Evolving the Drives to Reflect Our Communities Today

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Since its creation, the Drives have adapted to the evolving modes of transportation and the growing needs of the community. The original design created picturesque routes for horse-drawn carriages, while also accommodating other forms of moving about New York City. Today, this scenic six-mile loop invites active exploration, serving as a beloved recreational haven for running, walking, skating, and cycling for residents and visitors.

Discover the History of the Drives.

Through the ongoing evolution of the Drives, the Central Park Conservancy, in collaboration with NYC Parks Department (NYC Parks) and NYC Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), demonstrates our commitment to cultivating an inclusive and functional space that meets the diverse needs of today’s communities. With a record 42 million visits a year and the banning of private cars from the Park in 2018, there is an enormous opportunity to reimagine the infrastructure and design of the Drives, fostering a welcoming, intuitive, and safe environment for all while also staying true to the Park’s original vision.

To achieve this vision, the Drives recommendations focus on the following goals:

The Central Park Drives Safety and Circulation Study is our roadmap to achieving these goals.

Olmsted foresaw the importance of creating distinct pathways to reflect the diverse needs of the community. To better understand the needs in today’s context, the Conservancy, alongside NYC Parks and NYC DOT, undertook a year-long, comprehensive study focused on: 1) the people who use the Drives; 2) their purpose, or what brings them to the Park; and 3) whether the Drives are delivering on their promise to serve their needs. This section highlights the most significant findings from the study.

People

Who is using the Park and Drives?

Purpose

What brings them to the Park, and how are they using the Drives?

Promise

The promise of Central Park has always been to provide a respite for all New Yorkers, and its network of roads and paths is core to that success. The footpaths and bridle path were designed for leisurely strolls. The transverse roads eliminate crosstown trucks and cars from the Park, while the Drives were always intended to accommodate those looking to move swiftly through the Park, balancing both speed and serenity.

These visionary building blocks aim to make Central Park safe and welcoming for all users. However, collisions—often resulting in injury—are frequently reported, along with numerous minor incidents.

Are the Drives delivering on their promise of safety and mobility?

Reported crashes may not fully reflect the chaotic or unsafe feel of the busier sections of the Drives, nor the more minor collisions that regularly occur.

Key Challenges

Through this focus on the people, purpose, and promise, experts and community members were able to identify several key challenges that impede the Drives from fully meeting community needs, affecting both usage and safety:

1. Competing User Demands: Many sections of the Drives experience high demand from users traveling at varying speeds.
2. Conflicts at Crosswalks: Crosswalks and merge points often lack intuitive design, featuring inconsistent markings and wayfinding that can confuse users.
3. Traffic Signal Non-Compliance: A notable number of users disregard traffic signals, contributing to a sense of disorder in the Park.
4. Outdated Design: The infrastructure still reflects a time when private cars were permitted in the Park, prior to the 2018 ban.
5. Insufficient Cross-Park Connections: Direct routes across the Park are limited, presenting challenges to cyclists.

As dedicated stewards of Central Park, the Conservancy focuses on identifying opportunities that create meaningful impacts for the community. In collaboration with Park users, experts, and City partners, the Conservancy has gathered valuable insights to inform design recommendations that create a harmonious space, honoring both the community and the Park’s rich history.

Near-term recommendations can be started or implemented as soon as possible.

1. Allocate space consistently across the Drives and pilot the use of new colors and textures on the roadbed.
2. Better separate pedestrians from cyclists and other higher-speed users.
3. Undertake an analysis of every crosswalk in the Park, with an eye toward better protecting pedestrians. 
4. Guide pedestrians to the historic archways to reduce conflicts on the Drives. 
5. Increase educational outreach and targeted enforcement to promote safety.
6. Collaborate with City agencies to improve bike infrastructure on all streets surrounding the Park. 

Medium-term recommendations need a more detailed approach and additional study.

1. Remove existing vehicular traffic signals and replace them with signals designed for bikers and pedestrians.
2. Continue the collaboration with City agencies to further expand and improve bicycle infrastructure, including a designated bike lane on the east side of the Park.
3. Explore a robust bike lane capital improvement on the 86th Street transverse and examine feasibility of other transverses for bike lanes. Prioritize an in-Park bike lane along the 86th Street bridle path.
4. Look into extending the pedestrian path network running parallel to the Drives to reduce crowding and conflicts in the busiest areas.
5. Create tailored redesigns for specific areas where user conflicts frequently occur.
6. Form a Pedicab Reform Working Group to improve their operations.

Longer-term recommendations are transformative and will require time, further analysis, in-depth design, and ongoing collaboration.

13. Explore a raised pedestrian lane at the southern, most crowded section of the Park. 
14. Explore geometric changes at key locations along the Drives.

Select initiatives are slated to begin in 2025.

• The New York Times: How to make Central Park safer for pedestrians
• Crain's New York Business: Central Park's well-used drives will soon get a makeover
• Gothamist: NYC to overhaul Central Park loop to limit conflicts between bikers, walkers and runners
• City and Central Park Conservancy to redesign Central Park Drives to improve safety and undertake new paving

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