De Blasio Loses His Mind... Bans Cars from Central Park
New York City’s proto-socialist Mayor Bill de Blasio is all about government exerting control over the people, as evidenced by his staunch support for gun control measures that infringe upon the Constitutional right of citizens to keep and bear arms.
But guns aren’t the only thing de Blasio wants control over, as he has now announced a ban on vehicles throughout most of New York City’s Central Park, according to The Hill.
The ban on cars in Central Park will apply to all streets below 72nd St. — above which cars had already been banned — but would not apply to certain major thoroughfares that cut through the park.
“Central Park goes car free in June. 24/7, 365 days a year — because parks are for people, not cars,” the mayor tweeted Friday.
Central Park goes car free in June. 24/7, 365 days a year — because parks are for people, not cars. pic.twitter.com/kvRUgIudx1
— Mayor Eric Adams (@NYCMayor) April 20, 2018
The comments on the post contained a fairly even split among those who thought the idea was foolish and would create additional traffic congestion throughout the city compared with those who supported the move to have far fewer vehicles mingling with bicyclists and pedestrians in the park.
According to AMNY, the mayor said in a brief statement, “Our parks are for people, not cars. For more than a century, cars have turned parts of the world’s most iconic park into a highway. Today we take it back.”
Since 2015, motorists have already been banned from driving on the northern “loop” of the park above 72nd St., but that ban will now be extended to the rest of the loop below that street.
However, the ban will not apply at all to emergency vehicles, nor will it apply to the major thoroughfares that transverse Central Park, namely 66th, 72nd, 86th and 96th streets.
“We’re thrilled to finally witness a positive conclusion to the four-decade-long campaign to rid Central Park of vehicular traffic,” stated Paul Steely White, executive director of Transportation Alternatives, an advocacy group that has been demanding a car-free Central Park for some time.
According to the New York Post, though vehicular traffic had already been banned on the “loop” above 72nd St., traffic was still permitted on the rest of the “loop drives” below that cutoff during daylight hours or at least during the morning rush between 8-10 a.m.
The move by de Blasio will also push the famous horse-drawn carriages inside of the park and remove them from the street of Central Park South, where they mingled with regular vehicle traffic as well as pedestrians.
The mayor has controversially sought to rid New York City’s streets of the beloved horse-drawn carriages for some time, and may have finally achieved victory on that issue, though there is sure to be pushback.
Mayor de Blasio has repeatedly shown through his efforts to undermine the Second Amendment that he has no problem using government authority to control the actions of people.
While this move has absolutely nothing to do with guns, it nevertheless reveals that the mayor will extend his controlling nature to whatever other issues he pleases.
One can only wonder how long it will take before he makes another move and extends the ban on vehicular traffic to other parts of the city, causing further congestion in certain areas while also forcing some residents to make use of the city’s less-than-appealing public transportation when they’d really rather not.
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