Cars in Parks

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Parks are sacred places for New Yorkers. Yet cars are the sacred cows of New York City, and not only is a third of the city's surface area set aside for their exclusive or primary use, they are even allowed to roam freely within many city parks. Their presence on the park drives — particularly in the revered and heavily used Central Park — is sanctioned mainly in the belief that opening these few extra thoroughfares to city traffic eases gridlock on the surrounding city streets. But bicyclists and other park users are crowded out of the space that could most easily be set aside for them.

Cars are permitted in our parks not because it's necessary, but because we live in a culture in which driving is considered an inalienable personal right rather than a privilege that can be abused. Any movement that challenges the turf of autos triggers stiff resistance in many forms, from bureaucratic hurdles to counter-lobbying by automotive and business groups, threats by individual motorists and even foot-dragging by some environmentalists.