The 15-Mile-Per-Hour Cycling Speed Limit

In August 1991, the Parks Department instituted a 15 mph speed limit for bicycles in Central Park. Transportation Alternatives acknowledges the discomfort caused by cyclists who train and race at high speeds on the park drives, but believes that any mandatory speed limit should also apply to motor vehicles, which move faster and cause greater danger to other park users.

As a more comprehensive solution, Transportation Alternatives suggests the following steps (adapted from City Cyclist, July/August 1991):

Replace the bicycle speed limit with the following policies:

• Cars off loop roadway and out of the Park at all times, permanently.
• Fast traffic (e.g., cyclists) always yields to slower traffic (e.g., pedestrians).
• Stripe the roadway with recommended lanes for faster, slower and novice skaters, cyclists and joggers.
• Designate one hour each morning and each evening as recommended time for bike racing and training.
• No speed limits.
• Failing a car ban, or prior to a car ban, any speed limit on cyclists shall also apply to motor vehicles.
• Self-education and regulation by user groups, including “cross-education” among cyclists, skaters and joggers.
• Evaluation of the above steps after three months.
• If problems persist, consider restricting bike racing and training to designated hours; also consider requiring strict adherence to traffic lights by all road users, perhaps aided through “upstream signalization” giving fast cyclists and skaters time to slow down safely.