Man on a mission to stop cyclists from speeding through crosswalks in Central Park
NEW YORK -- One man is on a mission to stop cyclists and others from speeding through crosswalks in Central Park.
For several weeks, he stood right at the corner and captured hundreds of bikers speeding through red lights as people crossed the road.
CBS2's Zinnia Maldonado heard from residents how they describe the crosswalk near the 63rd Street entrance.
"Nobody pays attention. You kind of do your own thing," one man said.
Traffic safety activist Jerome Dewalt recorded cyclists and others going right through red lights as pedestrians attempted to cross.
"We're trying to get the traffic going through the crosswalk under control," he told Maldonado.
The Upper West Side residents says he crosses the intersection almost every day and couldn't help but notice the safety hazard.
"When I learned it was within 350 feet of two schools... It occurred to me that this crosswalk is really dangerous for children," he said.
Back in May, he began standing at the corner and capturing incident after incident of mainly cyclists going through red lights.
The 71-year-old then created a Change.org petition, calling on the Department of Transportation to put in place traffic calming devices. So far, it has received more than 1,000 signatures.
"The racing bikes come in between 28 and 32 miles per hour, so they're way over the speed limit," Dewalt said. "So something like rumble strips that could causes bicyclists to come down to the speed -- 20."
Dewalt mentioned injuries that occur at the crosswalk often go unreported, but that doesn't make the issue less dangerous.
Back in 2014, Jill Tarlov, the wife of a former CBS stations executive, died after she was struck by a cyclist at the intersection.
"Hit her head on the pavement. The bicyclist hit her because he was dodging some other people in the crosswalk," said Dewalt.
This week, the DOT installed accessible pedestrian signals, which Dewalt says will hopefully prevent people from crossing through red lights, but doesn't do much to prevent the real issue.
"The buttons don't address the problem of speed or stopping at the crosswalk," he said.
He said he sees the recent action as a start and hopes more safety initiatives will be taken. In the meantime, he'll continue his personal efforts to make a difference.
In response to safety concerns, the DOT released a statement reading in part, "DOT values crosswalk safety and accessibility in Central Park... Our recent installation of accessible pedestrian signals at this intersection helps us meet our ambitious target of having 10,000 intersections equipped with APS by the end of 2031."
