Central Park Speed Limit To Be Lowered

The speed limit in Central Park will be reduced to 20 miles per hour and new barricades will be installed in four areas.  (photo: NYC Park Advocates) click on image to enlarge

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

The De Blasio administration will lower the speed limit in Central Park as part of the Vision Zero plan NYC Park Advocates has learned.

The speed limit will be reduced by 5 miles per hour to 20mph.

The move comes after two people were killed and three suffered fractured skulls this year alone as a result of being struck by cyclists in the park. 

Police in the park have dramatically increased bike enforcement and education.

The Central Park Pct. has so far issued 865 tickets to cyclists this year compared to 212 over the same period last year as of November 12th.  

The top four categories for tickets issued: 386 for Failure To Yield To Pedestrians,  164 wearing head phones,  117  biking on pathways, and 94 summons for running red lights. 

Some people were stopped for multiple infractions but given only on summons according to police.




Last week two off-leash dogs were run over and killed in the park by motor vehicles.  

Starting on November 7th the speed limit on all New York City streets was lowered to 25 MPH unless otherwise posted as part of Mayor De blasio's Vision Zero plan in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries in the city.  

In the early 90's police briefly enforced a separate speed limit for cyclists in Central Park under then parks commissioner Betsy Gotbaum, who instituted a 15 m.p.h. limit.  

Issues involving speeding go back to when the park first opened in the 19th Century as horse-drawn carriages accidents were prevalent.

NYC DOT, NYC PARKS DEPARTMENT, NYPD, AND CENTRAL PARK CONSERVANCY ANNOUNCE SAFETY ENHANCEMENTS ON CENTRAL PARK LOOP DRIVE

New items include park-wide speed limit reduction from 25mph to 20mph, barricades further separating pedestrians from cyclists and enhancements to key crosswalks

The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT), the NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, NYPD, and the Central Park Conservancy today announced immediate safety enhancements along the Central Park Drives. In addition to a reduction of the speed limit inside Central Park from 25 to 20 MPH for all modes of transportation, four key crossings across the park will receive substantial enhancements, including highly prominent “Pedestrian Crossing” warning signs at the intersections, advisory 10 MPH speed signs, and advance pedestrian crossing signs before each intersection.  The advance signs will be reinforced with roadway markings near the sign locations, refurbished crosswalks and clearer lane use markings.

Barricades will also be installed to shorten pedestrian crossing distance on the West Drive at two crossings (at Sheep Meadow, near W. 68th Street, and at Heckscher Ballfields, near E. 63rd Street) where the drive is significantly wider than typical. The barricades will be placed in the west-most motor vehicle lane during car-free hours. At Delacorte Theater (near W. 81st Street), a barricade will be installed between the pedestrian and bicycle lanes to better guide pedestrians to the crosswalk and to improve their sightlines to cyclists.

           

The Central Park Precinct will continue its public awareness campaign in the park to inform every one of the rules and regulations as it relates to traffic and pedestrian safety.  Individuals found in violation of the rules will be cited accordingly. 

        “Central Park is for all to enjoy in a safe and enjoyable manner, no matter how you choose to experience it,” said DOT Commissioner Polly Trottenberg. “These immediate safety enhancements, worked out in partnership with our sister agencies, augments that experience by calming traffic, improving crosswalks and further reinforcing the appropriate lane assignments for all users.”

“Public safety is our highest priority and the new safety enhancement measures being implemented in Central Park will surely provide its millions of visitors with a safer experience,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver.  “I commend the NYC Department of Transportation, the NYPD, and the Central Park Conservancy for partnering with us to ensure enhanced safety conditions for all of the park's pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.”

Police Commissioner William J. Bratton said, “The New York City Police Department is committed to ensuring the safety of all those who use Central Park as a means of transportation and recreation.  We will continue to collaborate with our partners from the Central Park Conservancy, NYC Department of Transportation and the Parks Department to make our streets safer for all New Yorkers and visitors alike.” 

