You donate $1 to a NYCC pool for every lap you do in the park. 3 laps for 3 bucks. If you're ticketed, you can pay your fine from the pool. But only one ticket per person. I recognize this will be vilified as a first step down a slippery slope towards cycling socialism, so Republicans will oppose it. On the other hand, as it's reliant on an honor system that is as easily circumvented as taxes for the super-wealthy, maybe Republicans will support it.

I hear you already: oh, god, no, of course I'm not serious. It's me. Or I.

First, for those on Facebook, there's a "Concerned Cyclists in Central Park" page. If Facebook groups could work in Egypt, it could work for us Big Apple cyclists

Second, There's an article by Corbin Kappler, titled "The End of a NYC Cycling Era."
http://corbinkappler.com/2011/02/17/the-end-of-a-nyc-cycling-era/

Excerpt:
"With the recent enforcement of red lights in Central Park and elsewhere around the city, could cyclists be pushed out of a once perfect training arena? This is the question many of us are asking, or at least thinking. We’ve seen red light crackdowns before but nothing like the current episode.

I did HH repeats with the 7AM group. We were not bothered by the police. Can anyone report about enforcement activity in the park below 102 b/w 7 & 8 AM? I think it would be good for people to report their observations from different times of day.

After 8 I did one final lap in the park cyclocross style-hop on, hop off. There were a lot of cops but they did not bother me when I hopped off and walked the bike across the cross walk. I guess there's no box for "Jay Walking With Bike". I never realized how many lights there are on the drive and how closely spaced some of them they are. I always assumed about a dozen but it's considerably more.

SUNDAY, 2/20 B17-18/55-70, Winter Training and Fun! #9 - "Greenwich Point Park"

START: 8:20AM - Grand Central Terminal

FINISH: 4:12PM - Port Chester Metro North -- or optional mileage back to the Bronx and a subway.

LEADERS: Michael Notaro, Neile Weissman

WHAT: Train up to Port Chester. Work through lower Fairfield backroads to the majestic Greenwich Point Park and coffee in Old Greenwich. Then back to Port Chester for Brazilian BBQ y "palletas" and/or optional mileage back to the Bronx and a subway. Co-listed with Westchester Cycle Club.

TERRAIN: Hilly.

BRING: Fenders as there will be snow runoff to deal with. Front/rear lights. Spare tubes. Snacks. Metro North bike pass-money.

FSA SL-K Light Compact Crankset (170mm 34-50 with BB)

In very good condition, ridden maybe 500 miles or so. $250 or best offer.

Pick up in Midtown.

The altruistic little Canadian cycling mag "for self propelled people" http://www.momentumplanet.com is looking for outlets to distribute free copies in NYC. I did a couple of things for them recently (http://galfromdownunder.com/handmadebikes and http://galfromdownunder.com/henrysnyc). I say altruistic because not only are the coffee shop editions free, the entire mag is online for free, and my modest contributor honorariums should be arriving in the mail any decade now ...

See below for the drill - if you'd like to nominate a location near you, email them, tell them you're from NYCC and why you are nominating.
Not sure why they didn't mention bike shops - maybe people at least read stuff in coffee shops and might consider subscribing....

+++

Perhaps we should look to dog owners for a possible Central Park solution. If I remember correctly, it used to be against the law to have a dog off the leash in the park. Now, there is a time each day when dogs are allowed to be off their leash. Does anyone know how this was accomplished?

Are the any reports of ticketing in PP?

Having read about the situation in CP, I have become a bit paranoid.

On a side note, when the park is closed to traffic, is it the law that we must cycle in the right lane except to pass?

Was riding up Park Avenue to GCT and stopping for red lights as has become my new habit ... when I spontaneously started dismounting and walking across (if it was safe to do so).

When I lived in London for a year back in the 70's, I purchased a scooter and developed the same routine, so I was reacquiring an old habit. A reasonable accommodation to the "new normal", IMO. Enforcement would be REALLY selective to be ticketed for jaywalking w/a bicycle.

Gets me where I need to go. Beats angsting about it.

http://westsidespirit.com/2010/11/10/crime-soars-in-central-park/

As cops sit in wait for "dangerous cyclists", real crime in the park soars. Yes, JT, I already emailed a complaint about this to our lovely mayor and police commish.