Recent Streetsblog NYC posts about Department of Parks & Recreation

Central Park Administrator Pushes East-West Bike Routes, Car-Free Park

By Noah Kazis | Sep 21, 2010 | 56 Comments

Central Park Conservancy head Douglas Blonsky wants his park to get a lot more bike-friendly, he revealed at a meeting of Manhattan’s Community Board 7’s parks committee last night. Not only is he working to create shared use paths that would allow cyclists to cross the park east-west safely and legally, he repeatedly announced his […]

Parks Dept Allows Catering Hall to Fence Off Staten Island Greenway

By Ben Fried | Jun 30, 2010 | 23 Comments

A Staten Island catering hall erected this jury-rigged greenway-blocking fence and laid down a makeshift paintjob that "erases" markings on the path. They added the courteous touch of caution tape after cyclist Gregory DeRespino slammed into the fence. Photo: SI Advance/Jan Somma-Hammel The New York City Parks Department has come up with a striking new […]

City Bigs, Local Electeds Back Deal to Bridge East River Greenway Gap

By Glenn McAnanama | Jun 8, 2010 | 16 Comments

On Sunday, a group of city officials and East Side electeds made their case for a deal to close the gap in the East River Greenway, addressing a full auditorium at the Schottenstein Cultural Center on East 34th Street. The deal has several moving parts, but the major takeaway was that the Bloomberg administration and […]

Who Can Make Parks Car-Free? Commissioner Hoving Says: “Benepe”

By Ben Fried | Dec 14, 2009 | 13 Comments

This photo from the Parks Department vault depicts what appears to be a pavement painting during Thomas Hoving’s tenure as commissioner. If New York City had a livable streets hall of fame, Thomas P. F. Hoving would be enshrined alongside heroes like Jane Jacobs. As Parks Commissioner under Mayor John Lindsay, Hoving spearheaded the original […]

Hudson Greenway “Cherry Walk” Users to Remain in the Dark

By Brad Aaron | Nov 17, 2009 | 13 Comments

Nighttime visibility on the Hudson River Greenway north of W. 102nd Street has not improved since Jacob-uptown took this photo a year ago. In the fall of 2007, 2008, and again this year, Streetsblog readers have alerted us to hazardous conditions on the "Cherry Walk" segment of the Hudson River Greenway. According to the city, […]

Parks Dept. Truck Seriously Injures Wheelchair User in 8th Ave Bike Lane

By Ben Fried | Nov 5, 2009 | 27 Comments

A Parks Department sanitation truck struck a 78-year-old woman using a motor-assisted wheelchair in the Eighth Avenue bike lane this morning shortly before 10 a.m., just north of Bleecker Street. The victim suffered head trauma and was taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital, where she is in serious condition, a police spokesman said. No further details […]

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