Cyclists Petition to Change Central Park Traffic Lights

shmnyc's Flickr

The NYPD has been relentlessly cracking down on cyclists who pedal through red lights in Central Park, handing out numerous $270 tickets to violators. Despite an outcry from cyclists who say it's absurd to stop at a red light when the crosswalk is clear, one police source says they're going to enforce the letter of the law from now until "forever." But there's one thing the NYPD didn't count on: a petition.

A group of cyclists have started an online petition (it will also be in NYC bike shops starting this weekend) calling for a compromise: "At all times when Central Park roadways are closed to motor vehicles, traffic signals will flash yellow unless a crosswalk button is pushed by a pedestrian, at which time it will turn solid yellow, then red. When traffic signals are flashing yellow, cyclists are permitted to ride through with caution."

Local attorney (and former assistant D.A. in Nassau County) Guido Gabriele helped draft the petition (below); he tells us he started cycling as an alternative to running because of bad knees. "Within one summer I got into the best shape of my life, even started racing," Gabriele explains. "It has come to mean a lot to me. Riding in Central Park every morning, I saw that everyone simply proceeded through traffic lights when the roads were closed to traffic, sometimes in the presence of the NYPD. I think that anyone (especially tourists) could reasonably believe that the traffic signals did not apply when cars were not present. I was just as surprised as everyone else when the 'crackdown' began...

"I believe dog walkers have an exception written into the law that allows them to have 'off leash' hours in the Park. So why not make a similar exception for cyclists?... While DOT Commissioner Sadik-Khan has exhibited a great affinity for the City's cyclists, there are many that feel that the NYPD does have a negative and hostile attitude towards cyclists. I must stress that I—as a former prosecutor and member of law enforcement—have nothing but respect for the NYPD and their efforts at promoting safety. Many feel that they are being treated unfairly, but I believe that the best policy is to work with the City to whatever extent possible."

Central Park Cyclist Petition

Aja Hazelhoff at Transportation Alternatives wouldn't comment on the specifics of this proposal, but says, "Everyone agrees that pedestrian safety in the park is paramount. Right now, the traffic signals there do relatively little to inform the behavior of cyclists or walkers because they are tailored to cars. There needs to be a better way to protect the most vulnerable users by alerting cyclists to the presence of pedestrians who need to cross the loop drive, while still facilitating recreation for the thousands of New Yorkers that rely on the park for daily recreation."

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on February 24, 2011 3:04 PM

Comments [rss]

Bridget Cachanga

Like you've ever seen a car with a turn signal on.

SGjustsayin

im not a cyclist. but where there are no cars, why do we need traffic lights? there are just too many restrictions in parks where people need a respite from rules. lets get free from them all in the park

m015094

Every person who complains about the cyclists in Central Park is a jaywalker.

MidtownApt

"I believe dog walkers have an exception written into the law that allows them to have 'off leash' hours in the Park."

Dog walkers don't have an "exception" -- the law requires that all dogs be leashed at all times in all parks, on a leash not longer than six feet. What dog walkers have is the support of the parks commissioner.

cprensky

this is not about being allowed to disobey the law. this is about reforming the situation so that everybody follows the law. Few right-minded cyclists are actually advocating for some sort of waiver from the law, that's insane. NYC has set-up a system where they provide a recreational area in central park, free of cars. it seems reasonable that, when the park is closed to traffic, flashing yellow lights would put everybody on the same page. cyclists will still be required to yield to pedestrians. making this change is a simple, reasonable solution that makes following the law easier and also frees the police up from enforcing this unnecessary "crack-down" and can get them back to doing what they are really in the park for--keeping everybody safe and preventing real crime.

random transplant

I'll sign the petition.

I think those Freds need to work up the endurance to get outta town though. Over the GWB or something.The two lap sprints just arn't impressive enough to spend so much political/media capital on.

jibbly

Weekends are for GWB/NJ/Nyack/Bear Mountain/7Lakes/Bumblefuck. Central Park and Prospect Park are for weekday mornings and evenings. As a seasoned fred, riding a few peaceful laps before/after work is preferable to fighting the rush hour traffic going up 9W then riding back to Brooklyn.

random transplant

Good answer.

Bernie_Geotz_Squirrel_Luv

That's a great pic. Can't wait till the weather warms up.

pd2009

I say give an extra barrier separated lane to joggers/ strollers..as they have nearly completely taken over the bike lane. Then give human powered wheels one lane, and cars one lane. Simple volume of bikes or cars in either respective lane will slow traffic in peak areas / times. It is the mixing of traffic which causes the most trouble. Lights would still be an issue, but the peds would have less wheeled traffic to cross. Then I'll wake up and realize I am in a park dominated by suburban car traffic rules.

petercow

I think the real issue is with the 'racing packs'. Maybe designate some time of day (like in the very early hours) for those people.

yse

No one is arguing that cyclists are perfect. There are tons of selfish jerks out there. And while true that is proposal does nothing to deal with that, it does suggest an alternative that takes something that was illogical (red lights on a timer rather than push-button lights with yields) and corrects it.

