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"Let's Ban Cars In Prospect Park!" Petition Cheers
By
Lauren Evans
Published May 15, 2015
Modified May 15, 2015
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By
Lauren Evans
Published May 15, 2015
Modified May 15, 2015
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Here's a petition with a great name: "Do we have to wait for someone to die to keep rush hour traffic out of Prospect and Central Parks?"
Do we? The 900 people who have signed the petition so far think not. As it says:
As the neighborhoods surrounding Prospect Park have become more developed and more heavily populated, use of the park by pedestrians, cyclists, runners and other residents has increased. Although the reduction in car traffic in the park has been a positive development, it is becoming clear that even limited access to the park by passenger vehicles is a disaster waiting to happen.
There is something uniquely invasive about heading into the serenity of the park in the early, pre-work hours and having to wait while a caravan of Ford Behemoths hurtles by, often well beyond the posted speed limit. Why is the presence of cars in the park so specifically enraging? As my colleague John Del Signore put it: "Because it's supposed to be a tranquil oasis where you can get a break from the din and the danger created by fucking cars!" Huh. Yeah. Guess that's it.
Some other sensible reasons offered in the petition include:
“Sooner or later someone is going to get killed,” one signee said. “A little kid or a senior citizen is going to get mowed down by someone who thinks they’re saving 5 minutes by racing through a park.”
“I want to relax and enjoy nature and the other park goers when I’m in the park, not worry about being hit by a car whose driver’s only goal is to get somewhere faster," said another. "I also don’t want to breath the exhaust when I’m exercising which means I have to avoid the park during ‘car hours.’ They have the rest of the city. Let us have the park!!!!”
Central Park was closed to cars during summer 2013, though it's currently unclear whether it will happen again this year.
Though legislation for another ban has been presented, it's currently tabled until the DOT has conducted an impact study, with the eventual goal of seeing cars banned year-round, said Stephanie Buhl, Director of Communications for Councilwoman Helen Rosenthal, one of the bill's co-sponsors. "Right now a huge portion [of the loop] is dedicated to cars, and a little narrow portion is dedicated to pedestrians," she said. "We would like that to change."
(h/t Park Slope Stoop)
Tagged
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prospect park
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Lauren Evans
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