Why is there no lights for Skate Parks in NYC!

Submitted by chengslate t3_10jqbsc in nyc

I wanted to try and get lights into the NYC skateparks as my project for 2023.

I didn't understand why the rest of the world can have lights at the skarepark, but us in NYC doesn't. We have it for the soccer field, tennis, basketball, and just about everything else. I think we in NYC deserve this. We deserve to built on our hobbies and communities on weekdays, when school days are long, and our job are taking away at our freedom. Would appreciate any thoughts or actions into what else I can do to help push this forward for the NYC skating community.

I see that rule 7: Saids no social media links or survey....but I did start a petition ...my goal is to get this over 100 signatures so that I can forward it over to the Parks Department and the Mayor's office to drive momentum and start the conversation. What do you guys think?

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Double-Ad4986 t1_j5m9suv wrote

there's no lights in 99% of neighborhood parks anywhere in NYC. parks are supposed to close when the sun goes doen so that's probably why

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Throwawayhelp111521 t1_j5mdkm0 wrote

I grew up in a housing project. The basketball courts directly outside had lights. Men and boys would play at 3 in the morning and they weren't quiet. There should be no lights.

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Double-Ad4986 t1_j5mei43 wrote

yeah sometimes there are lights but more often they aren't there

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UniWheel t1_j5mfpur wrote

>parks are supposed to close when the sun goes doen so that's probably why

That's common in the suburbs, but not in the city.

Many of NYC's parks are open until 10pm or 1am; 9pm for playgrounds though it does vary on a case by case basis - check out the park's department's own website.

I do suspect not wanting people there after dark may indeed be a factor.

But it is not correct in general to say that NYC parks close at dusk - unlike the suburbs, most really don't.

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Double-Ad4986 t1_j5mg4oq wrote

there's not an official closing like a gate that gets locked or whatever but literally on the NYC PARKS signs- most will say hours open "til sunset"

Literally every park I've been to in Queens says that

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PorchHonky t1_j5mpu6y wrote

Yea, but you know like central and riverside parks don’t just shut down at sunset, right?

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ClintGrant t1_j5n1ifk wrote

I’ve gotten ticketed 2x for “being in park while closed”

Tried to argue we didn’t know when it closed. Judge said something along the lines of unless signs say otherwise, public parks close at dusk. First time I got off with ACD? Second time I picked up trash for 8 hours with a stick with a spike at the end

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UniWheel t1_j5n3bf4 wrote

>Judge said something along the lines of unless signs say otherwise, public parks close at dusk.

Judge was making stuff up likely based on memories of their own teenage years

That's why you go to court prepared with documented facts

Of course, it's possible that the particular park you were in actually did close at dusk.

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[deleted] t1_j5n5451 wrote

[deleted]

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UniWheel t1_j5n75o1 wrote

>All of NYC parks are operated by the Parks Department and closes at Dusk.

You have no idea what you're talking about.

See parks' own website

Central Park famously closes at 1am.

And yes, you can get a ticket if you're there - after that, not before.

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[deleted] t1_j5n7n2q wrote

[deleted]

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UniWheel t1_j5nacqf wrote

>It's all parks of the NYC parks green acres.

Wrong

> Central Park is entirely different due to it's size but no normal Nyer would be there after dark.

Wrong again, tons of ordinary people there in the evening

So now that you've proven you have no clue what you're talking about, goodbye.

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OneYungGun t1_j5s1gfw wrote

When I a teen I got a ticket for sitting on a park bench with another Orthodox Jew at the entrance to the park, after dark. There were literally guys less than 50 yards away selling drugs. My big crime was just being on the bench with a girl. Fuck the rules.

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Arleare13 t1_j5lyuyk wrote

Maybe try raising the issue with your neighborhood’s community board. They can sometime be pretty effective at this sort of thing.

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Still_Quail_5719 t1_j5mbzt6 wrote

What tennis and basketball courts have lights?

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shep_pat t1_j5m6bdo wrote

Nyc can’t have nice things because we destroy everything nice

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StOlaf85 t1_j5mm12e wrote

NYC Parks typically does not light specific features like that. Park paths are lit with security lighting and those lights are maintained by NYCDOT. DOT needs to be able to access security lighting for maintenance purposes and have them accessible to their vehicles. If security lighting was included in these features, DOT would not be able to maintain them properly.

Aside from the maintenance of security lighting issue, playgrounds, dog runs, basketball, courts, etc. are not lit because the public is not really supposed to be using those features after dark, or after specified periods of time.

Some large ball fields like soccer fields or football fields do have floodlights, but those are specific to the use. Those types of lights can be a nuisance to residential neighbors and if other features like playgrounds or skate parks are lit, people would be using them at night and that’s not something the city wants the public to do. I hope this is helpful.

