Car-Free Prospect Park? Blech!
Well, that’s not exactly the position of Community Boards 7 and 14, but they do have some reservations about the three-month trial of a car-free zone in Prospect Park. Fearful that neighborhood streets will clog with traffic if cars are turned out from the park’s circular drive, they’re asking for an environmental impact statement to…
Well, that’s not exactly the position of Community Boards 7 and 14, but they do have some reservations about the three-month trial of a car-free zone in Prospect Park. Fearful that neighborhood streets will clog with traffic if cars are turned out from the park’s circular drive, they’re asking for an environmental impact statement to be prepared. “A car-free park ‘could have a major environmental impact,'” said Assemblyman Jim Brennan at a press conference yesterday. According to Streetsblog, “he co-signed a letter with the CB chairs asking DOT Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan for the EIS.” They prefer that the park not be closed to traffic, even for a trial period. Needless to say, this isn’t sitting well with bike advocates, including Transportation Alternatives, which has been working to rid the park of cars for many years; the move by Brennan et al also comes on the heels of a petition in favor of the car-free park signed by 10,000 that was delivered to City Hall two weeks ago. This move brought out the warm and fuzzy side of CB7’s Randy Peers: “”We abhor the tactics of the bicycle advocacy group,” he said.
Foes Car-Free Prospect Park Trial Demand EIS [Streetsblog]
Photo from A Year in the Park.
cars are a problem. And they arent just in the park during those limited hours. b/c of the wollman parking lot, there are cars frequently. Windsor terrace is in danger of increased traffic b/c all the cars are squeezed between the cemetary and the park. theres not much anyone can do about it.
bicycles are also a problem b/c they race around the park and rarely obey traffic signals.
G-man,
you are completely correct and of course Brennan is pulling a political stunt, but c’mon – he’s a state assemblyman – he really doesn’t have a lot of pull in the broader sense of things.
I DO appreciate the reduction in cars in the park. I just happen to think that if the entire park was completely closed to cars 24/7, it would have a potential adverse impact on the residential streets around the park and that should be examined rationally. If that makes me anti-bicycle or NIMBY, so be it.
from Poley’s usual rollout of stupidity to Brenda’s, what a nasty thread. Brenda-
1. Pedestrians have the right of way
2. they are taxpayers
4. There are more pedestrians than bikers
5. Get hit with a bike you wil suffer a lot more damamge than getting bumped by another human being
6. remind me to avoid people like you with those bloodthirsty tendencies.
talk about cretinous- you both are perfect examples.
wow cmu you see nothing wrong with people illegally driving into the park durring car-free hours…thats sad
While we’re dishing, let’s whack the pedestrians who slog three- and four-abreast across both the ped and the bike lanes in rush hour, Ipods in ears (and hence oblivious to bicycle bells or cylists’ loud verbal warnings). If a cyclist comes along and there is car traffic on the right, cyclist can either (a) slam on the brakes behind the cretinous pedestrians and proceed at their bovine pace, (b) swerve right to avoid them into traffic lane, or (c) run them over. I fantasize often about (c). People,what part of “lane with little bicycle guy painted on it” don’t you and your companions understand?
blackstoner, Even on weekends, when a few cars are “sneaking” in to deliver picnic goods or pick up grandmothers, I’ve (in 7 years) never seen any problem other than with the entitled ones not wanting to move out of the way for 10 seconds.
Some roads are meant to be shared, checkout the rest of the world if you don’t believe me. Plenty of “woonnerfs”, “shared streets” etc where the occasional car is allowed a pedestrian area, and nobody gets upset.
Johnny, as I said, I’m much more in agreement with the evening closure. And when I’m cycling, I never assume a car won’t swerve into the bike lane. Of course, I’m going considerably slower than most vehicles. It’s the cycling speeders who’d be in danger in your scenario.
“If it’s going to a permanent change in the traffic pattern, DOT is required to do an environmental study.” That’s the thing; TA is proposing a trial, which does not require an EIS. Jim Brennan is an attorney and he has to know this, which should make his co-signing of the letter an embarrassment.
Blackstoner, those self-entitled idiots are almost all cops or firefighters, who don’t have to worry about getting a ticket if they’re pulled over.
i would also like to mention that plenty of cars sneak in during “off” hours…some of the park entrances are poorly guarded….again all it takes is one self-entitled idiot to cause a lot yof pain
the current entrance/exit situation to the wollman parking lot is also a mess…hopefully to be better designed as that whole part of the park gets redone