Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Bicycling

Now You Can Bike Both Ways Across Central Park on 72nd Street

Photo: Heidi Untener

The two-way, buffered bike lane across Central Park on 72nd Street is rounding into form, with most but not all of the markings in place, readers tell us. The path is rideable in both directions, adding a critical piece of east-west connectivity to the bike network.

Reader Heidi Untener sends this pic from a recent trip on the improved 72nd Street, which used to provide only a westbound lane for bikes, and nothing between the Central Park loop and the eastern and western edges of the park. The two-way path consists of spacious seven-foot-wide bike lanes and a four-foot buffer, and the motor vehicle right-of-way has been slimmed from two lanes to one.

Heidi reports that there are no directional arrows yet, and that the bikeway is still a little "funky" where it crosses the loop on each side of the park. Overall she said the bikeway is going to make daily trips to school and camp with her kids much better. She and her family "cheer each time we ride through."

When the Central Park Conservancy announced the DOT project last year, car-free park advocate Ken Coughlin called it "a significant step both toward making crossing the park on a bicycle less perilous and toward a car-free park in general."

If you've been following the transportation bill news from Streetsblog Capitol Hill, then you know we are going to be posting a deluge of bad news. Savor this bit of progress, Streetsblog readers, because it's probably the only scrap of news today that will nourish your hope for the future.

Here's another angle, courtesy of Ken:

Photo: Ken Coughlin

And because not even the good news comes without a dark cloud, Ken also sends a report of ham-fisted ticketing by the Parks Enforcement Patrol:

Photo: Ken Coughlin

A cyclist... got a ticket from the Parks Enforcement Patrol on the West Drive at 81st Street, near the Delacorte at about 9:50 this morning. When the light turns red a parks officer holds up a handheld "Stop" sign.  Any cyclist who goes through the light is stopped by PEP officers a hundred feet or so down the road and issued a ticket, whether or not a pedestrian was actually crossing the intersection. The cyclist in this case told me there was no one trying to cross and that he didn't have enough time to react to the Stop sign. He was pretty pissed. As I talked to him, a passing cyclist yelled out "Ticket the cars for speeding." This enforcement by the PEP appears to be in contrast to the stated policy of the CP Precinct, which is to use discretion when ticketing cyclists who blow red lights, with the focus on those who fail to yield to crossing peds.

Okay, so here's one more look at the good stuff, courtesy of Heidi:

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

New Bill Would Block Apps From Deactivating Workers Without Cause

A Brooklyn Council member wants delivery app companies to be more human and less robot.

July 18, 2025

Friday Video: Is Berlin a Great Biking City?

Have recent moves by anti-bike, pro-car legislators ruined the experience in the capital of a unified Germany? Sort of!

July 18, 2025

Eyes on the Street: Meeker Avenue Bike Lane Is a Failure

The Department of Transportation still hasn't finished a critical bike lane under the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway that the agency has been stalling for over four years even after identifying the strip's danger and lack of proper signals.

July 18, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Cuomo’s Road Rage Edition

Why does Andrew Cuomo drive so recklessly? Plus other news.

July 18, 2025

Fixing Third Ave. Was Once ‘Top of List’ For Eric Adams — But as Mayor He Backed Off

Mayor Adams has delayed a redesign of Brooklyn's Third Avenue despite once saying safety fixes there should be "at the top of our list."

July 17, 2025

Thursday’s Headlines: Jerry Nadler Edition

U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler faced off with Sean Duffy on Capitol Hill. Plus more news.

July 17, 2025
See all posts