This petition does not disagree with fining cyclists who are observed doing careless things such as blowing through a crosswalk when pedestrians are attempting to cross.

Your issue with the racing packs is a different, mostly unrelated issue to the one being addressed in this petition. Personally, I see no problems with packs as long as they are respectful of other cyclists and pedestrians.

yse

This seems like a very reasonable proposal. Which makes sense and allows for shared use for pedestrians and cyclists. As a cyclist, if I know a light is red because a pedestrian is trying to cross and not just because it's on an arbitrary timer I'm more than happy to stop and yield. I hope they are successful.

Again, the point is to make the park safe and convenient for those who use it and this seems like an excellent solution.

dollarmenu

Here's my proposal for the park: introduce crosswalks with those buttons that change the light to red for 5-10 seconds, giving pedestrians the right of way. If any cyclists go through it, feel free to nail 'em. All other times, a flashing yellow. Cyclists are alerted to the crosswalk and can watch for approaching pedestrians, but are not made to sit at an empty crosswalk when no one's there. Makes sense to me...?

Politburo

You're very good at reading, eh..

dollarmenu

Whoops... apparently not! I just assumed this was the same proposal to change them to flashing yellows off-hours. Nothing to read here, carry on...

Trustafarian

bicycles are more maneuverable, travel at slower speeds and have a much shorter stopping distance than automobiles. to say that bicycles should have to stop at every red light because cars have to is absurd.

Miles Bader

A bike rider also typically has much greater awareness of what's around him, simply because he isn't encased in a big steel box, and is a lot closer to his environment (and a bike is much smaller compared to the rider).

Besides their much greater maneuverability, much shorter stopping distance, and much better situational awareness, in the (hopefully rare) instance where a bike does hit somebody, the chance of serious injury is _vastly_ less than when a car does.

Cars are _extremely dangerous_, and many drivers are not so careful, so the only way to keep the resulting carnage at a sane level is to strictly control their behavior. Bikes and pedestrians are much, much, less dangerous, and so the need for strict control is much less.

Trustafarian

Greater awareness is a good point. Bikes don't have massive blind spots.

I think a lot of people who don't ride see certain the behavior of cyclists as a lot more reckless than it actually is.

Not trying to make excuses for those that are truly assholes (and there are plenty).

annrafalko

But at least when you get hit by a car they have some sort of identifying information on them, you know, a license plate. I've been hit twice by bikers in this city, both times bikers going the wrong way on one way streets, and let me tell you ... IT HURTS. It is NOT in anyway like being bumped on the shoulder or pawed at by a dog. Being hit by and knocked down onto the pavement by a biker is not fun. Luckily I am young, and wasn't seriously injured but if I was old/frail I could have been seriously injured. Bikers should absolutely be forced to obey the law AND they should be forced to have some sort of identifying information on them so that the injured pedestrian has recourse against them. And to whomever up there asked why pedestrians aren't held to the law, it's called jaywalking, and the police DO issue tickets for it.

temp123a

I am a very slow, slow biker. I still would not want to be hit by me if I was the pedestrian because I thought I could out bike a pedestrian who has the right of way.

Trustafarian

yeah, i hear ya. i think a little common courtesy all around (bicycles and pedestrians) would go a long way.

vintagejames

Cyclist want to do everything except obey the law.

facted

Let's also start writing summons for all of those pedestrians who cross the street without a "walk sign" or those that don't even cross at intersections. Or why not start writing summons to all those runners that run in the bike's only lane (heck, people complain all day about cyclists on sidewalks)?

While many agree that these topics should be addressed, we don't call the NYPD to start writing tickets for everyone as if it's the end of the world, because it's unreasonable. Just like it's unreasonable for cyclists to stop at every red light in the park when there is no one in front of them.

As to the retarded counter-argument that cars should be allowed the same rights: If you're driving a car @ 40mph and a person jumps into the middle of the road 100 feet in front of you, what are your chances of stopping or avoiding them? Try the same experiment on a bike at about 15-20 mph.

vintagejames

If someone is too stupid to understand that a red light signals a stop, they should not be allowed on the streets.

facted

The same rules do not apply to everyone on the street. Should we also make runners stop? Heck, they could hit pedestrians who are crossing the street as well. Maybe runners going more than 5mph? Maybe 4mph? Where do we draw the line?

This idea that bikers going 15mph are somehow as dangerous as cars going 40mph is great imagery for the anti-bike crowd but unfortunately it's incredibly flawed and incorrect.

vintagejames

Cars going 40mph should be ticketed in the first place. Except for the parkway things, no road in NYC should have a speed limit in excess of 25mph, and most should be 20mph and under, particularly in parks and on one-way residentual streets. Yes, runners should also stop, everyone.

Y

smorrebrod

You make good points in the former, but the latter, no.

