Riverside Park Needs 'Preferred Path'

Now that the Hudson River Greenway is almost complete between Battery Park and the George Washington Bridge, Riverside Park has become an enormously popular commuting and recreational route for cyclists, pedestrians and skaters. Indeed, Riverside Park's once quiet waterfront promenade is dangerously overcrowded. According to the Department of City Planning, 1,200 people an hour cycle, walk and skate along busy parts of the greenway during peak times. To ease congestion and reduce bicycle-pedestrian conflicts on the promenade, Riverside Park needs a 'Preferred Path' for cyclists. This path should follow the existing underused paths inland of the promenade between 66th and 83rd Streets, leaving the promenade for pedestrians and slow cyclists. In the Fall of 2001, T.A. proposed the 'Preferred Path' plan and 'Shared Path' signs to Riverside Park. Over the Spring and Summer of 2002, Riverside Park installed 'Shared Path' signs to foster a congenial path environment. Now, Riverside Park management must reach out to the Parks Department's talented bicycle and pedestrian planning staff to develop and implement a 'Preferred Path' plan.

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