Ken Coughlin, occasional Streetsblog contributor, long-time coordinator of Transportation Alternatives' Car-Free Central Park campaign and all-around mensch suffered a heart attack on Saturday. T.A. board member Jeff Prant and executive director Paul Steely White visited Ken at St. Lukes Roosevelt on the Upper West Side on Sunday. They say he's in relatively good spirits and will undergo triple bypass surgery tomorrow.

The year 2007 may prove to be one of the most important years in the storied history of New York City's development. In a future timeline of urban advances, it might be printed in as big a font and as bold a type as 1811--when the grid system was adopted--or 1904--when the I.R.T. subway opened. The text adjacent to 2007 could say something like "the start of livable streets," or "the bike boom begins," or "congestion pricing kicks off." It may turn out that all of those descriptions may suit 2007. The real question is, in hindsight, will they?

Dear T.A.

I'm training for the marathon. Sometimes, while I'm running in Central Park, the car exhaust really gets to me and I feel short of breath.

—Simone C.

Dear Simone,

You are not the only one suffering from car exhaust. According to a new Environmental Defense report, "The Dangerous Days of Summer," on 22 of the 101 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, New York City air is so bad that the city's 188,596 asthmatic kids put themselves at serious risk just by venturing outdoors.

"A rally to ride Central Park of cars will be hld on Tuesday, Oct. 26. Sponsored by Transportation Alternatives, which promotes pedestrian, bicyclist and environmental interests, the rally will feature elected officials and other prominent New Yorkers. It will be held at the Universalist Church at 160 Central Park West at 76th Street. For more details visit www.car-freecentralpark.org."

Prohibiting cars on Central Park's loop would trigger only "barely noticeable" traffic increases on neighboring streets, according to a study released Sunday.

Almost four decades ago, city leaders forced the drivers who use the looping Central Park roadway to start sharing it with joggers and cyclists, first on weekends and later during the week as well. Now the joggers and cyclists are getting closer to having the road all to themselves.

There will soon be fewer cars driving through Central Park, under a sweeping new plan to limit traffic there. On Nov. 29, seven entrances and exits to the park will be permanently closed and the West Drive will become a High-Occupancy Vehicle road from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.

And beginning Jan. 3, cars will be off-limits from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. except for the east-west transverses. The speed limit will also be reduced from 30 mph to 25 mph.

Drivers will no longer be allowed on Central Park's Loop Drive overnight and will find the number of entrances to the roadway significantly decreased, city Transportation Commissioner Iris Weinshall announced Sunday.

In a significant victory for those pushing for a car-free park, vehicles on the popular jogging and bicycling circle will be allowed only weekdays during the morning and evening rush -- from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Vehicles had previously been permitted during every weekday except from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Central Park is going greener and cleaner - with fewer cars and a lower speed limit.
To make more space for runners, skaters and wildlife lovers, the city is launching a new phased-in overhaul of the park's traffic pattern.

Look for a new 25-mph speed limit, down from 30 mph, and fewer vehicle entrances.

You will need at least one passenger to use the park's West Drive, between Lenox Ave. and Seventh Ave., during the morning rush hour.