March 5, 2007

The NYC Parks Department is progressing with its plan for a bicycle or mixed use trail along the west side of Riverdale.  The trail is part of a greater trail that will run from Battery Park to Yonkers, connecting Riverside, Fort Washington, Inwood and Riverdale parks.  A portion of the trail may run through Riverdale Park. 

The Preservancy will participate in community meetings on design, held by the Parks Department, in the spring of 2007.  Our 2002 position paper on a trail through Riverdale Park is provided below.

Background

New York City’s Hudson River Trail will include on-street and off-street sections. 

The trail is being funded, designed, and built by the Department of Parks and Recreation (Parks), with air quality mitigation funds.  This means that a primary goal of the trail is to reduce air pollution due to auto traffic.  Overall, goals include continuity, suitability for commuting and recreation, protection of the environment, and a relationship with the waterfront.

Bringing the trail through Riverdale Park

In Riverdale, Parks has recommended routing the trail along several streets, including Palisade Avenue where it runs alongside Riverdale Park.  The question of how to bring the path from Palisade Avenue at Spalding Lane to the Riverdale Metro-North station received considerable attention from Parks and the community.  While the community favored keeping bicycles on the roads, going around the Riverdale Country School, Wave Hill, and the Riverdale Historic District, Parks favored a more direct route straight through Riverdale Park. 

Community Concerns

Riverdale Park is undeveloped and designated by Parks for passive use. Residents currently use unpaved footpaths for hiking, birding, photography, dog walking, and other pursuits that do not require facilities. The community is concerned that a bicycle path will invade the park’s peaceful environment, cyclists will go off the designated path thereby destroying vegetation and exacerbating erosion problems, and the existence of a paved facility will change the park’s designation from passive to active, with implications for the future.

Preservancy Position Paper                                               

In May 2002, the Presevancy submitted the following position paper to the Chief of Planning at the Parks Department and the Chairman of Bronx Community Board 8, opposing a bicycle path through Riverdale Park:

Position on Bicycle Path through Riverdale Park

The Riverdale Nature Preservancy (the Preservancy) opposes the proposed bicycle path through Riverdale Park for the following reasons:

1. Having attended the public meeting, heard community input, and reviewed the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation’s (the Parks Department's) plans for the proposed path, the Preservancy believes that the Parks Department's plan is flawed.

2. Our membership insists that the “Forever Wild” status of Riverdale Park be preserved, and is concerned that the Parks Department’s plan would jeopardize this status. The removal of vegetation, improvement and widening of the path to accommodate bikes, and erection of a fence cannot be allowed in the park.

3. Riverdale Park should continue to be used for passive, not active, recreational purposes.

4. Our previous concern for the safety of the alternate bicycle route via Spaulding Lane was allayed by the testimony of the bicycle representatives, who conceded that it was a viable option.

We conclude that the Parks Department should pursue alternatives for a bike route that do not include a path through Riverdale Park.

Chronology                                                                                               

October 1998 - Bronx Advisory Committee to the Hudson River Valley Greenway recommends a pedestrian route along Palisade Avenue

The Committee report recommends “That the appropriate agencies of the City and State of New York along with the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council and Conservancy designate a pedestrian (emphasis added) Hudson River Valley Greenway route along Palisade Avenue from 232nd Street to 261st Street extending to the north along Riverdale Avenue to the Yonkers border, and south to Manhattan via Independence Avenue, Kappock Street and the Henry Hudson Bridge, with consideration toward implementing traffic control measures to resolve safety issues, receiving community approval of signage and other safety measures to be placed along such a route.”

January 1999 - NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation (DPR) recommends a pedestrian and bicycle path through Riverdale Park

The DPR's trail planning study was funded through the Congestion Mitigation Air Quality (CMAQ) program of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 (ISTEA) and so must consider transportation needs.

May 2002 - Bronx Community Board 8’s Parks and Recreation Committee public hearing on the path.

The Preservancy’s comments centered on issues of safety. Representatives of bicycling groups testified that their members currently ride on Spaulding Lane, Independence Avenue, and W. 254th Street, and consider the route to be acceptable.

May 2002 - Preservancy position paper submitted to Parks and Community Board 8

Scroll up for the full text.