                                                           

“There’s no question; slower traffic will mean a safer park” said Doug Blonsky, President and CEO of Central Park Conservancy. “We applaud the DOT’s leadership role in lowering speed limits and adding signs and barricades, and we urge all  park users to know the new rules of the road.”

The four locations to receive these treatments include:

•       West Drive at Delacorte Theater (near W. 81st Street)

•       West Drive at Sheep Meadow (near W. 68th Street)

•       West Drive at Heckscher Ballfields Crossing (near E. 63rd Street)

•       East Drive at Terrace Drive (near E. 72nd Street)

The agencies will follow up the enhancements with stakeholder outreach and will be distributing DOT’s Bike Smart Brochures and Central Park-specific brochure geared toward cyclists and pedestrians.

Read/View More:

 City cuts Central Park speed limit to 20 mph after fatal collision

 New York Daily News  - November 19, 2014 -  BY Erin Durkin

City Unveils Plan To Lower Speed Limit For Bicyclists In Central Park

CBS - November 18, 2014 - By Dave Carlin 

Central Park speed limit cut to 20 miles per hour

New York Daily News  - November 18, 2014 -  BY Erin Durkin

Central Park speed limit cut to 20 miles per hour

WCBS 880 -  November 18, 2014 -  by  Alex Silverman

City to reduce Central Park speed limit to 20 mph

New York Post  - November 19, 2014 - By Amber Sutherland and Yoav Gonen 

Central Park's Speed Limit Will Fall To 20 MPH

gothamist -  November 18, 2014 - Christopher Robbins

Central Park: 59-Year-Old Tourist Hurt By Falling Tree Branch

A 59-year-old woman lays on the ground this afternoon in Central Park after being struck by a tree limb (left) on her head.  She suffered a broken arm chipped teeth as a result from falling. 

A dog walker was also struck by a tree limb today in Carl Schurz Park in Manhattan earlier today witnesses said.  (Photo: Courtesy @charleylhasa via Gothamist)

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

A 59-year-old tourist  from Terre Haute Indiana was hit by falling tree branch in Central Park this afternoon, the second person to be struck in the park by a tree limb in less than a week.

Sharon Reese was walking with her husband when a 3 inch in diameter branch from an Oak tree suddenly snapped and fell three stories hitting her in the head city sources said. 

She was transported to St. Lukes Roosevelt Hospital. 

The damaged Oak tree. (Photo: Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates) Click on images to enlarge


The incident occurred  inside the park on an asphalt path about 50 yards from a park entrance at West 86th Street and Central Park West just after 3:30pm.

The woman temporarily lost consciousness and initially could not remember what had happened to her according to  city sources. 

"It's scary," said jogger Penelope Clark who saw the victim shortly after the incident. 

"I saw a woman lying on the ground. She had a bandage wrapped around her head, a giant branch on the ground.  She had blood on her head." 

Central Park Conservancy workers quickly loaded the broken limb into the back of a pick-up truck and carted it away. 

Ms. Reese was listed in stable condition this evening. 

On June 3, a 46-year-old man was struck by a tree limb on 96th and Central Park West at 7:00am.

It was revealed last week that the City and the Central Park Conservancy settled two high profile tree injury cases for a total  $ 14.5 million dollars.   

By late afternoon, caution tape and barricades surrounded the tree.

