Photo by Barry.
By Carol Tannenhauser
A bicyclist and a jogger collided Tuesday morning at 7:05 a.m. inside Central Park around West 74th Street. The NYPD released the following statement:
On Tuesday, June 2nd, at 7:05 am, police responded to a 911 call about a collision between a bicyclist and a pedestrian inside Central Park in the vicinity of CPW and West 74th Street. When officers arrived they encountered a female approximately 40-50 years old with trauma. When EMS arrived they transported her to New York Presbyterian Weil Cornell Medical Center, in critical but stable condition. The male bicyclist remained on the scene. A preliminary investigation determined that the bicyclist was traveling south on West Drive when he struck the female, who was jogging. An investigation by the NYPD collision squad is ongoing. NYPD is awaiting a description of trauma.
“It was very upsetting. I hope she is okay. She appeared to be seriously injured,” said Susan Schwartz, who was entering Central Park to go birding and witnessed the collision. “The biker remained at the scene and was questioned by the NYPD. Even while the ambulances and police were in the road, very few bikers stopped for the red light,” Schwartz added. “This may or may not have contributed to this incident, but is a common problem that poses a serious risk to pedestrians.”
Schwartz, a member of Community Board 7, said the board will be voting on a resolution proposing enforcement of biking laws in Central Park (staying off pedestrian paths, observing red lights, and complying with the posted speed limits) tonight at the Full Board meeting.
Update: The jogger, whose name is being withheld pending family notification, is now listed in critical condition, according to an NYPD spokesperson. Later, it was reported that she is 49 years old. Streetopia, an organization that advocates for cyclist and pedestrian issues on the UWS, also said in a statement that police should be focused on failure to yield more than red light violations. “Also, now is not the time to encourage more policing of relatively minor offences. Instead, let’s work together to create the park that we want.”
Neither bikers nor joggers stop for red lights. When jogging or biking if you aren’t going to stop, at least turn your head and look around you just like you normally do when you walk across a street against the red.
I have noticed that joggers have also recently taken to using the bike lanes which seems like something that could have happened here.
Do the lights apply to joggers?
Yes lights apply to joggers just as they do for pedestrians (and bike riders).
But following long established NYC pedestrian rules the red light just means slow down, look in both directions and be careful.
I don’t think that’s what the law says.
I am a novice cyclist. When I stop for the red lights, the advanced cyclists get annoyed – it’s not okay for them to expect to keep going and get upset that I’ve stopped. Last week, I stopped, a mother and her child were waiting to cross. Other cyclists didn’t stop. She looked at me and I looked at her and I said “they’re supposed to stop.” She thanked me. I don’t know how to handle the fact that I even don’t feel safe *as a cyclist* in the park from the more advanced riders.
Every single day this is problem in Central Park! Crossing the street to go into the park is a gamble with your life and bikers generally do not stop or slow down. The lights are useless and I can’t believe there aren’t any type of speed bumps close to the lights. And I usually know the ones that will be the worst offenders, the guys that dress like they are racing for the Tour de France who think they are in a competitive race against themselves and no person or light will slow them down. I’m surprised this doesn’t happen every day.
Serious conflicts are always happening. Pedestrians not paying attention.Bikers not obeying the laws and speeding. Dog walkers letting their pets off the leashes and goi g into other people’s property. Parks people do nothing. Central Park Conservancy is quiet.
All of the above. Yes. Well said.
I walk everyday in the park and the majority of the bike riders (whether leisurely or in full bike racing gear) realty ever stop let alone acknowledge the fact that the pedestrians have the right of way when crossing the road period. And in a lot of cases the riders are antagonistic and threatening….by the basic fact of speed and machinery they are the more deadly lethal aggressors…
PLEASE MAKE A LAW THAT IS ENFORCED THAT PEDESTRIANS HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY….AND UNLESS A BIKE RACE IS IN PROGRESS THE SPEED LIMIT IS 10 or 15 MILES PER HOUR!
Thank you.
Hope the poor woman will be okay.Where are all the comments from the cyclist cabal?
inb4 all the finger pointing at either the cyclist or the jogger for running a red light, without a shred of evidence one way or the other.
