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Sunset Park
A Heavenly (but Off-Limits) Place to Ride a Bike

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By STEVEN KURUTZ
Published: August 13, 2006

Green-Wood Cemetery, in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, represents a convergence of interests for John Chiarella.

A property manager who lives in Dix Hills, Long Island, Mr. Chiarella, a big man in his late 40’s, is an avid cyclist and a member of the Five Borough Bicycle Club, which organizes rides in the city. He is also a gravesite enthusiast. And in an effort to combine the two pursuits, he wants to tour the historic cemetery by bike.

Many of the city’s cyclists would love to have access to Green-Wood. But there is a problem: Like many other cemeteries, Green-Wood does not want bicycles. They have never been allowed at the cemetery, which was established 168 years ago. That policy stems partly from a concern for safety — both for bikers and for pedestrians — but also from a sense that bikes would be offensive to mourners and to people visiting the plots of deceased relatives.

“Obviously our main priority at Green-Wood Cemetery is to protect the sanctity of our burial lots and to comfort the loved ones who visit our grounds for quiet reflection,” said Richard Moylan, president of the cemetery.

A number of cyclists, however, say that Green-Wood’s policy does not take into account the fact that for many people, bikes are a primary mode of transport. They also argue that bikes are less disruptive than cars, which the cemetery does allow. As one cyclist recently summed up the situation on the message board Brooklynian.com, the no-bikes rule in Green-Wood Cemetery “is bizarre, nonsensical and most of all, a real shame.”

The cemetery’s appeal to cyclists is obvious, given its nearly 500 acres of winding roads, hills and trees, all in a relatively traffic-free setting. According to Paul White, executive director of the advocacy group Transportation Alternatives, as recreational areas like Prospect Park become increasingly crowded, more cyclists are expressing an interest in Green-Wood.

He disagreed with the idea that bicycles are disrespectful.

“People seem to think bikes are like Hula-Hoops,” he said, “like people are going to be whooping it up next to a funeral service.”

For his part, Mr. Chiarella is proposing a compromise — an organized ride similar to one at Woodlawn Cemetery in the Bronx, which opens its grounds to cyclists one day each fall for the Tour de Bronx.

“I understand the cemetery’s viewpoint,” Mr. Chiarella said. “How do you keep the bikes and the kids off the lawn? But we’re a group of adults. We’ll get insurance and be organized.”

If Mr. Chiarella is allowed to explore the graves from his bike, he knows what his first stop will be: Plot No. 23309, the final resting place of Charles Murphy, better known as Mile-a-Minute Murphy, who in 1899 kept pace with a locomotive and broke a cycling speed barrier by going 60 miles an hour. “A cycling icon of all time is buried there,” Mr. Chiarella said. “He was the fastest man on two wheels.” STEVEN KURUTZ
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