Mayor, Question 6

Question 6:
In an effort to increase the safety, enjoyment and health of New Yorkers walking, running, skating or riding a bike in Central and Prospect Parks, car traffic has been gradually restricted on the loop drives within these parks. What do you think of these changes? Do you have an opinion on the idea of completely closing these loop drives (not crosstown transverses) to cars and reserving them strictly for recreational users? What effect do you think such an action would have on the people in surrounding neighborhoods?
  • Mayor Survey: Tony Avella

    As a member of the City Council, I’ve supported past legislation limiting car traffic to the loop drives as well as restricting vehicle traffic during off-peak travel hours in the parks. I think it’s time to shut down the loop drives entirely, as long as the crosstown transverses are kept open. Having a unique space like Central Park is an exceptional attribute for this city. We need to make sure people can continue to enjoy it safely. I’ve personally been in the park and seen bikers and pedestrians hampered by cars driving through, and that should be stopped. The resulting air quality improvement would be a great benefit, too.

  • Mayor Survey: John M. Finan

    The People of New York City Are Hungry for A Change and When You Are Hungry You Need To E.E.I.T.

  • Mayor Survey: Mike Bloomberg

    In 2006, we launched our innovative car-free hours pilot program that extended existing car-free hours in Central and Prospect Parks. I am very satisfied with the policy thus far. Expanding the number of hours that our city residents can enjoy both Central and Prospect Park free of vehicular traffic is helping to keep park-goers safe.

    For residents in the surrounding neighborhoods, car-free park hours provide perfect opportunities for children and families to enjoy our parks during weekdays, and they improve the quality of life and safety for all city residents and visitors to two of our most famous parks.

    We have no plans to close these routes further, as they are already closed for most of the day. If we do consider such steps in the future, however, we will diligently weigh the impact it could have on the surrounding network in terms of safety and traffic flow.

  • Mayor Survey: Bill Thompson

    Parks should be parks, not roadways. Obviously, Central and Prospect parks were never designed with the automobile in mind.

    Gradual reductions in the time traffic is allowed in our parks makes sense, but we should also look into a pilot program that ends all vehicular traffic on the loop drives.

    For nearby residents – and for all New Yorkers and tourists – this will make these two New York City gems safer and far more pleasant. I understand that some people believe that traffic might increase on nearby streets, so my Department of Transportation will work to mitigate possible effects before and after the loops are closed during the pilot program. However, the gradual changes have not caused disruptions, and many studies show that overall traffic actually decreases when road capacity is reduced.