That’s terrible news, but I hope that people don’t over-react. Biking at that hour is usually very safe, as there are few pedestrians around. And a cyclist hitting a jogger is a very rare occurrence — far rarer than, say, cars hitting pedestrians.
Please note that cyclists use CP in the early morning hours for training rides and the local cycling club recommends these be ended by 8 AM. During training rides cyclist DO NOT stop at the lights but they are always required to yield for pedestrians regardless of time of day and provide 3′ of clearance at all times. I routinely ride between 5:30 and 6:30 am. Users at these hours are well aware of the protocols (including the local precinct). As always bad actors can ride inappropriately and runners can occasionally misstep. Sorry to hear there was a problem and hope all are okay.
You are probably part of the cyclists that refuse to wear masks and are coughing and spitting during their rides on the rest of us. If you really need to act like you’re in the Tour de France, move somewhere else where you can do this on country roads, not in a dense city with millions of people!
Do these “protocols” supersede the laws?
Oh. Now it all makes sense. Cyclists need the park for training rides so the laws thus stop applying to them.
Red light means stop. I don’t care if you are doing a training ride or whatever else. If there is not a human being for miles then perhaps it is OK. But if there is a red light for the rider, the walker crossing WITH the light is entitled do run, walk, electric slide, cha cha, or whatever else they want as long as they are across before the light changes. It would be courteous of them to hustle and get out of the way but that’s not required. It is required for you to stop. Sorry if this ruins your precious training ride.
We don’t know yet what led to this accident, but before all of the bike bashers begin, let me say that pedestrians and runners are pretty bad about observing the traffic lights, too.
I have often seen someone, a pedestrian or runner, cross a road in Central Park, against the Don’t Walk sign, or not even looking left and right to see if a bike is coming. Would they do that on 5th Avenue?
So, yes, lets enforce the red light law, but enforce it for everyone, not just the cyclists.
Bicyclists don’t care about the laws and never will.
What a ridiculous and foolish generalization to make.
Speaking as a bicyclist, I would include in the restrictions no children under 10 . Parents are taking their young children on their small bikes into the bicycle lanes. The children have no idea how to ride in traffic. When they can go fast, they swerve from left to right and when they’re struggling they stop in the middle the lane.
Sorry children are in a way of your speedy runs. Maybe we should close the entire park so they can’t bother you at all.
Seriously, the comment itself shows an entitled problem biker.
Where do you suggest city kids go to learn to ride a bike?
Seriosuly. bike lanes in park are not for Tour de France. And bikers all over need to respect light. I am a biker, and if I stop, I get dirty looks as if I am blocking traffing and I am the problem. And I often go with my 6 yr old.
Best wishes to the pedestrian/runner who was struck, for a swift and full recovery.
Also hard to tell from this reporting who may have been at fault. Maybe the cyclist ran a red light, maybe the pedestrian crossed against the light, maybe the pedestrian was running outside the pedestrian lane and the cyclist didn’t allow for it properly. (The latter circumstance is common right now with people trying their darndest to give 6 foot distances.)
I don’t think it’s sensible to have traffic lights inside the park in most locations, not since car traffic was removed from the drives. It’s infrastructure for cars that are no longer there. Maybe there’s still a role to play for traffic lights at the terrace drive intersections with the east and west drive, but honestly I’d like to see these both replaced with bike-scaled traffic circles instead.
Something like what they have in Prospect Park would be better, where the lights stay green for cyclists on the drive *until* a pedestrian presses a crossing button to indicate intent to cross. At the very very least.
But in any case, enforcement is not the answer. Proper infrastructure is the answer.
Most of the lights in Central Park do in fact work the way you describe. Unfortunately: 1) most visitors to the park don’t seem to know that pressing the button will in fact immediately cause the light to flash yellow and then red (those buttons are non-functional in many urban settings which causes people to ignore them, as far as I can tell); and 2) cyclists by and large ignore the light change and or get upset about it (I have actually had a morning cyclist scream at me for daring to push the light change button so I can cross with my dog at 6:30 am). I am a cyclist who religiously stops at the red lights and it mostly frustrates all the “go at all cost” cyclists. I’m at the point where I would support multiple offset barriers that require slowing down to navigate.
