West Siders: Better Bike Lanes, Not Bans, Will Make Central Park Safer - Streetsblog New York City

"There are over 60 miles of pedestrian-only paths in Central Park but just six where bikes, e-bikes, scooters, pedicabs and horse carriages have to share space: the Central Park Drive, which was the topic of an hours-long discussion at an Upper West Side community board meeting. The park's perimeter has just one bike lane - a northbound-only lane up Central Park West. As a result, cyclists and advocates noted, people biking for reasons other than recreation have not other safe option for many of their trips."

""I commute through the park, cutting through at 72nd Street because that's the only place that I can do so," W. 72nd Street resident Laura Sachs said during a joint parks-transportation committee meeting of Manhattan Community Board 7. "Using the four transverses that were designed by Olmsted, particularly the one in 86th Street, lends itself to give an opportunity to utilize the design and the multi-layers of the park to improve pedestrian safety and diminish the conflict between vehicles, bicycles [and] pedestrians.""

"A 2024 Central Park Conservancy study by consulting company recommended DOT build protected bike infrastructure on the 86th Street transverse to facilitate crosstown travel. Mayor Mamdani's new DOT commissioner, Mike Flynn, formerly worked at TYlin as a city solutions sector manager. The Department of Transportation recently completed Phase I of a two-phased planned redesign of"

Protected bike lanes built around Central Park and on its transverses would lead many cyclists and e-bike riders to avoid using the park for routine trips. Commuters often cut through transverses such as 72nd and 86th Streets to cross the park because crosstown bike options outside the park are limited. Central Park contains over 60 miles of pedestrian-only paths and only six mixed-use routes where bikes, e-bikes, scooters, pedicabs and horse carriages share space, including the Central Park Drive. The park perimeter has a single northbound-only bike lane on Central Park West. A 2024 Conservancy study recommended protected infrastructure on the 86th Street transverse to facilitate crosstown travel, and the DOT recently completed Phase I of a planned redesign. Adding protected lanes on transverses could improve pedestrian safety and provide safer crosstown routes.

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