NYC's parks are ideal places to learn to ride or relax in a (mostly) car-free environment. Central Park and Prospect Park maintain regular car-free hours, while most other parks ban cars altogether. As on greenways, safe cycling in parks means riding at a speed that is considerate of other park users, including joggers, walkers, rollerbladers and less experienced cyclists.

Pick a park near you and then plot a good bike route to get there using Ride the City!

RIDING THE LOOP DRIVES OF CENTRAL AND PROSPECT PARKS

Central Park, Manhattan
Loop Drive Length: 6.1 miles

Prospect Park, Brooklyn
Loop Drive Length: 3.35 miles

When the loop drives are open to cars:
Cyclists ride in the left "recreational lanes." Traffic signals apply to bicycles.

When the drive is car-free:
Cyclists ride in the vehicular lanes. It is still illegal to run a red light, and cyclists can be ticketed by Parks Enforcement Patrol. Yield to pedestrians trying to cross the loop!

To find the most up-to-date car-free hours for Central and Prospect Parks, visit the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation bicycling page at nycgovparks.org

Have a complaint about traffic enforcement in the parks? Call or write the police precinct responsible for your park, the Department of Parks and Recreation, the Central Park Conservancy and/or the Prospect Park Alliance.

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