This from our friends at NY 1.

Starting Monday, drivers are facing tighter restrictions on cars in Central and Prospect parks during the morning and evening rushes.

The new restrictions are part of a pilot program, but historically the trend in both parks has been to steadily reduce the access cars have to the park drives.

The changes in Central Park affect weekday traffic above 72nd Street. The East Drive will be closed above 72nd during the morning rush from 7 to 10 a.m. In the afternoon, between 3 and 7 p.m., the West Drive will close.

"It’s great because working with the Department of Transportation, we’ve added a whole two-mile stretch which will be traffic-free," said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "We’ve really added a great deal of recreational amenities for park-users."

"We worked very closely with the Parks Department. We took counts before we did this and we’re pretty hopeful that this pilot will work and we’ll be able to institute this full-time," said DOT Commissioner Iris Weinshall.

In Prospect Park, the only closure will be on the West Drive between 7 and 9 a.m. only.

Both parks are already closed entirely to cars on the weekends and overnight.

The changes will be in effect through November.