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Central Park Cars Face RAPTURE As CBs Move Toward Temporary Ban
By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 23, 2011
Modified May 23, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published May 23, 2011
Modified May 23, 2011
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In a move that passes for "controversial" these days, several Manhattan community boards are planning to push a law that would ban cars from Central Park for five months, beginning on July 4th. (The transverse roads would still be open.) CB 7 was the first to pass the measure, and if the other boards follow suit "there would be few, if any, objections to a trial period." Sure, a park may be "a large area of land kept in its natural state for public recreational use," but cars are people too! They need exercise, fresh air and a place to let their dogs crap. Central Park's current car restrictions have also made it hard to play that real-life game of Frogger that makes us feel so alive.
Naturally, The Post labels proponents of the car ban "Road hogs"—because massive, metallic boxes weighing thousands of pounds with an unquenchable thirst for costly, noxious fuel are Road Vegans. And think about the cabbies! How will they save "40 minutes" from Harlem to Midtown? "That will kill us," one tells The Post, "That is such a valuable route. It's mind-blowing how much time it saves." Think of how much time we could save if they allowed cars on the High Line. We'd be paying $50 to park at Chelsea Piers in no time!
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Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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