Exclusive | Controversial NYC boardwalk bicycle ban scrapped after local outrage, protests: Bad timing

The city has pumped the brakes on a divisive new proposal.A controversial bicycle ban on a popular strip of Rockaway Beach’s famous boardwalk has been scrapped – less than a month after it was floated – following mass community blowback and protests, The Post has learned.The proposal, which sought to bar speeding cyclists from riding the boardwalk between Beach 108th Street and Beach 73rd Street from Memorial Day weekend through October, was sparked by a string of recent accidents — but it was ultimately no match for outraged locals.NYC Parks rep Elizabeth Walsack rep told a community board meeting Tuesday night that the now-axed proposal was “bad timing” and said there was a misconception that the motion was an immediate ban.“I’m glad that the Parks Department is going to continue allowing Rockaway residents to enjoy their bikes on the boardwalk this summer, but now we need real enforcement,” Queens council member Joann Ariola told The Post.“NYPD and [Parks Enforcement Patrol] officers must step up patrols to ensure riders dismount in concession areas, and they need to crack down on the Tour de France-style cyclists treating the boardwalk like a racetrack,” she added.

“This space is meant for leisure, not speed trials, and we cannot put the safety of beachgoers at risk.”In an interview last week, the council member noted Parks had received “so many” recent complaints from locals reporting 20-25 cyclists riding at breakneck speed and training for races – but acknowledged that local families should not be penalized for misuse of the beachside respite.In lieu of the bicycle block, Parks will kick off the beach season by beefing up signage and dismounting enforcement at the boardwalk’s three concession areas at Beach 86th, 97th, and 106th Streets and “step up” in Parks Enforcement Patrol along the boardwalk “in an effort to educate and increase compliance.”Speaking at the Tuesday night meeting, Queens parent Andreanna Seymore ...