^Park Ordinances, * rules and regulations GENERAL USE OF THE PARKS, TRAFFIC ON DRIVES AND PARKWAYS, TRAFFIC ON PUBLIC DRIVEWAY (HARLEM RIVER DRIVEWAY.) PUBLIC HACKS AT ENTRANCES TO CENTRAL PARK. 5HT AND CHARACTER OF FENCES FRONTING UPON OR ADJACENT TO PARKS, PARKWAYS, ETC , AND ADVERTISING MATTER TIIEREON. GOVERNING PRBSS OF W. P. Mitchell & Son, 39 BRBKMAN STREET, NEW YORK. 1898. < r Adopted in Board of Parks, September 15th, 1898. Resolved, That the Park Ordinances adopted May 23d, 1871, March 21st, 1873, June 28th, 1897, the Hides and Regulations passed August 17th, 1896 and the Rules for the Harlem River (Public) Driveway and for Public Hacks at the Entrances to Central Park, established by the Commis- sioner for the Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond, as certified and published by the Secretary of the Park Board August 1st, 1898. be and they hereby are adopted, enacted and declared ordinances of the Park Board for the Boroughs of Manhattan and Richmond, under the authority and according to the provisions of Section 610 of the Charter of The City of New York. A true copy. WILLIS HOLLY, Secretary Park Board. Amendment t.o Driveway Rule I, (Page 8.) Until the hour of One P. M. the use of what is known as the Light Road Cart will be permitted on the Driveway. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2014 http://archive.org/details/parkordinancesruOOdurs ORDINANCES, RULES AND REGULATIONS OF THE PUBLIC SQUARES AND PLACES IN THE CITY OF NEW YORK. (Adopted May 23, 1871.) The Board of Commissioners of the Department of Pub- lic Parks in the City of New York do ordain as follows : ALL PERSONS ARE FORBIDDEN I. — To cut, break, or in any way injure or deface the trees, shrubs, plants, grass, posts, railings, chaius, lamps, lamp posts, benches, tree-guards, buildings or structures in or upon any of the public parks, squares or places of or within the City of New York ; or to dig into or upon the •soil within the boundaries of an)- such parks, squares or places, or of any roads or roadways upon or across the same. II. — To go on foot or otherwise upon the grass, except when and where the word " common" is posted. III. — To expose any articles for sale or exhibition, unless previously licensed therefor, on any part of such squares or places or on any street or avenue adjaceut thereto. IV. — To post any bill, placard, notice, or other paper upon any structure within such squares or places, or upon any street or avenue adjacent thereto, unless previously licensed so to do by the President of the Department. V. — To play upon any musical instrument within such squares or places, or take into, carry, or display any tlag, banuer, target, or transparency, without the permission of the President of the Department. a VI. — To erect any structure, stand, or platform, or hold any meetings in such squares or places, without previous permission therefor from said President. VII. — To use threatening, abusive or insulting language upon any of such squares or places, or doing any obscene or indecent act thereon, or any act tending to a breach of the public peace . VIII— "No hackney coach, carriage, wagon, cart or other vehicle for hire shall stand upon any such square or place, or upon any street or avenue adjacent thereto, with- out previous license, and then only at such place as shall be indicated and allowed by the President of the Department. IX.— No horse or other 'animal shall be allowed upon such squares or places, except that dogs may be allowed therein when led by a chain or proper dog-string not ex- ceeding six feet in length. X — No person shall bathe or fish in any of the waters or fountains in such squares or places, nor cast any sub- stances therein, nor disturb or interfere in any way with the fish or birds within such squares or places. XI — All drunken, disorderly, or improper persons, and all persons doing any act injurious to such parks, squares or places, may be removed therefrom by the park-keepers in charge thereof. XII.— No animal or vehicle shall be permitted to stand, nor any incumbrance of any kind be allowed to remain, upon any street adjacent to or bounding upon any public square or place in the City of New York, without the pre- vious permission of this Department or the President thereof, except that vehicles may be permitted to take up and set down passengers, and to load and unload merchan- dise in the usual manner, and may occupy the street a 3 reasonable time for the purpose ; provided, however, that (hey >h;i 1 1 not while so doing unnecessarily incumber the street or obstruct travel therein. XIII. — Any person arrested for violating any ordinance or regulation of the Department of Public Parks shall be conveyed by the officer arresting to the nearest magistrate, and complaint shall thereupon be entered, and the person dealt with according to law. ORDINANCES APPLICABLE TO THE ORDINARY USES OF THE CENTRAL PARK. Adopted on the 31st day of March, 1873, by the Board of Commissioners of the Department of Public Parks, and to be observed by all persons not in the service of the Department. 1. No one shall enter or leave the Park except at the established entrance ways, nor shall any one enter or remain in it after twelve o'clock at night, except as, on special oc- casions, its general use may be authorized beyond the regular hours. 