The New York Cycle Club has filed a lawsuit against New York City challenging the new 15 mph speed limit on Central Park’s Drives. The club argues that the limit was improperly imposed and will affect serious training on the park loop. In court filings, the group contends that the Adams administration misapplied state law and did not follow required steps in the city’s rulemaking process, amid broader discussions over speed limits and shared use of park space.
In papers filed late Tuesday, the club says the Department of Transportation leaned on Sammy’s Law in a way the complaint calls unlawful, and applied the 15 mile per hour cap to cyclists even though the statute, the suit says, is aimed at cutting motor vehicle speeds. “Mayor Adams chose to pervert the meaning of Sammy’s Law,” club lawyer Peter Beadle told Streetsblog New York City. The filing argues that the law allows lower speeds only for motor vehicles and only when paired with traffic calming measures, not as a blanket cap on people riding bikes.
How the change unfolded
The DOT announced in mid December that it would drop the Central Park Drive speed limit to 15 miles per hour and start swapping out 20 mile per hour signs after a mandatory 60 day notification period, putting the effective date in late February, as reported by NY1. City officials cast the move as part of a broader Park Drives redesign meant to clarify where pedestrians and cyclists belong.
According to the governor’s office, the change relies on authority granted by Sammy’s Law, the state measure that gives New York City new power to lower posted speed limits.
Why cyclists say it matters
Cyclists and clubs argue that Central Park has long served as the city’s closest thing to a racing circuit, with thousands using the loop at dawn and dusk to build speed and endurance. Olympic gold medalist Kristen Faulkner first took up cycling in New York and started out on those same park roads, as per NBC. The New York Cycle Club, which has organized group rides across the five boroughs for decades, says a 15 mile per hour cap could effectively shut down the steady, sustained riding members rely on to prepare for sanctioned races.
Legal questions and what happens next
The club’s complaint argues that using Sammy’s Law to cover bicycles stretches the statute beyond both its text and its intent, and asks a court to throw out the new limit as procedurally improper. “Sammy’s Law does not authorize the 15 mile per hour park speed limit,” the complaint states. Lawyers for the club want the city to rely on either formal rulemaking or legislation for future changes, and the city will now have a chance to respond to the petition in court.
With the 60 day notice period complete, the administration’s next move, whether to defend the rule in court or back off, will decide whether the park loop remains open to faster training rides or is formally locked into slower shared use speeds, as NY1 noted. Cycling groups, parks advocates and city officials are expected to track the case closely, since it could shape how Sammy’s Law gets used across New York.
