After hearing complaints from several parents about the new tots playground around 67th street just inside Central Park, we asked the Central Park Conservancy whether they’d consider making some changes.
In particular, parents said the new playground includes swings without gates around them, and the toddlers who play there are in danger of getting kicked as they walk by. “Each time we’re there a few kids always get knocked down because of the no swing enclosure,” said one commenter. Other local playgrounds tend to have gates or other obstacles around the swings. Parents were also concerned about the sharp edges on the benches at the playground.
After we sent her the comments on our first article, spokesperson Dena Libner told us:
“We welcome feedback on the new Tarr-Coyne Tots Playground, and the feedback we have received so far has been overwhelmingly positive. As with any Park landscape, we plan to continue to evaluate how visitors experience it and make adjustments as needed.”
Libner suggested that parents attend Community Board 7 meetings where playground designs are presented if they want information about the design changes. All 21 playgrounds in the park are slated to get a makeover in the next few years.
Read parents’ comments about the changes here.
Haven’t seen this one, but have seen the one near the Dana Center. While the philosopy behind the redo is fine (fit into the park setting, etc) the result is a very inferior playgound. I fear that the wonderful playgrounds that now exist will become far less fun and interesting and imaginative as these makeovers continue. The input from parents and children should be fundamental in the design process
My 18 month old loves the new playground and it’s probably his favourite one right now. I agree that it would be better if the swings were enclosed and if the bench edges weren’t as sharp. However, I think the biggest problem with the new playground is the parents who stand by the (hugely popular) enclosed slide and let their kids queue-jump, climb up the wrong way and sit at the bottom of the slide after they have gone down.