Don't know if you've ever been to Central Park but apart from several streets that cut across it east/west (IIRC 72nd Street is one) and s few smaller roads the park is pretty much exclusively for pedestrians.When you enter from Columbus Circle there are signs that say "no cyclists" for the walkways.But some people just don't care.
New Yawk,yah know!
There are bike lanes in Central Park - close to the West Side. I gave up years ago riding them because only maniacs were on them. No family, no ordinary rider need apply.
I left NYC 30 years ago. At that time Central Park’s vehicular roadways were closed to autos on weekends to allow cyclists to use them exclusively. The only roadways that were left open to motor vehicles were the transverse ones like 72d Street and the others for travel from the east side to the west side of Manhattan. Otherwise the North/South oval from Central Park South on up to Cathedral Parkway (110th Street) and back again was reserved for cyclists and runners only. You never heard of incidents like this one back then.