Do we actually ride and walk in the same park here? There seems to be a long-term project to make this happen, but it hasn’t advanced very far. The only intersection I know of that has lights that actually have working “beg buttons” is at the Engineer’s Gate, east drive at 90th Street. And there the cycle is messed up and doesn’t work well.
If you see “push to cross” buttons anywhere else, they’re feeder-bar placebos that aren’t actually connected to anything.
Matt H.,
How would having a cyclist stop light that pedestrians activate by pressing a button fix anything if there is no enforcement? It wouldn’t.
I don’t think it’s a great solution, but if riders get habituated to the idea of “the light is red, that means someone IS ACTIVELY CROSSING NOW” then that’s a little better.
CJ, you seem to be more interested in blaming people than solving the problem. Good For You.
Let’s spend more money on infrastructure for cyclists who don’t obey the current laws. Great idea.
The bikers in NYC, on the sidewalks, on the roads and in the parks, mostly do NOT obey traffic rules and are a menace to society.
And – I AM am biker.
Literally every day for the past 20 years that I’ve lived in this city, I have to dodge bicyclists who completely disregard all traffic rules. I’ve nearly been hit more times than I can count, and my partner has been hit before (mild, thankfully).
Best wishes to the runner, I hope that she’s OK. We shouldn’t rush to judgement about who was at fault however. “A serious risk” to cyclists are runners with ear buds who, intent on their music, veer suddenly and without looking into the road. Yet there are no signs or laws that govern that behavior in the park.
These cyclists NEVER stop at the lights and/or yield for pedestrians. They ride as though they are trying to win the yellow jersey and should realize they’re not the only ones in the park. I hope that woman makes a speedy recovery.
PLEASE vote to enforce biking laws, which are mainly ignored and, thus, potentially lethal.
I hope the injured woman is better soon.
Enforcing biking laws is a great idea. Hopefully that will pass. It seems like getting people for failing to obey a red light should be pretty easy. And hopefully this will not be seen as an excuse for more bike lanes.
I wish the injured jogger a full recovery and I thank Susan Schwartz for the information regarding this incident. What concerns me greatly, however, is this: “Schwartz, a member of Community Board 7, said the board will be voting on a resolution proposing enforcement of biking laws in Central Park (staying off pedestrian paths, observing red lights, and complying with the posted speed limits) tonight at the Full Board meeting.” Based on the above quote, it’s obvious that a) a law exists prohibiting biking on pedestrian paths and observing lights and other rules of the road, and b) these laws are not enforced. What is the point of having laws if they’re not enforced? The flouting of basic rules of the road by cyclists is a major safety hazard for pedestrians, on our streets and in our parks. So while I am sad for the injured jogger, I am not at all surprised any time there is a serious collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian.
What he said!
I was cycling in the park this morning and although bikers need to follow the rules better. I have been very disturbed by the amount of runners not running in the runners lane. I understand that they may be social distancing but they too must follow the rules. In fact, there are many runners running on the opposite side of the street from the runners lane and crossing randomly. There certainly be no reason for people to be struck by a biker, but in the morning it is not just cyclists using the roadway. There are e-bikes making deliveriers (which go very fast) e-scooters, citbikes, electic citi bikes. Also, I run as much as I cycle and it is very necessary to make sure you cross the street at the appropriate crossing. And, please remind everyone to wear a mask. I wear one running and cycling. Lets work together.
thank you
“Even while the ambulances and police were in the road, very few bikers stopped for the red light,”
And there you have the city’s cyclists in a nutshell. Cue the delusional, cyclapologist responses in 3…2…1…
Am I reading correctly in the last paragraph that the board is voting to enforce biking laws that are already on the books? Why would that be necessary? Can’t those laws be enforced already without a board vote?
How about enforcing bike rules throughout the UWS? A friend was knocked unconscious by a biker six weeks ago while crossing 81st and CPW. Crossing the street is a liability these days. Bikers and delivery personnel all behave as though they own the street.
I walk my dog every morning in the park and my greatest fear is getting hit by a biker. Unfortunately, many bikers consider traffic lights to be decorative fixtures, not signals for them to stop if a pedestrian is crossing. We really need more police monitoring of this.
