On September 20, 2004, the 35-year campaign to restore the pastoral refuge created by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux reached a critical milestone: the 75,000th New Yorker signed the petition to ban motor vehicles from Central Park’s loop drive.

The campaign, led by Transportation Alternatives, calls for the elimination of all automobile traffic from Central Park's loop drive. The campaign does not aim to close the transverse drives.

Says Paul S. White, the executive director of Transportation Alternatives,

“We’re at the tipping point; City Hall cannot ignore 75,000 concerned New Yorkers. And with newfound support from a host of elected officials and powerful public health and environmental advocates, our campaign is now poised for victory.”

"The petition campaign's success demonstrates the overwhelming support for a car-free park," said Ken Coughlin, chair of Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park campaign. "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?' "

With public clamor for a car-free Central Park reaching new heights, Transportation Alternatives will host a town hall rally on the question on Tuesday, October 26, 2004 from 7 – 8:30pm at Landmark on the Park, 160 Central Park West at 76th Street.

The evening will be an occasion for park lovers to demonstrate to elected representatives and city officials their support for a car-free park and to hear experts discuss the dangers posed by the presence of traffic.

Scheduled speakers include City Councilmembers Gale Brewer and Eva Moskowitz; Dr. Barbara Barlow, Director of Surgery at Harlem Hospital; and Jane Holtz Kay, the architecture and planning critic and author of the landmark book, "Asphalt Nation".

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.
(more)
Page 2

"We often hear the claim that Central Park's loop drive is a necessary 'safety valve' for traffic in the city," said 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, multi-use recreation lane next to a de facto speedway is a tragedy waiting to happen," said Coughlin. "The only solution is to ban the cars. What is the city waiting for?"

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

American Lung Association of NYC
Audubon Society
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