DOT Expands Car-Free Time in Central Park by One Hour

By Aaron Naparstek
Jul 30, 2007

The Dept. of Transportation is announcing that it will add one additional hour of car-free time to Central Park’s West Drive during morning rush hour starting Monday, August 6. No incremental improvements have been announced for Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Here is DOT’s announcement:

Beginning Monday, August 6th, the
West
Drive of Central
Park between Lenox
Avenue and the 7th Avenue Exit will be closed to motor
vehicles for an additional hour (7-8am) during the morning peak period. Currently, the West
Drive is open to motor vehicles between the hours of
7-10am and operates as an HOV 2+ only roadway. With this change, the
West
Drive will be open to motor vehicles between the
hours of 8-10am only and will continue to operate as an HOV 2+ roadway. This
additional hour of closure of the West Drive to motor vehicles provides an
additional hour of conflict-free recreational use during the early morning
hours.

It’s nice to see progress but if this is a symbolic step to a "Greater, Greener New York," it sure is a small one.

Photo: Lenox Ave. entrance, Sunday night

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