As of February 11th, the NYPD handed out 123 tickets to cyclists for traffic infractions in Central Park. We're trying to determine how many citations were issued to motor vehicle drivers during that time, but we're guessing it's fewer, if this video is any indication. The speed limit in the Central Park loop is 25 mph, but this video documents drivers speeding with impunity.
The video, posted on Transportation Alternatives' Facebook page, was recorded on Wednesday at about 4:00 p.m., on East Drive (the eastern leg of the Central Park loop) at approximately 100th Street. (Another video on the Facebook page shows an NYPD officer sitting in a vehicle near the speeders.) We contacted the NYPD to find out how many speeding tickets have been handed out in Central Park this year, and we'll updated if we find more.
If you're concerned about the cycling crackdown in Central Park and want to get involved, Transportation Alternatives' East Side Committee suggests you attend the next Central Park Precinct Community Council meeting on March 14th at 7 p.m., 160 Central Park West. We're told the East Side Committee members will be attending "to ask that traffic enforcement priorities be re-focused on dangerous behavior." We're sure the NYPD will get right on that.
