Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Bike Seizure at Hudson River Park Explained
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 18, 2010
Modified Aug 18, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
On Saturday, it appeared that the Parks Department had instructed Doe Fund workers to cut the locks and confiscate perhaps a dozen bikes that were locked near the West Side bike path. Today we have an explanation from Hudson River Park spokesman for David Katz, but first a quick lesson on the distinction between city-run parks and places like Hudson River Park. Get out your pad and pencil!
Katz tells us that the Hudson River Park's "Parks Enforcement Patrol" (Go PEP!) is different from regular city Parks police; they are trained by city parks but are contracted by Hudson River Park, which is a public benefit corporation, a partnership between the city and state. "We're governed by a 13-member board of directors and operate on the premise that we're financially self-sufficient," says Katz. "So all the funds to support the staff and maintenance comes through income generated with rents and donations." Now, about those bike seizures, in Katz's words:
On Saturday a Parks Enforcement Patrol officer saw ten bikes chained to the "sea wall," which is what we call the fence that separates the walking path from the river. The officer went around to all the immediate areas asking patrons if the bikes belonged to them. None of them claimed them or knew who they belonged to. That was about 5 p.m. At that point the officer notified the operations desk to see if a permit was issued or if there was a special event or allowed in some way. At the command desk they checked and saw there were no permits or special events. At that point they took pictures of the area, and then cut the locks, as they would do with any unclaimed property in violation of park rules.
Katz tells us that at every major entrance to the park there is a Welcome to Hudson River Park sign that has the "topline rules." Ever read them? Neither have we. But apparently one of the rules says that securing bikes to objects other than bike racks is prohibited. "So these folks were definitely were in violation of that," Katz says. "And there were empty bike racks right by where these bikes were locked. We have more bike racks in this park than most." The good news is all the bikes were reclaimed. The bad news is that everyone got summonses.
"All ten bikes have been claimed and all the owners were issued Environmental Control Board summonses," according to Katz. "It's a fifty dollar summons with a default of $200 if it's unpaid in 30 days. It turns out all the cyclists were on the Queen of Hearts Party boat, which leaves from the north side of Pier 40." We asked Katz about maybe putting up more signs making it clear that locking to the "sea wall" is a no-no, but Katz told us they're satisfied with the number of "Welcome to Hudson River Park" rules signs, which are posted at every entrance. However, he says, "We are going to talk with the Queen of Hearts owner and the other party boat owners to let them know about the rules."
Tagged
bike rack
bikes
Hudson River Park
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Tompkins Square Park is getting a makeover. Some say it's too much.
Some regulars at the East Village park want to preserve its not-so-fancy offerings.
By
Willow Higgins
Published Oct 17, 2026 at 7:00 a.m. ET
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
News
Deer are all over New Jersey roads looking for sex, state officials warn
Mid-October through mid-December is deer mating season, which can be a danger to drivers as the sex-seeking creatures cross roadways throughout the Garden State.
By
Rosemary Misdary
Man messaged 'I got straight poison' before giving NYC college students fentanyl, feds say
By
Samantha Max
Inside the plan to fix the nearly collapsed Pfizer Building, 1/64th of an inch at a time
By
David Brand
School bus carrying autistic students got lost in Brooklyn for 4 hours last year
By
Jessica Gould
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .