{"id":390916,"date":"2026-11-02T14:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/390916\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T14:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T14:40:11","slug":"monday-bulletin-ban-on-e-bikes-easier-said-than-done-says-conservancy-president-work-begins-on-35-million-central-park-water-recirculation-project-police-increase-presence-in-the-park-the","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/390916\/","title":{"rendered":"Monday Bulletin: Ban on E-Bikes Easier Said Than Done, Says Conservancy President; Work Begins on $35 Million Central Park Water Recirculation Project; Police Increase Presence in the Park; The \u2018Murkier\u2019 Side of the Carriage Ban"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Workers provided bright spots of color while unloading scaffolding at the corner of 73rd and Columbus on a recent morning. Photo by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

Today is Monday, November 2nd, 2026<\/p>\n

The forecast calls for a sunny, pleasant day, with a high of 67. The mild temperatures should continue for the rest of the week, but clouds are expected to roll in on Thursday, with the possibility of late afternoon thundershowers, followed by more rain and possible thunderstorms on Friday.<\/p>\n

On this date in 1993, Rudy Giuliani defeated incumbent David Dinkins in the city\u2019s mayoral race, becoming the first Republican elected to that office since 1965. The former federal prosecutor would serve two terms, and would be dubbed \u201cAmerica\u2019s Mayor\u201d and Time\u2019s 2001 Person of the Year for his leadership in the aftermath of 9\/11. But his post-mayoral career was rockier, with an aborted presidential campaign in 2008; he later joined President Trump\u2019s legal team and was disbarred by both New York State and Washington D.C. in 2024 after a court ruled that he made false and misleading statements while challenging the 2020 election results. Now 82, he currently is reported to be in poor health and living in Florida.<\/p>\n

Notices<\/p>\n

Our calendar<\/a> has lots of local events. Click on the link or the lady in the upper righthand corner to check.<\/p>\n

Tomorrow is Election Day, and most city, state, and federal offices will be closed. Information on voting hours and how to find your polling place is \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There will be NO trash, composting, or recycling pickup tomorrow, in observance of Election Day. If your normal pickup day for those materials is Tuesday, you can put them out tomorrow evening, for collection that will begin on Wednesday. However, sanitation department officials caution that there is always a backlog of materials that need to be picked up after holidays, and delays sometimes occur.<\/p>\n

The American-Italian Cancer Foundation\u2019s Mammogram bus will be parked outside City Councilmember Gale Brewer\u2019s district office (563 Columbus Avenue at West 87th Street) on Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Any woman between the ages of 40 and 75, who is a city resident and hasn\u2019t had a mammogram in the last year, is eligible to receive one with no fees or co-pays. For an appointment, call 877-628-9090.<\/p>\n

On Sunday between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Animal Care Centers of NYC will be outside Brewer\u2019s office (address above) providing microchipping and vaccinations free of charge for dogs and cats. Proof of NYC residency required, and owners must be at least 18 years of age. No sick, feral, or outdoor animals. Limited appointments available; register \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

News Roundup<\/p>\n

Compiled by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>An electric bike riding down West Drive in Central Park. Photo Credit: Gus Saltonstall.<\/p>\n

Armed with handheld stop signs, members of an e-bike safety group rallied in Central Park last week to bring attention to the dangers that scofflaw cyclists and e-bike riders are creating on the redesigned park roadways.<\/p>\n

The protestors, who belong to the E-Vehicle Safety Alliance<\/a> (EVSA), lined the road near the West 72nd Street entrance to the park, urging the cyclists to stop as they sped downhill toward a pedestrian crossing, reported the website W42st.com.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome riders complied, while others continued through the intersection despite the volunteers\u2019 warnings and official stop signs already posted along the roadway,\u201d reported the website, adding that \u201c[f]or EVSA Director Janet Schroeder, the fact that volunteers felt compelled to remind riders to stop illustrated the problem they were there to highlight.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re not going to stop, we\u2019re going to tell you to stop,\u201d Schroeder said. \u201cAnd is it really our job to do that? No, we shouldn\u2019t have to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

The city banned cars in the park in 2018, but a pilot program implemented in 2023 opened its roadways to e-bikes and other \u201cmicromobility\u201d devices. In addition, traffic signals were adjusted last year, so that many of them now blink instead changing from green to yellow to red to tell cyclists to stop. Schroeder told the Daily News the switch has been a disaster. \u201cWhen they [cyclists] see yellow, they see green,\u201d Schroeder told the Daily News. \u201cWhen they see red flashing, that\u2019s like yellow. \u2026 Why are bikes being prioritized over pedestrians?\u201d<\/p>\n

But, while acknowledging the concerns of e-bike opponents, Central Park Conservancy President Betsy Smith wrote in an op-ed for cityandstateny.com that banning the vehicles is easier said than done. \u201cIncreasingly, we hear from visitors that people can feel anxious about their safety in the Park because speeding bikes, e-bikes, and a fast-growing fleet of other e-mobility devices are moving with too much velocity and too little regard for anyone else,\u201d she wrote. \u00a0\u201c\u2026 It\u2019s initially tempting to say that e-bikes should simply be banned. But that fails to recognize that bikes and e-bikes have become a legitimate mode of clean, efficient transit for hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smith proposed that, instead of banning e-bikes, Central Park \u201cserve as a proving ground for new strategies and ideas that can be applied far beyond our 843 acres.\u201d Her proposals included zero tolerance for violations; more and safer bike lanes on the roads surrounding the park so cyclists can take alternate routes, and crossing guards stationed at the most dangerous intersections.<\/p>\n

Read the W42St.com story \u2014 HERE<\/a>, the Daily News story \u2014 HERE<\/a>, and Smith\u2019s op-ed \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Harlem Meer. Photo from the WSR archives<\/p>\n

Work has begun on a $35.7 million water management project at the north end of Central Park that, when completed in 2028, should keep 132 million gallons of stormwater out of city sewers every year.<\/p>\n

The project will connect three bodies of water in the northern part of the park\u2014 the Harlem Meer, the Loch and the Pool \u2014 via a recirculating system that will divert water from the Meer and pump it south of the Pool, reported the construction industry website constructconnect.com. From there, \u201c[w]ater will then flow back through the system by gravity,\u201d the site said.<\/p>\n

The loop serves a number of purposes. It will keep stormwater out of city sewers because it will enable park to drop water levels in the Meer and other bodies of water as storms approach, creating more capacity for runoff. It also will reduce the park\u2019s reliance on the drinking-water supply to replenish those same bodies of water when levels get too low, something that will help to conserve a projected 175 million gallons of drinking water every year. And the movement of water through the recirculating system water should help prevent algae blooms<\/a> that often plague bodies of water in the park in warmer months.<\/p>\n

More details \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a>WSR.<\/p>\n

The NYPD announced that it has stepped up its presence in Central Park in response to the rape<\/a> reported near the East 66th Street entrance last month. However, the department released no details of the new deployment plan, and in a statement reminded park goers \u201cto always be aware of their surroundings and to remain vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n

The rape, on October 24th, was the fifth reported in the park this year \u2014 suspects have been arrested in three of them \u2014 and the latest in a recent rash of crimes that has raised concerns about the park\u2019s safety, The New York Times reported. A homeless artist who lived in the park was killed there in September, and two weeks ago, a woman riding her bicycle was hit on the head and\u00a0robbed by three men<\/a> who took off with her AirPods.<\/p>\n

The cyclist, Katherine Marroquin, told the Times that police needed to do more to make the park safer. \u201cThey\u2019re not doing a good job if that happened to me on a Sunday night and somebody else got raped on a Saturday,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Photo by Laura Muha<\/p>\n

While politicians and animal rights activists are congratulating one another over the passage of a law that will phase out horse-drawn carriages<\/a> in Central Park by 2028, New York Magazine columnist Errol Louis took a deeper and more critical dive into what it really means, and concluded that \u201cthings get a little murkier when you try to define exactly what the Council accomplished.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bill directs Mayor Zohran Mamdani to develop a program to assist owners of horses \u201cthat includes consideration of whether to establish a program to compensate horse-drawn cab owners for the value of their horse-drawn cab businesses, horse-drawn cab licenses, and equipment,\u201d Lewis wrote. \u201cThat iffy-sounding \u2018consideration of whether to establish\u2019 fair compensation for the medallion owners and the bill\u2019s lack of any money for compensation, retraining, or job placement almost guarantee the matter will end up in court.\u201d<\/p>\n

He quoted from a Daily News editorial<\/a> that placed the value of medallions for the operation of horse-drawn carriages at about $400,000 apiece: \u201cOnce the medallions are voided, the value is zero. That is a theft of property. Theft is still illegal even if wrapped up in a City Council bill,\u201d the editorial said.<\/p>\n

Louis asked City Council Speaker Julie Menin \u2014 a leading proponent of the bill \u2014 how exactly the Council planned to address this. \u201cWe\u2019re going to do a working group, where we want to have some of the drivers, TWU medallion owners, and of course the administration so that we can properly have almost two years to work on that plan,\u201d she told him.<\/p>\n

Read the full story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In Other UWS News<\/p>\n

The YouTube design channel Homeworthy recently featured the UWS apartment of Annie Taylor, an arts philanthropist and collector. See the video \u2014 HERE<\/a>.
\nOne person was injured in a fire that broke out in a four story building at the corner of West 70th and Columbus last week, Patch reported. Read the full story \u2014 HERE.<\/a>
\nLightstone, a real estate development and investment firm is buying the 174-unit rental building at 323 West 96th Street (between Riverside and West End) for a reported $88 million, with acquisition financing handled by JLL Capital Markets, reported the real estate website connectcre.com. Read the story \u2014 HERE<\/a>.<\/p>\n

ICYMI<\/p>\n

I Hate The New York City Marathon<\/a><\/p>\n

Wegmans Confirms it Will Open on the Upper West Side<\/a><\/p>\n

West Side Canvas: A Place To Play<\/a><\/p>\n

Subscribe to West Side Rag\u2019s FREE email newsletter\u00a0here<\/a>. And you can Support the Rag\u00a0here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Workers provided bright spots of color while unloading scaffolding at the corner of 73rd and Columbus on a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390917,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[9,24,63,122,124,123],"class_list":["post-390916","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-queens","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-nyc","tag-queens","tag-queens-headlines","tag-queens-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390916","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390916"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390916\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390917"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}