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chengslate OP t1_j5mphnz wrote

Think about it this way......literally the one of the best city in the world, can't maintain lights in the park..............Nor can they keep parks open after dark for a set amount of time.

Thou I could see the residential neighbors, and that being an issue. Like noise and or lighting.

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Infused_Hippie t1_j5o5vbx wrote

I just commented about stuff but NO nyc parks are open past sunset and if they catch you in them as an adult older then 18 they will give you a ticket past a certain time 12+. They’ll give you warnings tho, freaking cops

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mall_goth420 t1_j5q2mi0 wrote

Many parks are open well past sunset. Washington Square is open until midnight

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Infused_Hippie t1_j5q56ln wrote

Midnight is ur cut off time before cops come

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mall_goth420 t1_j5qe6vj wrote

Parks enforcement literally clocks out after they close where are you getting this from

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Infused_Hippie t1_j5rcx0r wrote

Hey matt it’s matt, I’ve gotten a few tickets for this and known multiple people who have from real nypd cops and as well worked for parks and 20+ years in nyc. You ever seen cops give the homeless a ticket at 3 am for sleeping on a bench

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StOlaf85 t1_j5odry5 wrote

Sorry I wasn’t clear. DOT maintains the security lights only for park walking paths. They don’t for anything else. NYC Parks would have to light the specific areas like skate parks but that would encourage people to use them after dark which is not something the city wants people to do. As the other commenter mentioned, a lot of bad activity would happen in the parks after dark if they were lit.

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169partner t1_j5mvqdm wrote

Reach out to Steve Rodriguez on IG. He’s the founder of 5Boro and has become somewhat of an activist for skaters here.. you probably already know this if you’ve been a skater around here for a while but he is definitely the guy who will get you in touch with the people responsible for lighting up our parks

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Infused_Hippie t1_j5o5myh wrote

Hi! I know the head of the parks department for nyc and personally am on a board for the new skate park being built eventually under the expressway. There is allocated funds for lights on the other ones but it’s behind the projects that they haven’t broke ground on yet. The reason why to they took them away in the 90s was to prevent a lot of activity in night at these places. I’ve seen fights, bikes stolen, boards stolen. Just in les and a few others at night alone. So, if you’re wondering why it’s because a lot of teens, young adults travel in groups and cause problems. That’s not to say there’s not a lot of great skaters practicing but there is a lot of crime even with it being on light. They even damn near almost beat up jaden smith when practicing for that 90s movie and jaden said something like “ya they went to punch me and missed and said oh shit it’s jaden smith) if that helps for better understanding. I used to work at zumiez and have watched these groups personally try to grab 20+ boards and other things so I can’t imagine what an every day is like for the bunny heads. Heartbreaking.

Edit you’re looking at the lights for 2025+

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Barryzuckerkorn_esq t1_j5mf211 wrote

They don't want you houligans out! As someone for. The 90s skate scene , those parks popped up after a lot of complaining . Call your councilman

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Own_Decision_4063 t1_j5ndj7l wrote

I lived by a park and in the warmer months you couldn't open the windows with all of the noises, and was very happy when it turned dark. Never again.

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TheTeenageOldman t1_j5m6pdr wrote

Which skateparks are we talking about? Where are they located?

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chengslate OP t1_j5mefno wrote

Too many tbh, if you just Google skateparks, you will see a ton. Just a bummer that there aren't lights.

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Newyawker2022 t1_j5mp2mn wrote

The skatepark in Astoria Park is somewhat lit from the track. I would check it out.

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Kintaro_Oe26 t1_j5mlprx wrote

There's already a petition in place to get the other parks lights.

LES has lights. Cooper has lights. I believe the Washington Heights one has lights. The only ones that don't have lights is because they close at a certain time.

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chengslate OP t1_j5mp2iz wrote

Was just at Coopers this past Friday. Sadly no lights.
They need to update those time tbh. Like Cooper for example all the soccer fields were nicely lit, but dame right across the street, the nice skatepark is just dark. Pure sad dark, while people are jogging and slamming those goals in.

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Kintaro_Oe26 t1_j5mscq0 wrote

I'm not sure how long you have been skating, but there are absolutely lights at that park. Now they may turn them on during the summers these days but there are lights.

There are also lights at the park under the Kosciuszko Bridge.

Not sure if this is still alive, but here you go: https://www.change.org/p/nyc-parks-department-install-lights-in-nyc-skateparks

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chengslate OP t1_j5my8j8 wrote

Sick, and thank you.

The lights under Kosciuszko when I went the gate was closed :(

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chengslate OP t1_j5mp5ho wrote

Also if you can share the petition, I'll like to help and sign it as well!

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carmansam123 t1_j6j9kpd wrote

add basketball to the mix.

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95% of basketball courts absolutely do not have lights at night. at best they get some accidental lights from the streets that are inefficient.

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doodle77 t1_j5mbe8k wrote

Highbridge skatepark has lights

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