JeRsEy JiM

I'm not a 100% sure but I think unless posted higher the speed limit is 30mph in the city.

vintagejames

You are correct. But going that fast on a narrow residential street could be dangerous. I understand that there is a movement to lower the speed limit in a few areas. Perhaps that will be a test.

caspian915

Laws aren't written into stone and handed down from God (unless, ya know, you believe that's the case... but I think that's outside this particular thread). The NYPD source said they would be enforcing the "letter of the law" because NYPD has no choice but to follow as such, regardless of how and why the law is written. Laws cannot, by themselves, sustain a civil and logical society. That's why we have courts, elections, appeals processes, etc etc. That's why laws in the United States have so many intricate details: exceptions were realized. If police start scouting every single corner in the city and ticket every person who crosses outside of the crosswalk or against traffic when it is convenient for them, then they can claim immunity in their decision-making because they are being fair. But they cannot and will not do this; hence their appeal to "I'm just doing my job" is made plain for what it is, a cop-out (pun intended). Everyone ultimately has their own safety as the highest priorty; it is only natural. People on bikes who disregard the safety of others are a problem, but so are pedestrians and drivers who do the same. No scientific evidence suggests that any higher proportion of one group is more irresponsible than the other. Science does suggest it is highly likely that the negligent behavior of people in cars is an order of magnitude more dangerous than the other 2 modes of transport. Thus, we must allow for open discussion about how the laws might change to fit the situation. Central Park is not a racetrack, but it's also not Gramercy Park--there are a lot of uses and it is a constant experiment to balance those uses and interests.

Alexsey, FallOut, vintage... are we clear now? Do I need to assign homework on the history of the laws of the United States? So help me God, I will, and it will not be a fun cut-and-paste from Wikipedia assignment.

FallOut

SPS: "Alexsey, FallOut, vintage... are we clear now?"

Gothamist readers will be unaware of why you are addressing me and Alexsey, since there are no comments posted currently by either of us. As you are aware, Alexsy's and my posts had no obscene or objectionable comments, just a criticism of the petition and the DOT commissioner.

Both of our comments were removed because apparently they do not fit the Party Line of the blogmaster. Note that the only comments intact are those supporting the petition.

Is it any wonder that all the old, exciting, thought-provoking regulars who made this site popular are no longer posting: BabyHitler, IdesOfMarch, FelixTheCat, NannyState, to name just a few, why all the comments no longer have differing opinion, just what fits the narrow and monolithic weltanschaung of the staff of this blog.

Censorship doesn't just exist in Libya, but is alive and well on the pages of Gothamist.

Let's see how long this stays up before the Censors remove it.

caspian915

Actually, when I initially posted, your comment and Alexsey's were still visible. Why they are gone is beyond me (when I last posted here in 2008, before moving to DC and then back, it wasn't that way, AFAIK), and frankly I don't support that. It's a !@#$% blog. After my initial post my subsequent replies were in response to vintage because for some reason he/she wasn't capable of absorbing the concepts nor the logical ends of a pro-letter-of-the-law argument.

Spirit of 76

Maybe he addressed you because everyone knew it was just a matter of time before you commented on this story. And lo and behold, here you are! So predictable. Well, except for this "the Gothamist staff is against me" conspiracy paranoia. That's something new for you.

Oh, you forgot to write, "Time's up, Diktator Khan!"

vintagejames

What the heck are you saying?

caspian915

Condensed version? Your argument portrays you as an idiot who thinks the police have final say, laws are always current and useful, and that anecdote and self-righteousness are the the best ways to debate something.

Do I need to use smaller words?

vintagejames

You still are not making sense. Perhaps you can take a literacy course, free naturally, at some local school.

Christopher J. Stephens

So, you didn't look at the petition, which says in big, bold type: "We do not ask for permission to break the law"?

vintagejames

They break the law anyway. Weaving all over the streets. Passing on the right when a motorist has a right turn signal on. Cycling on sidewalks. Where does the petition address that in big, bold type?

jibbly

1) There can be plenty said about cars, trucks, and motorcycles in this city too. You will lose at this game.

2) This petition is specifically addressing the issue of Central Park and how to ensure the safety of all users without compromising the recreational enjoyment of the facilities.

Communist

I'm starting one for motorists, there is a red light near my house that I want to blow by in order to get home faster.

Edit: I want a reasonable exemption, when there is no people etc. Let me know.

James Hartmann

Bingo. I think cycling is great. But they also need to live by the letter of the law. So If I'm driving and I see there's no other cars or pedestrians around I can just blow though the light straight into the intersection? Great idea bikers! not.

m015094

I guess you never jaywalk or go 1 mph over the speed limit, right Mr. Letter-of-the-Law?

dollarmenu

If it's a low-traffic area, making it a stop sign seems reasonable to me.

sleepswitheyesopen

Fair enough. But what gets me, as a pedestrian, is trying to cross the road in the park and nearly getting run over by multiple bike riders because of their unwillness to either heed the traffic signal, or even just slow down a little, to let someone obeying traffic signals walk past.

dollarmenu

Agreed, the ones who charge through reds and somehow get angry at YOU for crossing on your own green light are a menace. They even piss me off when I'm on my own bike, let alone when I'm on foot.

Mileage

Agree, however in this case we're talking about red lights for cars that aren;t there at these hours. The proposal would actually HELP pedestrians by turning the red light on ONLY when pedestrians press the button to cross the street. Otherwise, they would just flash yellow.