May 13, 1998

Protest Ride Planned for Thursday, May 14, 6:15PM
Start: Central Park entrance at Columbus Circle / 59th St.

Cyclists, in-line skaters, runners and other Central Park users will hold a traffic calming protest ride/skate to call attention to two serious crashes that occurred on Central Park's loop drive last week. Two separate crashes on the park drive left one cyclist with amputated toes and another with serious leg and foot injuries. Advocates for a car-free Central Park will ride the lower loop to calm traffic in the park during the evening rush hour, when both crashes occurred.

The crashes, reported on a listserve for cyclists, sent shock waves through the cycling community. In Monday's crash, a cyclist was struck by a cab that reportedly ran a red light on the West Drive. On Tuesday, May 5, a motorist who was speeding, according to police accident reports, plowed into the recreational lane, sideswiping and dragging a cyclist onto the sidewalk.

"People come to Central Park to get away from traffic," said Gian-Claudia Sciara, bicycle program coordinator for Transportation Alternatives. "But as long as the city uses the park as a traffic valve, crashes like these are inevitable." In the wake of last week's crashes, bicycling and pedestrian advocates are asking the City for stepped-up traffic enforcement in the park and for a trial car-free closing of the park north of 72nd St. this summer.

Currently, the Park is closed to cars on weekends, but on the East Drive between 59th St. and 72nd St., one of the most popular areas for Park users, cars are prohibited only between 7 and 10 PM weekday evenings. The remainder of the Park's main loop drive is closed to cars from 10 am to 3 PM, and from 7 to 10 PM on weekdays.

"Use of Central Park by runners, in-line skaters and cyclists has skyrocketed in recent years. To cram everyone into a single, narrow recreational lane while allowing cars to use the drive only exacerbates the dangers and the overcrowding," said Sciara.