On the morning of Sept. 23, Richie O\u2019Brien was walking to his job at the Metropolitan Museum when a cyclist struck him on the East Drive near 84th St. He died four days later. On Oct. 5, Douglas Adams, a 71-year-old cyclist riding the same stretch hit an off-leash dog, fell and died.<\/p>\n
These deaths had very different causes, yet the Central Park Conservancy, which manages the park under contract with New York City, principal response was to reiterate its support for a 15 miles per hour speed limit for cyclists on the Park Drive \u2014 despite the lack of evidence showing that the lower limit will make the park users safer. Here\u2019s what would.<\/p>\n
Recognize that the real problem \u2014 scarcity. The Conservancy\u2019s 2024 Central Park Drives Safety and Circulation Study<\/a> show a near parity<\/a> of visitors who arrive by foot (48%) vs. bike (45%). Yet pedestrians can access all 58 miles of the Parks paths, while cyclists are confined to a single 6.1-mile loop \u2014 which they must share with everyone else. This forced mixing all but guarantees conflict when the park is busy<\/a>.<\/p>\n Separate uses by the clock. Since 2012, the city\u2019s cycling clubs have voluntarily kept group training to off-peak hours<\/a>. The city and the Conservancy should make that official: designate 5 to 8 a.m. and the hours after sundown, as training windows with riders still required to yield fully at crosswalks, and use lights after dark.<\/p>\n Enforce behavior, not a number. The 15 mph limit is on hold while a court hears a challenge<\/a> by the New York Cycle Club. It should stay off the books. State law already punishes what hurts people: failing to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk<\/a>, and riding faster than is reasonable and prudent for conditions<\/a>, whereas a flat limit turns the Drive\u2019s long downhills into a speed traps for even casual riders<\/a>.<\/p>\n Follow the evidence about what causes user conflict. Federal Highway Administration models for shared use paths predict conflict from crowding and the mix of users<\/a>, not top speed. On the Drive, that points to 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., when average bike speeds are already under 12 mph<\/a>.<\/p>\n Enforce the leash laws. The Oct. 5 death shows the cost when leash laws are ignored. Press releases urging individual responsibility accomplishes nothing. Given cyclists\u2019 numerous citings of encounters with dogs<\/a>, the Conservancy must station its Parks Enforcement Patrol officers along the Drive to cite irresponsible owners.<\/p>\n Build the bike infrastructure around and through the park. The 2024 Study also called for protected lanes around the park\u2019s perimeter and bikeways across the transverses at 66th, 79th, 86th and 96th Sts.<\/a>, so that commuters and delivery workers don\u2019t have to cut through the park.<\/p>\n