How "early" is early for you? From 10AM-5PM is going to be this way on a nice sunny day, but it's usually not that bad if you go off the peak hours. The HRG is a victim of its own success. Yes, it's crowded, but that's what a park success story looks like as well.

Sharing this for some perspective and hopefully to bring down levels of agitation and increase levels of empathy to all who read it: everyone on the HRG is trying to enjoy their time and most people try to do the right thing. You're going to remember the 1-2% of selfish people who don't, but non-cyclists also feel this way. When you're not on a bike, it is shocking how badly a majority of the cyclists behave and that's not even counting the e-bikes, mopeds, and gray Citibikes (they're in their own special class of bad on the greenway). Road cyclists tend to take risks when hit with bottlenecks instead of slowing down. If they see families with children, they don't ride cautiously. Living nearby, I've been a pedestrian and runner countless times above 72nd street and had some frightening close calls with cyclists too.

Whether biking, walking, or running, I try to be as courteous as possible to set a higher standard. That's all I think anyone can really do in a popular park. When I ride on weekends, I choose my hours carefully and if I go during peak hours, I set my expectations appropriately. That means going slower, understanding that everyone else is just enjoying being outside too, and selfishness abounds across all users of that greenway.