Caught Between Sidewalk and Street

THREE cyclists from two local racing clubs, defiant and ready to take a stand, rolled into Central Park near 110th Street, and were promptly arrested. It was a summer morning in 1881, and bicycles were not permitted in the city’s vast park.

Fellow cycling enthusiasts, gathered to witness this act of civil disobedience, cheered as the police hauled them away, setting the stage for a battle over biking and its proper place in the park, and on the nation’s roads.

About 130 years later, the park is again a battleground for cyclists. The New York Police Department has stepped up its enforcement of traffic rules in the park, handing out more than 230 tickets — with accompanying fines of up to $270 — as of last month to cyclists for running red lights and, most recently, for speeding. (The Police Department has since apologized for the speeding tickets, saying they were issued in error.)

But the cyclists...

Read the rest of the article here.

By J. David Goodman, New York Times, April 2, 2011