Prospect Park Safety In The Spotlight Again Following Deadly Cyclist-Pedestrian Crash In Central Park

After a pedestrian was killed when a cyclist collided with her in Central Park, safety concerns in our own Prospect Park are once again on people’s minds, and neighbors will have a chance to raise the issue at a police meeting tonight.

NY1 took to the loop around Prospect Park recently and spoke with pedestrians who said it’s an ongoing problem crossing the paved path, as many cyclists tend to ignore the red lights at crosswalks — which the news crew captured multiple times on camera.

Guidelines, which are posted online and on signs in the park, require cyclists to stop at the pedestrian-activated signals, noting that pedestrians have the right of way in the loop. Additionally, the speed limit is set at 25 miles per hour. Pedestrians have complained that it’s particularly dangerous to cross on the southwest side of the park, near Vanderbilt Playground, which is toward the bottom of a hill.

The cyclists-versus-pedestrians conversation in Prospect Park grew contentious several years ago after a couple of crashes left two pedestrians critically injured. A safety campaign grew out of that, leading to a reworking of the lanes in the loop, those pedestrian-activated signals, and, at times, some additional enforcement by local police.

Ticketing of cyclists is up around the city, with 21,085 tickets issued throughout the boroughs so far this year, up from 17,440 citywide during the same period last year, reports NBC New York. Cops have been spotted ticketing cyclists in Prospect Park this year, as well as in other parts of the neighborhood during a two-week blitz called Operation Safe Cycle.

If you have concerns about transportation safety in the park — or about transportation issues in our area in general — you may want to consider attending the first 78th Precinct Community Council meeting of the fall (the 78th covers the park), taking place tonight, Tuesday, September 30 at the precinct at 65 6th Avenue. The regular meeting begins at 7:30pm, while its transportation safety meeting precedes that at 6:30pm.