Action Demanded to Solve ‘Major Problem’ in Ambulance Access to UWS Stretch of Riverside Park

By Gus Saltonstall

Following West Side Rag’s reporting earlier this year on obstacles blocking ambulance accessibility in a stretch of Riverside Park, City Councilmember Gale Brewer sent a letter last week to the New York Fire Department asking for solutions to what Brewer termed a “major problem.”

In comments to the Rag’s March story, readers shared their own experiences of witnessing the difficulties of getting medical help into Riverside Park in emergency cases. Brewer’s May 28 letter to FDNY Commissioner Robert Tucker cited one such story that ended with a fatality.

“Recently, an 87-year-old biker suffered a major stroke in Riverside Park on the Serpentine Promenade in the presence of Riverside Park Conservancy staff,” her letter read. Brewer said park staff contacted emergency se