Read/View More: 

Large Tree Branch Falls On Woman In Central Park  

CBS - June 11, 2013  - By Derricke Dennis

Falling Central Park branch clobbers tourist gal

New York Post -  June 12, 2013 - By Erin Calabrese and Jamie Schram 

Central Park Tree Injury Raises Safety Concerns

NY1 - June 12, 2013 

Central Park Tree Breaks Tourist's Arm,  Teeth

gothamist - June 12, 2013 -  By John Del Signore  

Falling tree branch injures woman in Central Park

WABC - June 11, 2013 -   By Jeff Pegues 

Woman Hurt by Falling Tree Limb in Central Park

WNBC - June 11, 2012 - By Gus Rosendale  

Branch Falls on Tourist as She Walks Through Central Park

New York Times - June 11, 2013 - By Joseph Goldstein and Randy Leonard

Woman hit by falling tree branch in Central Park 

WPIX - June 11, 2013 - By Nicole Johnson   

Falling tree branch hits woman in Central Park  

Fox 5 -  June 11, 2013 - By Stacey Delikat

Woman hospitalized after tree branch fell on her in Central Park

Am-New York - June 11 - By Tim Herrera  

Large Tree Branch Falls On Woman In Central Park

WCBS - June 11, 2013 -  By Derricke Dennis 

Central Park Tree Branch Hits Tourist

The Wall Street Journal - June 11, 2013  

Falling Tree Branch Injures Woman In Central Park
gothamist -  June 11, 2013 - By John Del Signore

Central Park Musicians Protest Crackdown

"I thought they put 'quiet zone' so that we could listen to the music!" said tourist Zita Misley, mother of three.

TOO LOUD? Singers and musicians perform 'Ave Maria' in the Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park on Sunday to protest a ban against performers in eight different 'quiet zones' throughout the park. (Photo: Catherine Yang/Epoch Times)

Manhattan

By Geoffrey Croft

On Sunday classically trained musicians and singers accompanied by Concert Harps, Hammered Dulcimers and guitars called on the City and elected officials to abandon the recent crackdown prohibiting performing in Central Park.

The group - representing a variety of musically tastes and styles including gospel, classical, jazz, a cappella and contemporary pop - challenged the policy and legally of such actions.

Critics of the crackdown assert the enforcement is a violation of the First Amendment and is being done arbitrarily.

John Boyd, a legally blind African American baritone singer, and father of nine, was arrested last week. He has been issued nine summons over the last few months related to singing with potential fines totaling thousands of dollars. He was allegedly told by an enforcement officer that he wasn't allowed to sing a cappella.

"This is a first amendment issue and freedom of expression is very important to me," said Mr. Boyd, a 48-year-old former choir director from Detroit who had been signing in the park with his children for five years.

In an attempt to silence performers, on May 23rd the Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department initiated a "Quiet Zone" near the Bethesda Fountain. The Central Park Conservancy began quietly installing signs around the Terrace announcing the area's new policy without any community input or partisipation.

“The introduction of enforcement of quiet zones, resulting in the loss of freedom of expression, is an intrusion on the public space,” Civil Rights attorney Norman Siegal said under the Bethesda Terrace Arcade. “It is unacceptable and impermissible.”

There are already seven other quiet zones in the park, including Strawberry Fields, Sheep Meadow and the Conservatory Garden.

"As far as I'm concerned it is within our legal rights, our constitutionally protected rights to keep playing," said vionlist Meredeth Rachel.

Ms. Rachel started an online petition to highlight the issue.

"Some people specifically come to the park to hear the musicians - to take a few minutes to rest - and enjoy the music before going about the rest of their day. Where else in the world can you hear a dixieland jazz band, then walk 100 feet to hear classical duets, string-influenced rock n' roll covers, a gospel choir, a favorite aria, or some of Brooklyn's best indie bands, all performing acoustically in open air for free?" she wrote.

“It’s called civil disobedience,” Mr.Olson who plays the hammered dulcimer told WNYC. “This is a public space, and they’re violating our free speech. We don’t accept this notion that they [the Central Parks Conservancy] give us permission to express our First Amendment rights. Our rights come from the Constitution.”

The story has garnered considerable attention around the world since the issue recently began to come to light.

Parks Department responses to the media have repeatedly claimed they have received noise complaints but have so far been unable to provide any documentation.

The press office has also stated that musicians attract crowds of up to 700 at Bethesda terrace, a number both the musicians and enforcement personnel dispute.

