Detour Separates Cyclists From Pedestrians In Riverside Park

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — A new detour for cyclists in Riverside Park is in full effect in an effort to reduce conflicts between bikers and pedestrians on the Hudson River Greenway, according to local lawmakers.

Cyclists will no longer be permitted to ride on the Hudson River Greenway between West 83rd and 72nd streets, according to City Councilmember Helen Rosenthal. Bike riders have two options, dismount or take a detour that cuts through the park and rejoins the greenway on the other side of the blockade.

"Mixing bikes and pedestrians on the Greenway, particularly in front of the boat basin, is problematic. This separate cycling path will make the park safer for all of us, and I am urging the Parks Department to extend the path throughout the park wherever possible," Rosenthal said of the new detour in a statement.

Rosenthal's office funded the creation of the detour through the participatory budgeting process. The lawmaker said she will continue to pressure the city Parks Department to extend the separate bike path to cut down on shared roads in more areas of the park.

The detour is one way of reducing conflicts between cyclists and pedestrians on the Hudson River Greenway, which is one of the most popular bike paths in the entire nation. The Upper West Side community board also recently proposed instituting a speed limit on all of Riverside Park's shared paths so that reckless bike riding can be enforced.

Some pedestrians told the West Side Rag that not all cyclists are heeding the new detour. One parkgoer told the publication that she noticed bikers speeding past the barriers at night and another said a "handful" of bikers continue to use the greenway and "harass" pedestrians.