Notorious Central Park stretch even more dangerous after redesign, locals say

A notoriously dangerous Central Park thoroughfare for pedestrians and joggers has become even more treacherous — after a redesign that was supposed to make it safer, locals say.

The revamped 6-mile loop debuted in June with just a single two-way lane for pedestrians while creating two new one-way lanes for slow and fast-moving bikes — amid fewer walk signals, confusing new signage and still-ignored cyclist traffic lights, critics claim.

“Crossing any street in Central Park is like running the gauntlet, the lights don’t matter,” park-goer Lester Gottesman griped to The Post along West Drive at the southern end of the park. 

“Occasionally, pedal bikes will stop, or horse and buggies will stop, [but] e-bikes, forget it,” the 73-year-old surgeon said.

“They shouldn’t be allowed: I’ve taken care of enough people run over by e-bikes.”

The stretch previously had one walking lane, a bike lane and one or two vehicle paths depending on the point you were at along the drive.

A city Transportation Department rep insisted to The Post, “The Central Park Drives redesign is an ongoing project to reimagine the park loop as a more functional and accessible public space for New Yorkers and visitors.

“Shaped by a study and public feedback, the project emphasizes safety by expanding designated space for pedestrians and cyclists with clearer separation between those areas to reduce conflicts.”

But a recent visit from The Post to the area witnessed multiple near-accidents between pedestrians and zipping cyclists swerving between lanes.

Carriage-horse operator and union spokesperson Christina Hansen described a “highway” scene of deliveristas racing north from Midtown during lunch and dinnertime.

But City Hall slammed Hansen’s remarks as “shameful” and blasted the union for “scapegoating another workforce — including their own members — to distract from video evidence of high-profile, dangerous horse-carriage accidents.

“This redesign of the Central Park Drive will bring more order to the beloved loop for pedestrians and cyclists, but the [union] would rather you turn the other cheek as horse carriages dangerously run rampant,” a City Hall rep added.

Since June, 25 crashes have been reported in the park, according to CrashMapper, including an incident that claimed the life of an e-bike rider when he hit a pedestrian.

By comparison, 12 crashes were reported during the same time period in 2024 without any fatalities.

“No one stops here: even with the walk signal, the bikes don’t stop,” said a park-goer who only identified himself as Tom.

“The bikes think they own the park.”

The redesign was undertaken after a study from the Central Park Conservancy published last fall. Its resulting plan aimed to “prioritize pedestrian safety while also better accommodating cyclists and legal e-mobility options.”

A conservancy rep said, “Everyone should feel safe walking, jogging or riding in the park.

“We share profound concerns related to high speeds on the Drives—especially by e-scooters, e-bikes and non-electric racing bikes,” adding that NYPD is responsible for enforcing the drive’s 20mph speed limit.

But Hansen, who works in the park, said police are scarce across its 843 acres — and that the redesign has been such a pain in the neck that his horse-carriage union thinks it was done on purpose to drive the buggies out.

“Collisions have increased, I’ve seen lots of near-misses that I didn’t see before,” she said. “People have already gotten hurt. … And ambulances, police vehicles and garbage trucks can’t get around.”

The unpopular redesign is not only dangerous but unlawful, according to New York E-Vehicle Safety Alliance president Janet Schroeder.

“What they’re doing is against all [Americans with Disabilities Act] regulations,” Schroeder said of the removal of pedestrian walk signals in the park, especially for those who are low-vision or blind. “It’s very ageist and ableist.

“Older people with disabilities, where can they go for walks anymore?” 

A DOT rep said the redesign is an ongoing project and that the agency is actively monitoring the project and will make adjustments as needed.

But Schroeder said that in the meantime, the speeding problem is only getting worse while elderly and disabled parkgoers are driven out of the green space in fear.

“It does not solve e-bikes on pedestrian walkways or solve the problem of speeding,” she said of the revamp. “It doesn’t solve any of the issues we had in the park.”