Cyclists from various New York City clubs and organizations plan to attend the regular Central Park Police Precinct community council meeting Monday, March 14 to ask questions about the ongoing barrage of tickets being issued within the park to riders this winter.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist church, Central Park West at 76th Street.
The ticket blitz was first reported by cyclists in January. The citations were for not stopping at red lights, although it has long been customary for cyclists to use discretion at lights especially during the weekday and weekend hours when the park is closed to motorized traffic and when there are no pedestrians in a crosswalk. Riders have reported receiving $270 speeding tickets, the same amount charged for auto speeding tickets.
The ticketing has continued despite efforts by bicycling advocates to broker a compromise. At one meeting, advocates suggested that lights be adjusted to flashing yellow during non-motorized vehicle hours, which are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. weekdays, and all hours on weekends. The city rejected the idea and Commander Philip Wishnia of the Central Park Precinct told one community board meeting that citing only "flagrant" instances of unsafe cycling would amount to "selective enforcement" of the law..
Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer last week made public a letter to the Department of Transportation's Manhattan commissioner Margaret Forgione urging DOT to explore the feasibility of reconfiguring the traffic lights.
Meanwhile, ticketing cyclists during hours when there are few pedestrians and no cars in the park continues. Last Friday, a cyclist was issued a ticket at about 2 p.m. near the West 72nd Street entrance to the park, charging him with speeding and requiring him to appear in court to respond to it. The officer issuing the ticket asked this reporter to step aside when she attempted to get information about it. The rider, a New York City resident, said the ticket did not have a dollar amount on it.
The Central Park precinct's Community Council "is a non-profit volunteer group of individuals whose primary objective is to make Central Park a safer more enjoyable park. The Council is a joint Citizen-Police Department project. Leadership is provided by an Executive Board of concerned citizens," according to a statement on the New York City government website.
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