New York cyclist hits pedestrian

Sorry if this a repost and I didn't see it posted here. After the kerfuffles of LFT between cyclists, runners, pedestrians, cats and dogs living together - just really glad that I haven't heard of more horror stories:

http://www.streetsblog.org/2014/09/19/cyclist-strikes-woman-in-cent...

http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/09/20/nyregion/woman-58-in-critical-...

Not trying to flame fires, but just got lectured by the parents, who live in the old country (NYC) about how scared they are with me bike commuting and told "how would you feel if you did something like that?!"

Again, I'm an idiot with the search engine on this site so if repost please tell me how to delete topic.

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Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on September 21, 2014 at 2:04pm

I've been planning a move to NYC and so have been linking into the bike scene there lately - I heard about this when it happened but haven't seen it pop up here, so I think you're safe there.

I'm not sure there's much more to say about it that hasn't been said by many others; it's tragic for the woman and her family, and it's hard to see any way that the cyclist wasn't somehow at fault - it seems likely that he was going much faster than conditions would permit.

I don't know what it's like on the streets of NYC, yet, but from what I've read and seen said about it, the LFP seems pretty orderly compared to what seems to happen in Central Park on a daily basis - try imagining it all like the bit at Navy Pier. The cyclists are confined to the loop around the park, and most of the pedestrians are trying to cross that loop.

Permalink Reply by grayn8 on September 21, 2014 at 2:19pm
Yea, I guess there isn't much to say...terrible accident and some one left brain dead. I'm posting more to the not wanting someone to be blindsided. I am not trying to start a meta-conversation about responsibility, but I do find at times that I am the acting "I have a friend who is a cyclist" and at times have people like my parents coming at me with all of the atrocities of cyclists around the world. I'd have wished I had heard of this before hearing it from them.

As for biking in NYC and specifically Central Park, it's awesome and a wonderful city. But Chicago is better IMnotsoHO.
Permalink Reply by Simon Phearson on September 21, 2014 at 2:31pm

Yeah, I agree that it's helpful to be aware of these kinds of events, as they tend to be brought up in exactly that kind of way. More than anything, it might be helpful to know how strongly the New York cycling community has come out in support of the victim's family and - not exactly blaming the cyclist but - reiterating the importance of responsible biking in a city as crowded as New York. I think everyone there is committed to ensuring that these kinds of accidents remain a rarity.


grayn8 (5.3 - 36) said:

Yea, I guess there isn't much to say...terrible accident and some one left brain dead. I'm posting more to the not wanting someone to be blindsided. I am not trying to start a meta-conversation about responsibility, but I do find at times that I am the acting "I have a friend who is a cyclist" and at times have people like my parents coming at me with all of the atrocities of cyclists around the world. I'd have wished I had heard of this before hearing it from them.

As for biking in NYC and specifically Central Park, it's awesome and a wonderful city. But Chicago is better IMnotsoHO.
Permalink Reply by Gort 12-mile Pinklegneep on September 22, 2014 at 3:04am

One cyclist hits a pedestrian and it's national news. 

That should tell you something about how frequent an occurrence this is. 

Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on September 22, 2014 at 4:29am

NY style cycling? It is always a matter of time when someone does plow into a pedestrian with tragic consequences.

Permalink Reply by Doug Haynes on September 22, 2014 at 4:53am

Eh, that is kind of a red herring...

Bike/ped collisions are much less common than car/ped or even car/bike ones, but they do happen.  They are, however, usually not very damaging because, you know, not a giant car.  It is the severe injury not the collision that is the story here; how many bike/ped incidents happen in Central Park where there is no serious injury?  We'll probably never know.

True story bikes hurt other people WAY less than cars but I think the thing that is really the story here is why was the cyclist going so fast on a multiuse path?

It looks like he was out trying to post wicked fast Strava times which I think is a pretty irresponsible thing to do on a multi use path.  Riding in the aero bars as fast as you can on a public path used by others is just as bad as speeding around in a car on the road.

Peenworm "8 mile" Grubologist said:

One cyclist hits a pedestrian and it's national news. 

That should tell you something about how frequent an occurrence this is. 

Permalink Reply by David P. on September 22, 2014 at 5:18am

Everyone, including cyclists, should be sensitive to people on the roads who are more vulnerable than they are. No one is more vulnerable than a just-plain-human. The Streetsblog article doesn't give a lot of detail, but the details suggest that the cyclist was clearly at fault. Even if a pedestrian is crossing against a light (and if the cyclist was swerving to miss other pedestrians, this seems less likely than average), you are required to exercise due care.

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on September 22, 2014 at 6:16am

Now that more info has come out, it appears that the cyclist involved in this accident was the kind of biker who everyone loves to hate -- including other bikers.  He was an obsessive speed freak weenie who spent a lot of his time trying to ride up to 35 miles an hour through high-traffic areas of New York City.  He was veering in and out of lanes illegally right up to the moment of impact.  Instead of stopping, he just yelled "Move! or "Get out of the way!" at his victim.  Very revealing.  It was more important for him to keep moving fast than to look out for the safety of others.  It's sad how some people turn the essentially joyful activity of biking into some grotesque reflection of their own neuroses, insecurities and frustrations.    

 

Permalink Reply by millenial removing Bernie tattoo on September 22, 2014 at 6:54am

I'm sure a chill, successful,  jazzy bro like Jason Marshall is just BRIMMING with neuroses, insecurities and frustrations. 
 
Jim Reho said:

  It's sad how some people turn the essentially joyful activity of biking into some grotesque reflection of their own neuroses, insecurities and frustrations.    

 

Permalink Reply by Bob T on September 22, 2014 at 6:55am

This New York Post article from Saturday gives some of the details of the cyclist's posts on his Strava account.  

I can't tell from the accompanying photo of his bike at the accident scene whether it had his GPS mounted, or not. 

http://nypost.com/2014/09/20/central-park-cyclist-veered-into-wrong...

Permalink Reply by Jim Reho on September 22, 2014 at 10:01am

Yeah, who ever heard of a musician with problems?  I guess you must be right. 

envane (69 furlongs) said:

I'm sure a chill, successful,  jazzy bro like Jason Marshall is just BRIMMING with neuroses, insecurities and frustrations. 
 
Jim Reho said:

  It's sad how some people turn the essentially joyful activity of biking into some grotesque reflection of their own neuroses, insecurities and frustrations.    

 

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