Concerned Upper East Siders called for the Department of Transportation to install bike-specific stop lights along the Central Park cycling path at a recent Community Board 8 Transportation Committee meeting. They want bike logos added to traffic lights to catch the attention of cyclists. Concerned citizens complained that cyclists break laws by ignoring red lights, thereby endangering pedestrians.
A DOT spokesman said the department would be willing to consider the change, though the spokesman could not estimate the cost of undertaking the project. According to the spokesman the department has not received a resolution from the board, but if they do they will evaluate the feasibility of the request.
The DOT recently implemented several measures in the Central Park loop to improve safety such as doubling the width of pedestrian walkways to 14 feet, expanding the width of bike lanes to 11 feet, and making lanes better.
Police engaged in a ticketing blitz in 2011, citing cyclists for speeding and running red lights. Critics say these efforts have fallen off and enforcement is now “a joke”, allowing bike riders to flout traffic laws with impunity.
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