Posted on May 25, 2018 at 12:59 pm by West Sider

Bicyclists celebrated when the long-closed Riverside Park path under the West Side Highway between 55th and 72nd Streets reopened last week. But now some are chafing at enforcement of no-riding rules put in place for Fleet Week just a little farther down the path.

“The police and parks department have closed the bike path between 45th and 55th St due to Fleet Week activity,” wrote Laura, who received the $250 ticket pictured below. “They are making cyclists walk their bikes 10+ blocks due to pedestrian traffic (very minimal). This just happened as I biked to work this am and it was not a problem. They will ticket you heavily. (Me, even tho I was coasting). It’s outrageous. No notice.”

“I was being respectful and slowed to a cruise (no pedaling),” she wrote. “It’s a travesty that they’ll ticket folks commuting home but won’t ticket motorized vehicles that frequent the Greenway.”

A Parks Department spokesperson wrote that 14 people who failed to comply with officer instructions or posted signs received summonses yesterday. “This rule is implemented every year during Fleet Week to ensure the safety of pedestrians. Signs have been put up instructing cyclists to dismount their bikes for the stretch that is closed.”