Friday's Headlines: In the Swim Edition - Streetsblog New York City

Good luck parking your bike at Harlem's brand new state of the art pool in Central Park. Plus other news.

12:02 AM EDT on June 27, 2025

Someone attending the grand opening of the new pool in central park found a creative way to lock up.

Pool season has begun in New York City, but for cyclists trying to visit the brand new Gottesman Pool in Central Park, things are still not great.

The pool is located in the $160-million Davis Center, which made headlines (in Streetsblog) back in May for its lack of safe and accessible bike parking. At an event marking the beginning of pool season on Thursday, elected officials praised the new pool as an oasis for residents without the means to leave the city during the hot summer months.

"For many families who don’t get out of the city, this is our Hamptons, this is our Martha’s Vineyard," said Harlem State Senator Cordell Cleare.

But this important asset to the neighborhood largely ignores cyclists, even though it is situated inside Central Park, which is not only a beloved place to bike, but is also car-free, of course.

The center, which is run by the Central Park Conservancy – the nonprofit organization that manages most of Central Park – initially installed bike racks at the end of that tricky downhill zig-zag on the East Drive north of 106th Street. To access the bike racks, cyclists would have to dismount at top speeds, and then would be in harm's way as other cyclists passed. And cyclists entering from Harlem would have to salmon uphill to access the racks.

As such, the Conservancy covered the racks until it could come up with a better solution. Streetsblog's Sophia Lebowitz observed the "solution" on Thursday: there are now racks on Adam Clayton Powell Boulevard and Malcolm X Boulevard, but those are outside the park.

And there's also a temporary rack at the bottom of the hill that is impossible to even lock your bike to. Besides, it's already been commandeered by a bike rental company.

It's better than nothing, but Harlem cyclists deserve better.

On the plus side, all city pools open for the season today at 11 a.m. Remember to bring a lock and a real bathing suit — and that the pools close between 3 and 4 p.m. for cleaning.

In other news:

For the first time in @nyc.streetsblog.org history we are members of the NYS Legislative Correspondents Association. Thanks to hand model Nick Reisman and videographer @eliseklinenews.bsky.social

Gersh Kuntzman is editor in chief of Streetsblog NYC and Streetsblog USA. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.

Give me highways or give me death!

That new bike lane on Review Avenue is great ... and it's just the start.

Council Member David Carr has 12 speed-camera tickets, one red light ticket and one bus lane infraction since Feb. 2, 2023. But does he care? No.

Hey, Mayor Adams, why can't we have nice things?

Zohran Mamdani bested Andrew Cuomo for the Democratic nomination, but he can still glean ideas from other candidates to strengthen his appeal.