2. No one shall climb upon or in any way cut, break, injure or deface any wall, fence, shelter, seat, statue or other erection, nor any turf, tree, shrub or other plant, nor throw BtOtM s or other missiles, nor discharge, fire or carry any fire- arm, fire-cracker torpedo or fireworks, nor make a fire, nor play any musical instrument, nor offeror expose things for sale, nor post or display any sign, placard, flag, banner, target, transparency, advertisement or device of business, nor solicit business or fares, nor beg or publicly solicit 4 subscriptions or contributions, nor tell fortunes, nor play games of chance or with any table or instruments of gam- ing, nor make any oration or harangue, nor utter loud, threatening, abusive or indecent language, nor do any indecent or obscene act. 3. No quadrupeds except those placed in the Park by the Commissioners, and except dogs when controlled by a line of suitable strength not more than six feet in length, and horses and others used for pleasure travel, shall be driven or conducted into the Park or allowed to remain in it. 4. The drive shall be used only by persons in pleasure carriages, on bicycles or on horseback ; the ride only by persons on horseback ; animals to be used on either shall be well broken and constantly held in such control, that they maybe easily and quickly tinned or stopped; they shall not be allowed to move at a rate of speed which shall be alarming or cause danger, nor under any circumstances at a rate of speed on the drive of more than seven miles, nor on the ride of over ten miles an hour ; and when any park keeper shall deem it necessary to safety, good order, or the general convenience, that the speed of an animal shall be checked, or that it should be stopped, or its course altered, and shall so direct, by gesture or otherwise, it shall be the duty of the rider or driver of such animal to follow such direction; and no horse or other beast of burden or draft shall be driven or suffered to stand anywhere, except on the drive or ride. 5. No hackney coach or other vehicle for hire shall stand within the Park for the purpose of taking up passengers, other than those whom it has brought in. No omnibus or express wagon, and no wagon cart or other 5 vehicle, carrying or ordinarily used to carry merchandise, goods, tools or rubbish, and no fire engine or other apparatus on wheels for extinguishing fires shall enter or be allowed upou any part of the Park. 6. No military or target company, and no civic, funeral or other procession, or a detachment of a procession, and no hearse or other vehicle, or person carrying the body of a dead person shall enter, or be allowed on any part of the Park. 7. No person shall bathe or angle, or take fish, or send or throw or place any animal or thing in or on the waters, or disturb or annoy the birds or animals in the Park. 8. No person shall go on the turf except when and where a blue flag with a ichite star is shown as an indication that at that time and place all persons are allowed to go on it. 9. No person shall bring into or carry within the Park any tree, shrub, plant or flower, nor any newly plucked branch or portion thereof. 10. When necessary to the protection of life or property, the officers and keepers of the Park may require all persons to remove from and keep off any designated part thereof. 11. On the arrest of a person in the Park, he shall be forthwith conducted to one of the keepers' stations, the officer in charge of which shall determine whether he shall thence be conveyed before a magistrate or be discharged. 6 TRAFFIC ON DRIVES AND PARKWAYS. Department of Public Parks, An Ordinance regulating the use of vehicles in Central Park and other parks, parkways and streets under the jurisdiction and control of the Commissioners of the Department of Public Parks of the City of New Yoik, passed June 28, 1897. 1. All vehicles must carry a lighted lamp, showing a white light ahead, from thiity minutes after suDset until thirty minutes before sunrise. 2. All vehicles and horsemen, when passing another vehicle or horseman going in the same direction, must keep to the left and leave the vehicle or horseman they are passing on the right hand. 3. All vehicles or horsemen going at a walk or slow trot must keep near the curbstone or gutter on the right hand side of the road ; those going more rapidly must keep in the middle of the road. 4. No vehicle should stop for any purpose without drawing up to the curt stone or gutter, and always on the right hand side of the road. 5. Before pulling up and before crossing from one side to the other of the road or street, the diiver should signal to those behind him by raising his whip. 6. On Riverside Drive, between One Hundred and Third and One Hundred and Twentieth streets, where grass plots divide the drive, all vehicles and horsemen going north must keep on the Easterly Drive ; those going south, on the Westerly Drive. 7. Drivers, riders and cyclists must not exceed a speed of eight miles an hour in the parks and parkways. H. Cyclists must not coast in the parks, nor on the park- ways or bicycle paths, and must keep their feet on the pedals and their hands on the handle-bars. 9. Cyclists must not mount or dismount, except on the extreme right of the roads or bicycle paths, and in passing vehicles or horsemen bells must be sounded. 10. All bicycles, tricycles, velocipedes or other vehicles of propulsion must be provided with a bicycle bell, not to exceed three inches in diameter. 