Central Park Drives Close to Auto Traffic Above 72nd St.

[pbarry]

This is great.
http://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/06/26/nyregion/end-of-a-pastoral-shortcut-for-central-parks-drivers.html?_r=0

[ik2280]

Sure is! Now I just wish they'd close the whole park to cars (and horses, perhaps).

[thegunner]

the cars were never the problem, the tourists riding citibikes going the wrong way and the pedestrians who dart across the road were the problem.

is it weird that i think this is actually going to make things worse? now they don't have to check for cars on the north end of the park...

[nooneline]

the cars were never the problem, the tourists riding citibikes going the wrong way and the pedestrians who dart across the road were the problem.

is it weird that i think this is actually going to make things worse? now they don't have to check for cars on the north end of the park...

the cars were the problem when the drivers of them were hitting and killing people.

[pbarry]

the cars were never the problem, the tourists riding citibikes going the wrong way and the pedestrians who dart across the road were the problem.

is it weird that i think this is actually going to make things worse? now they don't have to check for cars on the north end of the park...

I've been buzzed pretty close by speeding cabs a few times on the north end. Yes, agreed, the pipeds and cyclists riding irresponsibly are a big problem, but taking cars out of the equation is a plus imo.

[rwerkudara]

the cars were never the problem, the tourists riding citibikes going the wrong way and the pedestrians who dart across the road were the problem.

is it weird that i think this is actually going to make things worse? now they don't have to check for cars on the north end of the park...

Not at all, I definitely agree especially during the summer. Same changes will apply to Prospect Park, and it's already a mess there.

[thermalattorney]

IMHO the change to PP is a bigger deal. Having spent years living near Prospect Park, rush hour there means a ton of commuters from south Brooklyn speeding to get home.

CP's traffic always seemed to me mostly cabbies cutting cross-town.

[ik2280]

the cars were never the problem, the tourists riding citibikes going the wrong way and the pedestrians who dart across the road were the problem.

is it weird that i think this is actually going to make things worse? now they don't have to check for cars on the north end of the park...

Don't get me wrong, pedestrians and tourists can be a big hassle, but no cars will make a big difference. The big issue with Central Park is that there are waaaaaay too many stop lights. If there were no cars, there could be fewer stoplights, thus making it safer for pedestrians and cyclists.

[Climb01742]

When I lived in the city, what made CP most dangerous was the_speed_of the cabs. CP was their race track. It's true that all the other, human traffic, so often clueless, is a real danger too. But if you're in the park at the right hours -- the off hours -- without cars? Sweet. I always found the experience of CP was most dependent on time of day.

[Rebel_Biker]

The biggest problem with the cars is that they caused us to ride in the bike lane. That was a problem because the runners take over the bike lane.

I once got pulled over with 2 other cyclist going up horse ···· ally out of the bike lane, during car hours. The police officer told us he was going to cite us with riding in the car lane. The other 2 cyclist were arguing, aggressively, with the PO that the bike lane was full of runners. I stayed quiet. The PO looked at me and politely said I could leave.

But my riding partners had a point. Although, we were riding a bit aggressively around the buggies and cars.

Don't even get started on roller bladders.

[Mr. Pink]

the cars were the problem when the drivers of them were hitting and killing people.

Cabs don't kill people in CP, but, face it, bikers have, more than once.

I remember when the drive was a potholed mess in the seventies. I'm guessing that maintaining that road will be a low priority with no cars in the future. Also, expect to hear about a ton of injuries when bikers and bladers encounter the many wet leaves that won't be cleared in the fall. Car traffic naturally clears that stuff in the morning.