Car-Free Parks
Streetsblog Basics
Traffic Lights Don’t Belong on a Park Loop
Two separate crashes in which cyclists struck and killed pedestrians on the Central Park loop have garnered more media attention than any other traffic safety issue in the past two months. In addition to the inevitable reemergence of a few bikelash trolls, the collisions have led to a round of less spiteful stories that still miss the mark, framing the whole issue in terms of adherence to traffic lights. Collisions on the loop roads in both Central Park and Prospect Park are preventable, but trying to compel pedestrians and cyclists to obey signals won't get the job done.
September 30, 2014
Summer Streets and (Mostly) Car-Free Central Park: Same As Last Year
Six years ago, when Summer Streets was introduced, the New York Times asked: Will it work? This year, the question is: Why isn't the city doing more of it?
June 19, 2014
What’s the Status of Car-Free Central Park and Prospect Park in 2014?
Last year, the city announced that much of Central Park's loop drives would go car-free all summer long. With temperatures warming, the park is again filling with people walking, jogging, and biking -- all sharing space with car commuters looking for a rush-hour shortcut. Will it happen again -- or expand -- this year? Negotiations are underway to bring a car-free summer back to Central Park, and meanwhile it's still an open question whether Prospect Park users will get similar summer traffic relief for the first time.
April 21, 2014
Flashback Friday: TA’s 1997 Car-Free Park/Earth Day Ride (With Chants!)
After news broke that the east and west drives of Central Park will be car-free for two months this summer, this seemed like a fitting installment from the vault of Clarence Eckerson this week: The Transportation Alternatives 1997 Earth Day ride, which held up the goal of a car-free park Central Park as a symbol of environmentally-friendly transportation policies.
July 5, 2013
Car-Free Parks? Not During This Hudson River Greenway Drive-In Picnic
New York City's parks are supposed to be a respite from the noise and stress of the city. It seems a few people haven't got the message -- and are using the Hudson River Greenway bicycle and pedestrian path as their personal driveway to the Upper Manhattan waterfront.
May 1, 2013
Eyes on the Street: New Stripes for Pedestrians and Cyclists in Central Park
Last month, Streetsblog reported that the Central Park loop would be getting a new lane configuration to clarify where pedestrians and cyclists belong, similar to changes recently implemented in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. Less than 30 days after the announcement, walkers, joggers, and bike riders are all getting some extra room in the park, while the space for cars has been narrowed to one lane, calming vehicular traffic. Reader Rod Huntress sent in these photos from a ride this morning.
October 23, 2012
In Flushing Meadows, Parking Encroaches on Queens Park Space
When New York City played host to the 1939 World's Fair, the most influential attraction in Flushing Meadows was General Motors' Futurama, a miniature vision of a future with highways crisscrossing through cities and mass ownership of the personal automobile. A science fiction vision at the time, it wasn't far off from what ultimately happened.
August 1, 2012
Now You Can Bike Both Ways Across Central Park on 72nd Street
The two-way, buffered bike lane across Central Park on 72nd Street is rounding into form, with most but not all of the markings in place, readers tell us. The path is rideable in both directions, adding a critical piece of east-west connectivity to the bike network.
June 28, 2012
Making History: 2004 Car-Free Central Park Film Chosen for MCNY Exhibit
In the midst of a 2004 petition drive and campaign, Transportation Alternatives hired me to produce a mini-film called "The Case for a Car-Free Central Park." It featured interviews with many prominent New Yorkers, like Columbia professor Ken Jackson and author Roberta Brandes Gratz, along with dozens of everyday park-goers testifying about how they felt about cars in the park.
May 3, 2012
Eyes on the Street: Prospect Park Road Diet in Action
As first documented by @noahbudnick, the section of the Prospect Park loop south of the lake has had new markings (and a smooth, fresh surface) for a few weeks. On this section you can experience the more spacious 24/7 accommodations for walkers, joggers, and cyclists that will soon expand to the rest of the loop. I was over there about two weeks ago and it was kind of remarkable to see everyone using the lane designated specifically for them.
April 27, 2012