot was that this one guy was like "No helmet? Man, that could have been your HEAD."

Now I wear a helmet every time I ride. Happy ending!

nycm'er, did that kid have any insurance? did you exchange info? where in the EV was it?

nycm'er

Sorry I didn't check back to this thread till now. The kid was a college kid, probably a summer student at NYU as it happened on 10 st and 3rd Ave. Glorious evening, Flying along with my best riding bud- still pissed by it. As everyone who has ridden a little bit knows, when you tangle like that your head gets loopy, I was quite sure the kid had the right of way ( as a ped-x) even though I had the light. The cops came and confirmed apparently I could have got his name and won something (judging by this lawyer's face that I mentioned the story to at a party). But I was stupid and didn't. And I realized later that the cop probably didn't make a report so that my pain was not listed as a statistic in NYC. thanks for asking and be safe out there.