Central Park and Cars

Now that New York is experiencing a consistent amount of decent weather, I'd like to move my workouts from the gym to Central Park. One thing I'm concerned about is the amount of traffic on the park's main loop. When is Central Park closed to cars?

Running Scared, Upper West Side

Here are the details from the official New York City Parks & Recreation Department's website:

Central Park is closed to automobiles on weekdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Weekends are car-free, and vehicles are banned from Central Park between 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 a.m. on Monday. Between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, the park is continuously open to traffic, but who the heck wants to run in the freezing cold anyway?

Some people in New York City feel that cars and Central Park are as natural a match as a Hillary Clinton-Rudy Giuliani ticket in 2008. Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park Campaign aims to limit, if not completely ban, cars' access to the park, believing that Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux specifically designed Central Park about 150 years ago as a respite from the tumult of the city. If you agree with TA, you can visit their site to sign a petition showing your support.