Safety

The loop is not a safe place. The mass of walkers, runners, roller bladers, and bikers that careen through the park each day get into lots of collisions. An ambulance stopping to pick up an accident victim is an all too frequent site for park goers. The different speeds and directions of users of the loop make proper regulation of the pavement imperative if the accident rate is to be reduced. Restriping the roadway to separate bladers and bikers from walkers and joggers would help to reduce the frequency and speed at which users of the loop overtake each other.

This separation of bladers and bikers from walkers and joggers has been found to be a successful way of adapting to the new and sustained popularity of rollerblading. However, restriping cannot take place until automobiles are banned from the loop. Until cars are gone, the current car dominated striping will be necessary and the other users of the park will continue to be its victims.