"Crowds of 700 regularly overwhelmed the terrace, completely blocked the stairs, and those trying to pass climbed on and damaged sandstone carvings on the side," Parks spokeswoman Vickie Karp wrote in an e-mail to the NY Post.

"That's not true. I don't where they got that from. If I know them they probably just made it up," said a PEP officer in the park.

"We'd love to have that. We'd be lucky if we get seven," said Mr. Olson. "They just want us out."

Last week the agency's press department released a photograph to the media showing a large crowd purportedly relating to the issue when in fact it had nothing to do with people gathering to hear the musicians.

Parks Department officials says crowds drawn by musicians like this are damaging the stairs at Bethesda Terrace according to DNAinfo which irresponsibly posted this and other misinformation without fact checking it or bothering to get a response from opponents. (Photo courtesy of the Parks Department via DNAinfo)

The Parks Department has said that the eight quiet zones only make up 5 percent of Central Park.

"The musicians have approximately 850 acres to use," Mrs. Karp stated. "All eight quiet zones amount to less than 33 acres. The public wants quiet zones and have repeatedly requested quiet places for passive enjoyment of the park."

Attorney Norman Siegal questioned the relevance and validity of such statements. He asked what percentage of the park is actually used by people for rest is included in the designated quiet zones. Central Park covers about 850 acres, but some areas are largely unused by park goers.

Park officials have also claimed the sounds from the un-amplified performers at Bethesda are harming wildlife and plant life throughout the park.

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: Attorney Norman Siegal joins performers in the Bethesda Terrace Arcade in Central Park on Sunday to protest a ban against performers in the park. (Catherine Yang/Epoch Times)

For more than a century, area around the Bethesda Terrace has been one of the cultural centers of Central Park. It has been home to thousands of talented musicians and street performers who contribute to the cultural fabric of New York City and complement the area's inspiring views.

Tourists and locals alike flock to the Terrace area, not only to admire the noted architectural elements amidst the pastoral beauty, but also to enjoy the performances of the musicians, and take part a uniquely New York experience.

Musicians have long been drawn to Central Park including to the acoustics of the historic arcade, also known for its Minton Tile ceiling which the Conservancy recently restored at a cost of $ 7 million dollars.

However "Quite Zones" aren't the only areas where musicians say they are feeling the crackdown.

Classical harpist Meta Epstein, 59, of Mill Basin, Brooklyn, says she has been repeatedly intimidated by park enforcement officers and Central Park Conservancy employees for playing on a grassless area along a path opposite the row boat concession near the Boat House.

Ms. Epstein won first prize at the Paris Conservatory of Music in the 1970s but she's afraid to play in the park.

The day after the press conference she was asked to leave the area again. This week she set up on a metal grate and held a silent protest displaying a sign.

She said on another occasion she was forced to leave an area across from the Boat House after a manager at the controversial eatery began yelling at her.

Tourist Zita Misley, a mother of three, said she'd noticed the "quiet zone" sign nearby, but hadn't quite got the point.

"Oh, I thought they put 'quiet zone' so that we could listen to the music!" she said when told of the park's campaign.

Plans to install a cafe in the historic arcade have recently come to light, leading to strong speculation that this is one of the reasons the city is pushing to clear out this area. According to plans obtained by NYC Park Advocates, the highest price on the menu is for alcohol.

Mr. Siegal said he plans to contact the lawyers Parks Department and the Central Park Convervancy lawyers to see if this “growing controversy can be amicably solved.”

Read/View More:

New York's Central Park gives musicians the boot

(AFP) - June 12, 2011 - By Sebastian Smith

No Radios by the Fountain, Please! Or Cellos!

