Central Park traffic loop getting a redesign with improved safety in mind
NEW YORK — A design change is in the works for Central Park's 6-mile traffic loop with the goal of making the park safer.
"We did a survey. We got more than 10,000 responses to the survey, people telling us what was not working out here," said Erica Sopha, the Central Park Conservancy's Vice President of Park Use.
Central Park redesign will remove traffic lights, add more bike lanes
Sopha says the city will begin work in spring 2025.
"[Department of Transportation] is going to repave and re-stripe the entire loop," she said.
The interior lane will be a textured light color for people walking. The next lane over is darker lane for runners. Then, there will be a thin rumble strip and a lane with green markings for bikes. The exterior lane will be reserved for higher speed pedicabs, e-vehicles, and cars and trucks.
Also in the works are more bike lanes, including protected ones for the 86th Street Transverse, and removal of all 50 traffic lights. The research shows it's rare to see people actually stopping when signals turn red.
"People are just speeding right through them, so the idea is, as part of the study, is to remove those," Sopha said.
Some park-goers call for stronger speed enforcement
Some say it's already a lawless loop around Central Park, and they'd like to see stronger enforcement.
Upper East Side resident Michael Mintzer bikes three times a week in Central Park and says it's busier and faster than ever.
"It could be made safer," he said.
"I don't think it will change anything unless you deal with the fact that we're not enforcing existing laws," park advocate Geoffrey Croft said. "And when you introduced the e-bikes, that just made it a lot worse ... The problem is speed kills."
The agencies behind the plan say they will partner with the NYPD, and with traffic lights gone, there will be signs pointing out crosswalks ahead.