11. Riding more than two abreast is prohibited. K\ Instruction on the bicycle, tricycle, velocipede or other such vehicle of propulsion, and all trick or fancy riding on the same, is prohibited in the parks at all times. 18. Wheelmen shall not ride on the paths in any park, those walking upon the park paths may push their wheels along said paths ; but in no case shall the wheels be taken upon the turf. 14. No bicycje or tricycle shall be allowed to be taken upon or remain on the Mall during the progress of a concert. 15. Any person violating the provisions of this ordin- ance shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof before any City Magistrate, shall be fined not exceeding Ten Dollars, and in default of pay- ment, by imprisonment not exceeding ten days, each day of imprisonment to be taken as a liquidation of one dollar of the fine. All ordinances and parts of ordinances of the Department of Public Parks inconsistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby revoked and rescinded. 8 HARLEM RIVER PUBLIC DRIVEWAY RULES. 1. The use of the Speedway is restricted to light vehicles of the classes known as Buggies (top and no top), runabouts, surreys and other like vehicles, adapted to the speeding of light harness horses, seating not more than four persons and drawn by one or two horses. 2. Except when speeding each driver shall keep closely to the right hand side of the road. 3. Pedestrains must not cross on the speedway. Sub- ways are provided for that purpose. Violations of these rules is punishable by a fine not to exceed Ten Dollars. RULES FOR PUBLIC HACKS AT THE ENTRANCES TO CENTRAL PARK. I. Not more than ten public hacks and five hansom cabs may stand at any one time on the Plaza at Fifth avenue, between Fifty-eighth and Fifty-ninth streets, at the curb of the lower end and west side of the "Circle," the curb north of the line of trees to be kept clear. II. Lounging and the keeping of feed bags, fodder, horse covers &c, in and about the "Circle" is forbidden. III. Occupants of this stand are required to have a Park Department permit, showing their license number and when soliciting fares must display conspicuously a badge bearing the same number. IV. Soliciting fares for hacks aud cabs is prohibited within the curb on the north side of 59th street or the line 9 of said curb continued across the Plaza until it meets the line of the curb on the westerly side of Fifth avenue and across the "Circle" at Eighth avenue until it meets the curb on the easterly side of that avenue. V. The Park Department permit of any driver found guilty of charging in excess of the rates provided for in the ordinances governiug such rates will be revoked forthwith. RULES AND REGULATIONS. Adopted August 17, 189G, by the Commissioners of Public Parks, regulating and determining the height and character of fences in or about vacant or unimproved lands fronting upon or adjacent to Public Parks, squares and places, and regulating the exhibition of advertisements aud ordaining penalties for violation thereof uuder the authority of Section 688 of the Consolidation Act, as amended by Chapter 836 of the Laws of 1890. t. No fence in- or about any vacant or unimproved land fronting upon or adjacent to any public park, square or place in the City of New York, shall be erected until a plan, showing the height, character and method of con- struction of the proposed fences, has been submitted to the Commissioners of Public Parks, approved by them, and a permit in writing issued therefor. 2. No poster or advertising device shall be placed upon any fence or other structure intended for advertisement or the exhibition of advertisements in, about or upon any vacant or unimproved land fronting upon or adjacent, to any public park, square or place in the City of New York until a description or drawing of the same shall be riled 10 with the Commissioners of Public Parks, approved by them and a permit in writing issued therefor. 3. Owners of existing fences, or other structures in- tended or used for advertisements or the exhibition of ad- vertisements, now existing in, about or upon any vacant or unimproved lands fronting upon or adjacent to any public park, square or place in the City of New York, are hereby required, on or before the first day of September, 1896, to file with the Commissioners of Public Parks a plan showing the height, character and method of construction of fences, or other structures intended or used for advertisements, and a description or drawing of- any poster or advertising device thereon. The Commissioners, if they approve the said fences, structures, posters, or advertising devices may issue a permit in writing for the continuance thereof or may direct such changes or modifications therein as they may determine and issue a written permit therefor. On and after said first day of September, 1896, no existing fences, structure intended or used for advertising purposes, device or advertisement shall be continued unless with the approval of the Commissioners of Public Parks, obtained as hereinbefore required and evidenced by their written permit. 4. Any person violating any of the foregoing rules and regulations shall be subject to the penalty of Two hundred and fifty ($250) Dollars. True copies of ordinances of the Park Board. August 1st, 1898. WILLIS HOLLY, Secretary Park Board.