New York Times - June 5, 2011 - By Colin Moyniyan

Park music-ban protest

New York Post - June 6, 2011 - By Vinita Singla

Street musicians protest Central Park's new quiet zones that ban singing, strumming

New York Daily News - June 6th 2011 - By Lillian Rizzo

Musicians fined for performing in areas of Central Park

WABC - June 5, 2011 - By Lucy Yang

Central Park Musicians Plead the First

The Epoch Times - June 5, 2011 - By Catherine Yang

RAW VIDEO: Park Performer Protest

WPIX - June 5, 2011

Bethesda Fountain Is Now For Quiet Drinking, Not Music

gothamist - June 5, 2011 - Garth Johnston

Musicians Perform in Central Park to Protest 'Quiet Zones'

DNAinfo - June 5, 2011 - By Tim Gorta

Central Park Musicians Protest Crackdown

My Fox - June 5, 2011 By Mat Alverez

Musicians Protest Central Park's "Quiet Zones" Crackdown

WNBC - June 6, 2011

Musicians Protest New ‘Quiet Zones’ In Central Park

CBS - June 5, 2011 - By Dave Carlin

Musicians Out Cafe In Central Park Bethesda Music Crackdown

A Walk In The Park - June 5, 2011

Musician Crackdown At Central Park's Bethesda Fountain

A Walk In The Park - May 29, 2011

Media Advisory

June 4, 2011

Central Park Musicians Protest Crackdown

Prohibiting Performing • Challenge Policy & Legality

What: Press Conference: A diverse coalition of musicians and singers speak out against the City's recent crackdown prohibiting performing near Central Park's Bethesda Fountain. The crackdown has resulted in numerous summonses being issued and an arrest. Performers say they have been repeatedly intimidated by park officials and threatened with arrest and confiscation of instruments. On May 23, The Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department initiated a "Quiet Zone" near the Bethesda Fountain, home to a wide variety of musicians.

Who: Performers, children, seniors and Civil Rights attorney Norman Siegel.

Where: Bethesda Terrace, Central Park - (located in middle of the park at 72nd Street near Bethesda Fountain)

When: Sunday, June 5th - 11: 30am.

Summary: Classically trained musicians and singers - accompanied by Concert Harps, Hammered Dulcimers and guitars, and representing a variety of musically tastes and styles including gospel, classical, jazz, a cappella and contemporary pop - call on the City and elected officials to abandon the recent crackdown prohibiting performing in Central Park. Musicians have long been drawn to the area including to the acoustics of the historic arcade, also known for its Minton Tile ceiling which the Conservancy recently restored at a cost of $ 7 million dollars.

In an attempt to silence performers, on May 23rd the Central Park Conservancy and the Parks Department initiated a "Quiet Zone" near the Bethesda Fountain. The Central Park Conservancy began quietly installing signs around the Terrace announcing the area's new policy without any community input.

Critics assert the enforcement is a violation of the First Amendment and is being done arbitrarily. One baritone singer, John Boyd, a legally blind African American and father of nine was arrested last week. He has been issued nine summons over the last few months related to singing with potential fines totaling thousands of dollars. He was allegedly told by an enforcement officer that he wasn't allowed to sing a cappella.

"This is a first amendment issue," said Mr. Boyd, a 48-year-old former choir director from Detroit who had been signing in the park with his children for five years.

The story has garnered considerable attention around the world since the issue recently began to come to light.

Background: For more than a century, area around the Bethesda Terrace has been one of the cultural centers of Central Park. It has been home to thousands of talented musicians and street performers who contribute to the cultural fabric of New York City and complement the area's inspiring views.

Tourists and locals alike flock to the Terrace area, not only to admire the noted architectural elements amidst the pastoral beauty, but also to enjoy the performances of the musicians, and take part a uniquely New York experience. Some people specifically come to the park to hear the musicians - to take a few minutes to rest - and enjoy the music before going about the rest of their day. Where else in the world can you hear a dixieland jazz band, then walk 100 feet to hear classical duets, string-influenced rock n' roll covers, a gospel choir, a favorite aria, or some of Brooklyn's best indie bands, all performing acoustically in open air for free?