I frequently run and cycle in Central Park. In the past couple of months, runners have frequently ignored the lines separating the runners’ and cyclists’ lanes. If runners don’t feel comfortable staying in their lane, they need to find another place to run. Runners can use the bridle path, the reservoir path, the Great Lawn oval, etc. There are plenty of other places to run in Central Park. Cyclists are only allowed on the main loop and a couple of cross roads. Let’s please respect the limited space for cyclists and others on wheels.
“Not Stopping for a red light” are you effing kidding me. I was there this morning but luckily did not see the collision. I spoke to a bystander who did and she said it was a violent collision. I pray for the jogger and hope she fully recovers. I can vouch for those demon bikers who are speeding around curves and bends in the road, most not wearing face masks and sometimes travelling side by side, not 6 feet apart. That particular stretch of the road is flat so if the biker was travelling at a “normal” speed, s/he could have braked in time to avoid her. TO BIKERS – This is not the “Tour de France” folks! As someone who uses the path designated for the joggers/walkers, the bikers are speeding way past 20 mph speed limit. It was bound to happen. So sad.
As a mom, cyclist and runner, I am terrified to take my kids into our city parks. I was out in Riverside this weekend teaching my 9 year-old to ring his bell and provide direction to riders and walkers. “Passing on your left” is a not a difficult phrase to utter. Not one cyclist, not one, returned the favor. In fact, as we passed walkers and runners on the left, others passed us on the left at the same time. How is this remotely safe. These paths are for the leisurely enjoyment of all. Not for the entitled.
One would think from the tone of the anti-cyclist hysteria in other comments that there commenters *preferred* it when cars were still on the park drives.
It’s really not hard to cross the drives on foot here, folks, just look and wait for it to be clear. Or use one of the undercrossings, there are on the other of a dozen of them. Or maybe make eye contact and hold out your hand indicating clear intention to cross, going when you do have right of way.
Maybe this is not the best activity if you are afraid of your own shadow I suppose. :-/
I’d take cars on the Park drives any day over law-breaking speeding cyclists. Cars stop at red lights. Bring the cars back!!
HAVING SPEED BUMPS AT THE STOP LIGHTS IS A MUST.
The biggest problem is speed, not red lights. Remember, he hit someone who was jogging, not a pedestrian crossing at a red light. Anyhow, far too many bicyclists race through Central Park like they’re training for the Tour de France. I saw one hit a little girl once (about 5 years old). She could’ve been killed.
I hate all these trite references to the Tour de France. Bicycles are allowed to ride the speed limit which probably appears very fast to you.
No details are known about this accident so walk back your assumptions about where the victim was when she got hit. There are also plenty of runners/walkers out there who are too plugged in and distracted by their music and screens to pay attention to their own safety. This is especially evident when they run in the bike lanes. Cyclists are not allowed to have two earphones on; maybe the same law should apply to runners.
There shouldn’t have to be a resolution to enforce the laws in Central Park. Cyclists are arrogant and reckless. I’ve almost been hit a number of times.
When cyclists speed through red lights and ignore the fact that other people exist, this kind of think isn’t a surprise.
I ride in the park most mornings and every morning joggers run in the bike lane causing us to swerve to ovoid them. Joggers can run anywhere and in any direction but bikers have one direction and one lane. If the police could help us also keep a clear bike lane. Thank you
Biking road bikes with pedals “clipped in” should be illegal in the Park. Bikers train in there like it’s a velodrome course, and they get agro at everyone else (non-training bikers, joggers, etc) like they own the place. That’s why so many collisions happen. It’s pretty simple.
I was hit by a cyclist at West 81st crossing in Central Park and was knocked unconscious and suffered a concussion. The bikes fly down that southbound hill and there is no way to be safe there. Similarly the crossing at East 84th is a constant risk of bike hazards. Why can’t they put those mechanisms in like they use to keep cars from crossing train tracks? A red light and a bar to give people an opportunity to cross without serious injury?
How dare they say ignoring safety laws and critically injuring a pedestrian is a minor offense. I suppose killing Mr. Floyd was also a minor offense? It’s all a continum of disrespect for others.
Uh, seriously? Are you comparing a police killing to an accidental collision between two park users?
Minor! A pedestrian is in critical condition!
pedestrians and joggers are just collateral damage to the bike activists. i was almost hit by a cyclist while crossing riverside drive in the crosswalk with the light; when i called him on it he said “but i slowed down.” when i said you’re supposed to obey the light he cursed at me and pedaled off with the smugness of someone who knows there’s no accountability.
