Pedestrian safety advocates are criticizing the city Department of Transportation's redesign of Central Park's drives for a fatal accident involving Richie O’Brien, who was hit by a cyclist and died shortly after. O'Brien was walking along East Drive near 84th Street when he was struck on September 23. Since December 2025, crashes in the park’s drives have increased by about 9%, with 51 incidents recorded from December to May this year compared to 47 the previous year. Janet Schroeder, director of the New York City Electric Vehicle Safety Alliance, blames the DOT's design changes for making the area unsafe and demands accountability from the Central Park Conservancy.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-28,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
Richie O'Brien, 41, was struck by a cyclist while walking through Central Park in New York on September 23 at around 6:30 AM near West 84th Street. He suffered severe head trauma and died four days later after being treated at Weill Cornell Medical Center. The cyclist sustained minor injuries but remained at the scene.
O'Brien, a father of two daughters aged eight and twelve and a steamfitter, was on his way to work when he was hit. His wife, Ronni, was by his side when he passed away peacefully early Sunday morning. A GoFundMe page set up for the family has raised over $160,000 out of a $200,000 goal.
Safety advocates blame the redesign of Central Park’s drives, which includes new one-way lanes for cyclists and a single two-way lane for pedestrians, for increasing pedestrian risks. The New York City Department of Transportation (DOT) implemented these changes in 2019. Since then, crashes have risen from 47 to 51 between December 1, 2025, and May 31, 2026.
The Central Park Conservancy has called for stricter enforcement of traffic rules and a 15 mph speed limit in the park’s drives. Meanwhile, pedestrian safety activists argue that these changes have created dangerous conditions for walkers.
Written for “Central Park Bike Crash Death” on 2026-10-05,
grounded in this article and the 3 other(s) covering the same event.
Advocates are calling for stronger security measures in Central Park after the tragic death of a father of two who suffered traumatic brain injuries when he was hit by a cyclist in the iconic green space.
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he → call → space
The Central Park Conservancy, in a statement last week after the crash that critically wounded Long Island resident Richie O’Brien, urged city officials to increase enforcement of traffic rules and renewed its calls for a 15 mph speed limit in the park’s drives.
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that → wound → drives
But pedestrian safety activists placed the blame on the city Department of Transportation’s “dangerous” redesign of the park’s drives, which make up the 6.03-mile car-free loop around the park.
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which → place → park
“This is such a tragedy and it didn’t have to happen,” Janet Schroeder, director of the New York City Electric Vehicle Safety Alliance, told The Post Monday.
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Schroeder → have → Alliance
O’Brien, a 41-year-old steamfitter, was walking along the East Drive when he was hit by a cyclist on a regular pedal bike near East 84th Street at around 6:30 a.m. September 23.
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he → walk → September
He died on Sunday, according to his family.
uncertain
He → die → family
The DOT’s changes to the drives included creating two new one-way lanes for slow and fast-moving bikes, with just a single two-way lane for pedestrians.
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changes → include → pedestrians
Previously, the stretch had a walking lane, a bike lane and one or two vehicle paths.
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stretch → have → lane
Schroeder said the changes turned the drives into “a super highway for deliveristas, Citibikes, speeding bicyclists and illegal e-vehicles.”
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changes → say → deliveristas
She demanded that Conservancy President and CEO Betsy Smith resign or be fired for supporting the redesign, accusing the park’s stewards of ignoring warnings from her group.
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Smith → demand → group
Crashes in the drives have risen about 9% since December 2025, when the DOT said it completed the redesign of the East Drive south of 90th Street and of the West Drive south of 96th Street.
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it → rise → Street
Police recorded 51 crashes on the drives from Dec. 1, 2025, through May 31 of this year, compared with 47 during the same stretch the year prior, an increase of four crashes, according to NYPD collision data, which only goes through June 11, 2026.
uncertain
which → record → June
The DOT said it still needs to complete the project, including to repave and repaint some of the loop’s roads, replace traffic signals and add signs alerting cyclists about pedestrians.
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it → say → pedestrians
“They are going to nicely ask riders to not go over 15?
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They → go → 15
Put up signs?” Schroeder scoffed.
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Schroeder → put → signs
“Who in the hell is going to follow that?
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Who → go → that
The remaining phase of the redesign covers the northern end of the loop, according to DOT docs.
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phase → remain → docs
The agency did not provide a firm completion date.
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agency → provide → date
A spokesperson said the DOT was reviewing the recent fatal crash, and the NYPD was also investigating.
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NYPD → say → crash
The city has tried to mandate a 15 mph speed limit for bikes, but a judge put it on hold in February after the New York Cycle Club sued.
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Club → try → February
The City Council currently has no legislative proposal to establish a 15 mph limit in Central Park, specifically.
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Council → have → Park
The council’s Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure is set to hold a hearing Wednesday to discuss e-bike safety.
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Committee → set → safety
Councilman Shaun Abreu, chair of the committee, said O’Brien’s death would inform the safety discussions, but that the hearing would remain focused on the electric vehicles rather than regular bikes.
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hearing → say → bikes
The Aporia
