More than 1,000 citizens, dozens of elected officials and health professionals to rally on Oct. 26 for a Car-Free Central Park; New analysis predicts negligible traffic impact; advocates see big health gains; petition drive reaches 75,000 mark

Galvanized by 75,000 petition signatures, new support from elected officials and the public health community, and a new traffic analysis showing that closing Central Park’s loop drive to motor vehicle traffic would cause only a small impact on traffic on surrounding streets, more than 1,000 New Yorkers will rally for a car-free Central Park on Tuesday, October 26 from 7 – 8:30pm at Landmark on the Park (inside the Unitarian Universalist Church) 160 Central Park West at 76th Street.

Those attending the rally are hoping to convince Mayor Bloomberg, Parks Commissioner Benepe and DOT Commissioner Weinshall to keep cars out the Park permanently. Currently, cars are allowed in the park on weekdays except 10am to 3pm and 7 to 10pm.

The rally is organized by Transportation Alternatives’ Car-Free Central Park Campaign which for 30 years has aimed to restore the pastoral refuge created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux. The campaign calls for the elimination of all automobile traffic from Central Park's loop drive (but does not wish to close the transverse drives).

The Traffic Impacts of Making Central Park’s Loop Drive Car-Free

The traffic analysis was conducted by Regional Plan Association (RPA) in consultation with Transportation Alternatives. “Making Central Park’s loop drive the exclusive domain of non-motorized park users would generate barely noticeable increases in morning and afternoon traffic,” says Jeffrey M. Zupan, Senior Fellow for Transportation at RPA. “On Broadway, for example, traffic during the morning rush hour would increase by no more than 2 vehicles per minute,” added Zupan.

According to Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, “It is well within the ability of our City Department of Transportation to lessen any traffic impacts resulting from closing the loop drive, including traffic signal changes and traffic calming measures that would effectively reduce and reroute the traffic.”

The RPA’s traffic analysis is based on the “Hub Bound Travel Report” issued by the New York Metropolitan Transportation Council in 2000, the last year for which reliable data is available. Since 1994, when the Columbus Circle entrance to the park was closed to cars, the amount of traffic on the park loop drives has declined. In 2000, less than one-half of 1% (.44%) of traffic entering the Manhattan central business district entered via the park’s loop drive. At the same time, Central Park has seen increasing numbers of walkers, runners, and bicyclists. According to the NYC Parks Department, 25 million walkers, runners, bicyclists and tourists now visit the park every year.

“70,000 people per day use the park for its intended purpose, or about the same number of New Yorkers that have signed our petition. The math is easy: 70,000 New Yorkers seeking respite and recreation vs. about 1,500 vehicles seeking a short-cut. Central Park’s loop drive should be car-free. Full stop,” says White.

The Health Benefits

According to the American Lung Association of the City of New York, closing Central Park’s loop drive would yield significant health benefits for New Yorkers:

“…pollutants are particularly dangerous when people are exercising, because more air is being breathed and is drawn deeper into the lungs. Eliminating car traffic from the Central Park Loop Drive will return the drive to its original purpose: a healthier, cleaner place where New Yorkers can exercise and enjoy the city.”

Bolstering the American Lung Association’s view, Dr. Vincent Hutchinson, Assistant Director of Pediatrics at Harlem Hospital, says, “I think it would have a tremendous impact. It is well established that car fumes and exhaust do get into the lungs, and we know that asthma attacks are triggered by exposure to car exhaust so I think it would be a tremendous benefit to our children."

Citing the injury and obesity hazards resulting from too few safe play spaces, Barbara A. Barlow, M.D. of Harlem Hospital’s Department of Surgery, and Director of the National Injury-Free Coalition for Kids, says:

"We know that nationally there is a problem with obesity in children and this is a true problem in NYC, but it is hard for parents to let their child recreate with cars in Central Park. So it is a real needed thing for our Harlem community-- and for the city-- that there is a safe place away from cars to bike, walk, exercise and run."

Petition Drive Hits 75,000 Mark

In addition to the new traffic analysis and the newfound support of the public health community, Transportation Alternatives reports that more than 75,000 New Yorkers have now signed their petition to ban motor vehicles from Central Park’s loop drive.

"The petition campaign's success demonstrates the overwhelming support for a car-free park," says Ken Coughlin, chair of Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park committee. "When we are out in the park collecting signatures, people literally line up to sign. The question we hear the most is, 'When on earth will this happen?' "

Central Park is the world's most renowned urban park and, at most times, a wonderful refuge from the noise and hectic pace of city streets. The park was intended to be a place where New Yorkers could escape urban noise and pollution. Unfortunately, during weekday mornings and evenings the park’s bucolic loop drive is misused as a traffic "relief valve." It carries only a miniscule amount of cars—mostly cab riders—at a great cost. With the exception of the four transverses, which were designed to handle traffic without disturbing the park's serenity, Central Park should be a car-free oasis, twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.

"We often hear the claim that Central Park's loop drive is a necessary 'relief valve' for traffic in the city," says Coughlin. "In fact, the availability of the drive is funneling more car traffic to and from Midtown and the surrounding neighborhoods than would otherwise exist. Ironically, Central Park is currently contributing to the urban problem it was designed to help people escape."

Twice in the past year Transportation Alternatives has conducted extensive radar studies of traffic on Central Park's loop drive. The studies have found that 90% of motorists there are exceeding the 30mph speed limit. Of those, 23% speed at 10mph or more over the 30mph legal limit. The average speed in the park is 37mph.

"A crowded, recreation lane next to a de facto speedway is a tragedy waiting to happen," adds Coughlin. "The only solution is to ban the cars. What is the city waiting for?"

Rally Speakers and Supporters

Scheduled speakers at the rally include City Councilmembers Gale Brewer, Eva Moskowitz and Bill Perkins; Dr. Barbara Barlow, Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital; Jeff Zupan, Senior Fellow at the Regional Plan Association; Jane Holtz Kay, the architecture and planning critic and author of the landmark book, "Asphalt Nation"; and James Howard Kunstler, urbanist and author of the upcoming book, “The Long Emergency”, to be published in May by Atlantic Monthly Press.

Says Councilmember Moskowitz:

"Central Park is the busiest urban park in the country, and I feel strongly that New Yorkers are doing themselves a favor by making it car-free. As a mother, a cyclist, and a park lover who grew up a stone's throw from the Alice in Wonderland Sculpture, I know that New Yorkers need safe, clean, and uninterrupted green space."

Supporters of a Car-Free Central Park Loop Drive

Gifford Miller, Speaker, New York City Council and Upper East Side Council Member
Gale Brewer, City Council Member, Upper West Side
Eva Moskowitz, City Council Member, Upper East Side

American Lung Association of NYC
Central Park Track Club
City Club of New York
Environmental Defense Fund
Environmental Justice Alliance
Municipal Art Society
Natural Resources Defense Council
NY Public Interest Research Group
Regional Plan Association
Sierra Club
Straphangers Campaign
Transportation Alternatives
Tri-State Transportation Campaign
West Harlem Environmental Action

Supporters of a 3-month trial ban of motor vehicles on Central Park’s loop drive:

Philip Reed, City Council Member, Harlem
Bill Perkins, City Council Member, Harlem
Betsy Gotbaum, Public Advocate

New Yorkers for Parks