I run, bike and also volunteer in the Park. I find that at crowded times, both bikers and people on foot are culpable – forgetting that the drive is multi use. If it makes folks feel better, I did get ticketed once, for sliding through a red light early in the morning, after slowing considerably to be sure no one was waiting to cross. So there is occasional enforcement.
I do wish the city would crack down on e-bikes and other wheeled electric devices , which are dangerous in and out of the Park.
Biker, runer, walker here. All behave badly in CP – aggravated since COVID by people doing stupid things like running /walking in the bike lane – witnessed walking down the middle of it tonite – walking in bike lane with your child in a stroller etc. etc. you name it. In this case, we don’t know the circumstances so jury out – Let’s all recognize that people in every category are guilty of not following the rules at times – and yes, you can kill me on my bike if you suddenly walk into my path or your dog darts out off the leash. Stay in your lane!.
Wow! I thought maybe I was just being a cranky old lady when I expressed anger at cyclists not respecting red lights. Maybe some group persuasion might elicit police or park overseeing of bike safety. Central Park keeps asking for my money. Maybe some of it could go for park safety. Central Oark is not a racetrack for cyclists.
The bridle path is the most overly aggrandized and sacrosanct stretches of Central Park, and yet the most underutilized. Really, how often does one see a horse on the bridle path? How about converting it, at least in part, for an alternate use? I won’t say what use, smarter people than me can figure that out. This great park needs to be shared and I agree that high speed cycling, joggers, pedestrians and kids who need to learn to exercise and ride bikes don’t mix well. Yet we need to coexist safely.
The bridle path is an anachronism, one with deep-pocketed supporters to be sure, but an anachronism. Surely we can find a better use for it.
With the exception of the past few months, I’ve been on the bridle path every day for the past 40 years. People walk and run there, nannies push babies in strollers, dogs go on long walks, schools regularly conduct gym or art classes there, and occasionally a group of kids will come through on horses. There are ‘no bicycle’ signs up everywhere but a few tourists still randomly ride through, which makes no sense when there’s a road a few feet away. I’ve always thought it was a very peaceful and well utilized area, so I’m not quite sure why that has to change when it’s already a perfectly good spot for everyone to coexist, sans bikes.
I should have been more precise: the bridle path is underutilized for its intended purpose, the riding of horses. I think certain sections of it can be repurposed (not the entire length and width) to accommodate other activities. while still accommodating all of the activities you just listed.
Agree. The Bridle Path is wide and friendly and already perfect for all except bikes and cars to enjoy. As long as dogs are kept on leash between 9am and 9pm.
Actually dogs are supposed to be on leash on the bridle path at all times.
I think this rule is a relic of the era where there were horses on the path in significant numbers, though.
And in any case with all dog runs still closed, now is a time to be understanding of any dog that you see off leash in most parts of most city parks. Perhaps with the Ramble as one of the notable exceptions. Per recent events and all.
Off-leash dogs are still upsetting to pedestrians who are trying to cope with the pandemic and get some fresh air. I know. Dogs are more important than people.
@HW – why? Because there’s a once-in-several-generations pandemic right now, dammit!
Nice that you care about The Rules no matter what the context is though.
I have no dog in this fight, btw, I’m a cat person.
No! Not the time to be understanding of dogs off-leash 9am – 9pm. Why? We have right to walk in the Park without worrying about loose dogs. Enough laws are being ignored, let’s not add another, please.
If dogs are off-leash, I cannot enjoy the Bridle Path, so let’s not make more exceptions to existing rules. Anything goes if it is convenient for bikers and dog owners.
I saw the police presence and wondered what had happened. I saw some blood on the pavement.
Generally the park is peaceful and everyone cooperates. Cyclists looking for real exercise can’t be stopping constantly for red lights, so the serious ones tend to go out quite early.
I’d hate to see the flow on the loop disrupted because of one very rare incident among millions of park visits.
Some people say their lives are in danger at every moment from dogs, bikes, runners etc, but it’s hyperbole.
Why, exactly, is it so hard for bikers supposedly intent on getting exercise to stop at lights? The only reason I can see for not stopping at the light is that you don’t want to lose your momentum. Here’s an idea: make the effort to stop and start–> get more exercise–> pedestrians not afraid for their lives when crossing the road–> everybody gets what they want.
