At 5:45 PM on Tuesday, May 5th, a car plowed into the recreational lane on Central Park's loop drive, striking and seriously injuring a bicyclist. The victim, a 22-year old male, was sent to the hospital for emergency care, had his toes amputated, and may lose his entire foot. Police reports indicate the driver was speeding before sideswiping the cyclist and then jumping the curb. The cyclist, according to the police report, was traveling with traffic in the bicycle lane when struck.

In a separate incident on Monday, also during the evening rush hour, a cyclist was struck on the park drive by a taxi. The cyclist, a 17-year old male, reported the taxi went through a red light. The cyclist was rushed to St. Luke's hospital for treatment.

In the wake of the crashes, bicycling and pedestrian advocates ask the City to take immediate steps to prevent more injuries. "These crashes were bound to happen," said John Kaehny, Executive Director of Transportation Alternatives. "For too long, the City has used Central Park as a traffic-relief valve instead of a true Park. Thanks to speeding cars in the Park, runners, skaters, cyclists are endangered each time they visit."

Transportation Alternatives is calling for stepped-up traffic enforcement in the park and for a trial car-free closing of the park north of 72nd St. for the summer.

Currently, the Park is closed to cars on weekends, but on the East Drive between 59th St. and 72nd St., one of the most popular areas for Park users, cars are prohibited only between 7 and 10 PM weekday evenings. The remainder of the Park's main loop drive is closed to cars from 10 am to 3 PM, and from 7 to 10 PM on weekdays.

"Use of Central Park by runners, in-line skaters and cyclists has skyrocketed in recent years. To cram everyone into a single, narrow recreational lane while allowing cars to use the drive only exacerbates the dangers and the overcrowding," said Kaehny.