Bad Crash on the LFP this Morning

Right in front of the death trap that is Buckingham Fountain.  I say that because the fountain serves as a magnet to tourists on foot, pushing strollers, and riding DIVVYs, quad-bikes, and other rentals--not to mention the dreaded Segway.  They frequently cross the path without looking, change direction without warning, and even congregate mid-path. (Just south of the accident site, 4 were standing in the path, posing for a picture.)  Particularly in warm weather like today, your best bet it to roll through there at <5 MPH or not at all.

 

The victim was a rodie in lycra.  She was face-down in the middle of the path with a friend at her side and an ambulance responding.  I did not see what caused the accident.  Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

 

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Permalink Reply by Anne on September 2, 2013 at 5:10am

I choose not to ride the LFP from Opening Day to Labor Day.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on September 2, 2013 at 5:27am

I hope she's okay and recovers quickly. That is a tough area to ride through and even going slowly, it can be dangerous because people who are standing still make sudden and rapid moves without looking. A cyclist with clips or cleats would almost certainly be guaranteed to go down hard with an unexpected hit.

(Please don't turn this into another flame fest.)

Permalink Reply by Anne Alt on September 2, 2013 at 3:29pm

I hope that she's able to make a good recovery.

Permalink Reply by Mark on September 2, 2013 at 11:41pm
Gods speed on her recovery.
Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on September 3, 2013 at 3:51am

I ring my New Belgium bell first to be polite, then if they are still clueless about being in a bike lane a blast from the AirZound air horn wakes them up.

The Gadget said:

I dont have a problem with the Segways. The group leaders are thankfully always militant about keeping the group in line.

But that area is one of the worst on the LFP, if not the worst. Worse than the tunnel at Oak St beach imho, or the North Ave beach bridge.  Almost every person walking has their head up their ass, so it doesn't surprise me to hear about an ugly sounding crash there. Who knows what caused this particular crash, but that spot is dangerous and I dont hesitate to scream (literally) at people from 30-40 feet away to pay attention or get out of the way...it's one of those few areas that calls for being ultra-aggressive in giving a warning.

Permalink Reply by Adam Herstein on September 3, 2013 at 4:09am

This is why I always slow down in crowded areas.

Permalink Reply by Bill Nedza on September 3, 2013 at 10:02am

But where this accident happened was not in a bike lane, it was on the lakefront path, which is multi-purpose.  

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

I ring my New Belgium bell first to be polite, then if they are still clueless about being in a bike lane a blast from the AirZound air horn wakes them up.

The Gadget said:

I dont have a problem with the Segways. The group leaders are thankfully always militant about keeping the group in line.

But that area is one of the worst on the LFP, if not the worst. Worse than the tunnel at Oak St beach imho, or the North Ave beach bridge.  Almost every person walking has their head up their ass, so it doesn't surprise me to hear about an ugly sounding crash there. Who knows what caused this particular crash, but that spot is dangerous and I dont hesitate to scream (literally) at people from 30-40 feet away to pay attention or get out of the way...it's one of those few areas that calls for being ultra-aggressive in giving a warning.

Permalink Reply by Tom Dworzanski on September 3, 2013 at 12:26pm

You are a flamebaiter. Stop it!

The Gadget said:

I made this comment on another thread about the path, but the problems aren't between bikes and non-bikes, it's between smart and stupid people.


Permalink Reply by Juan 2-3 or more mi. on September 3, 2013 at 1:26pm

Exactly why I gave up riding there. It is not good for commuting and especially racing during peak summer hours. I would rather take my chances racing on through the west side.


Bill Nedza said:

But where this accident happened was not in a bike lane, it was on the lakefront path, which is multi-purpose.  

Juan 2-8 mi. said:

I ring my New Belgium bell first to be polite, then if they are still clueless about being in a bike lane a blast from the AirZound air horn wakes them up.

Permalink Reply by Bill Nedza on September 3, 2013 at 1:46pm

Per Maurice's original post "I did not see what caused the accident" -- you assume it was an "unaware mouth-breather" who was "not looking" because that obviously is a big gripe of yours, and you're entitled to it.  For all YOU know it actually could have been the cyclist's fault. All I stated was that it should not be referred to as a bike lane, that's all. Take it easy.



The Gadget said:

The fact that it's multi-purpose doesn't mean unaware mouth-breathers get to dictate how the path is used. I made this comment on another thread about the path, but the problems aren't between bikes and non-bikes, it's between smart and stupid people. One of those stupid things is not looking before you cross a multi-use path. This isn't rocket surgery.


Bill Nedza said:

But where this accident happened was not in a bike lane, it was on the lakefront path, which is multi-purpose.  

Permalink Reply by Will on September 4, 2013 at 5:22am

Slow down? What's that? Crazy talk! ;)

Adam Herstein (5.5 mi) said:

This is why I always slow down in crowded areas.

Permalink Reply by David Barish on September 4, 2013 at 6:31am

Well, we know...nothing...about how the accident occurred. All we can do is wish the rider well and hope she recovers. 

As to what do we draw from this?  The LFP, like many multi use paths is rife with challenge. We need to  ride with caution.  Whether caution or lack thereof had anything to do with this accident...I just don't know.  What I do know is I take the LFP when the view is the draw. By view I mean the amazing lakefront, Daniel Burnham's dream realized of public park lands where real estate would be most valuable)

 I take the streets when its more a matter of getting from point A to point B in an expeditious manner.  

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