Sorry, but you are wrong. Some of these bikers have played chicken on the road. It’s a game for them to cycle on the line that delineates walkers from cyclists. The park should be peaceful except it’s not. These morning speed demons screaming at each other so they can be heard when they are zooming past breaks that peace and quiet. I was there this morning as usual, and it was better, thankfully. The Park is for all to use, adults, children, dog walkers included. It’s not a raceway no matter the time of the day. Bicyclists can be included if they are riding leisurely. Cyclist should find a raceway to exercise.
Seriously. Tons of the comments here, I just don’t know how to summarize other than saying the authors are just off their rockers.
Philip Roth would be embarrassed about them, for sure: the whole thing reminds me of a quote from Portnoy’s Complaint:
—
Who in the history of the world has been least able to deal with a woman’s tears? My father. I am second. He says to me, “You heard your mother. Don’t eat French fries with Melvin Weiner after school.” “Or ever,” she pleads.
“Or ever,” my father says.
“Or hamburgers out,” she pleads.
“Or hamburgers out,” he says.
“Hamburgers,” she says bitterly, just as she might say Hitler, “where they can put anything in the world in that they want—and he eats them. Jack, make him promise, before he gives himself a terrible tsura, and it’s too late.”
—
Only with these folks, instead of saying “hamburgers” like they might say “Hitler”, they save that inflection for “bikes”, “bikers”, or “Tour de France”.
I’m Jewish, by the way, should anyone somehow try to twist the choice of quote into an anti-Semitic “tell”.
Bicycle laws need to be enforced all over the city, not just in the park. Pedestrians’ lives are at constant risk at every intersection and corner in our city because bicyclists disregard the laws and entitle themselves to having the right of way above all.
Since we’re talking about the whole city now, not just parks, if you’re worried about bikes and not worried about the much more dangerous issues with motor vehicles at those same crossings and intersections, that’s completely irrational. Motorists kill hundreds of New Yorkers each and every year. Pedestrians, cyclists, and other motor vehicle occupants.
Cyclists cause the death of another road user about once citywide in the average year. Many years there are no such deaths at all. Yes, let’s get this down to 0, every year, but let’s also keep our powder dry for the biggest problems first.
The feelings many people have are simple to explain: cars are the devil that we know; bicycles and electric bikes are the new devil. So now there are two devils we are forced to deal with, creating a very crowded space. Cars cause more deaths. But bicycles cause more ANXIETY.
Cars strike a single deadly blow. With bicycles, we are killed “by a thousand cuts.”
Cars are generally much more reliable about following traffic rules than unruly speeding cyclists. They don’t go down the street the wrong way randomly,either. So. At least pedestrians have a fighting chance if they obey the laws as well.
Actually untrue. Neutral observers of this have found all road users break the law, they just break different laws. Drivers speed constantly, fail to yield, roll stop signs instead of stopping at them, merge into occupied lanes. The speeding especially is hard to notice if you’ve become habituated to it, is rampant, and is extremely, *extremely* dangerous.
This is all particularly distressing when you consider the drivers are piloting multi-ton assemblages of rubber, metal and glass, at MUCH higher speeds. A cyclist is, what, 20-35 pounds of bike plus the rider, so mostly flesh and bone? And has a lot of incentive to avoid any sort of crash.
Here’s a good news article on one source:
https://blogs.mprnews.org/newscut/2015/07/survey-cyclists-no-better-or-worse-than-drivers/
From those radical pro-cycling-chaos agenda pushers at Minnesota Public Radio, I know!
Who are these “neutral observers”? Sounds like Trump, “many people say”. As just one observer these are my experiences with cars v. cyclists. Cars I can anticipate, bikes seem to come out of nowhere from all directions and on all bike and/or not bike lanes and even sidewalks.
Matt,
Sadly there are some bike related/caused deaths not reflected in the data….
elderly people hit by bicycles, suffer broken hips etc who never recover and then subsequently pass away.
This is a most unfortunate accident – and it was just that, an accident.
Because, as a slow cyclist,I wanted to clarify exactly how the “rules of the road” work in Central Park, I started asking police and Parks Department staff. There are three lanes in the park. It seems the right one is for vehicles (park, police, CP conservancy, etc.), the center for cyclists, and the left for walkers/joggers. I want to focus on the center lane for cyclists. It appears that the LEFT side of the lane is for SLOW cyclists, and the RIGHT side is for passing. Since I wanted to follow the “rules of the road”, I attempted to confirm my thinking, as this is counter-intuitive. In the US, we pass on the left side, not the right.
I contacted the CP precinct, Office Moran (very polite), confessed she did not know. I contacted CP Conservancy, via e-mail – no response, and finally I contacted the Parks Department. I learned the Parks Department determined how the CP roadway was marked, but Ms. Whitlock-Mingo of the Parks Department could not clarify exactly what the markings in the bicycle lane meant. I then contacted Mr. Mitchell Silver, Commissioner of the Parks Department, and guess where that went? No response to date (over three weeks)!
The point I am trying to make is that there may be an intent to have an orderly flow of runners, cyclists, and cars in the park, but there is little to no enforcement.
After myriad inquiries as to what the pavement markings indicate, I found out,to no surprise, that no one gives a darn. So, yes there is mayhem in Central Park, and until enforcement of the existing laws is consistently applied, more accidents will happen, and people will get hurt.
This is so sad….especially for those who suffer serious injury.
Who are these so-called neutral observers? We can see for ourselves what is happening on our streets and in the Park. What we observe is just as valid as what you observe.
Sympathy to the injured jogger.
Pedestrians and bicyclists, like cops and protesters, are people.
Beware of posts that imply a generalized, demonized “them.” We all have a responsibility to exercise care.
No actually, there is a group of people who think they can do anything they want, and that group would be the cyclists who are training/racing, who scream obscenities at you when they are speeding down a path where they’re not supposed to be in the first place, so it’s NOT a generalization. This discussion has been going on for years. Yes, we all have a responsibility to exercise care, but that includes them and they can’t seem to grasp that simple fact.
OK Helen.
Please stop using this belligerent and disdainful “OK” expression. Not just you, of course – but everyone.
This “Okay, Boomer,” “Okay, Helen,” stuff is remarkably dismissive and presents its user as incapable of sophisticated (or any) thought. So please stop now.
Thank you for your time.
According to reporting in the NY Post, sourcing the NYPD, the runner veered into the bike lane without warning. This fact despite the provocative headline and negative description of the cyclist as “zipping”.
The runner’s injury is tragic, hope she has a complete and speedy recovery.
It is one park for all to share, everyone needs to be mindful of the safety of others and also take responsibility for their own safety.
Cyclist leaves Central Park jogger in critical condition
By Tina Moore and David MeyerJune 2, 2020 | 3:50pm | Updated
A cyclist “collided” with a jogger while zipping through Central Park early Tuesday, leaving her in critical condition, according to police.
The male cyclist, 24, was riding in the bike lane inside the park near Central Park West and 72nd Street around 9 a.m., when a 48-year-old female runner veered into the lane “without warning,” according to the NYPD.
Emergency services rushed the injured woman to Weill Cornell Medical Center in critical but stable condition.
One witness called the scene “very upsetting.”
“She appeared to be seriously injured,” Susan Schwartz told West Side Rag.
The cyclist remained at the scene and an investigation is underway, cops said.
Collisions between cyclists and pedestrians in the park are rare, but not uncommon.
Harlem dad Charles Cheesboro died last August after colliding with an elderly pedestrian.
What happened at the Board meeting?
Lots of finger pointing here, but no one talking about the fact that in a park where cars are not allowed 50% of the path is reserved for cars. Maybe the board should bring up reallocating space so both pedestrians and people riding bikes have more.
There’s a running lane, a bicycle lane, and a vehicular lane. Sounds like 33% to me. How do you propose decreasing the amount for vehicles if there’s only one lane?
There has to be a vehicle lane for police, parks vehicles, vendor vehicles, and other authorized vehicles. When not used by vehicles, it should be reserved for cyclists, skaters, and anyone else on wheels.
Tour de France, just thought I throw that in, in case no one has mentioned it. And Lycra & Lance Armstrong too.
I work in Central Park and they have rules so just follow the rules that’s it it’s very simple like real peoples 👍