Did a Metal Construction Plate Cause Houston Street Bike Death?

Recent SVA graduate and filmmaker, Derek Lake, was the bicyclist killed by a truck at Houston Street and Laguardia yesterday. And while initial witness accounts pointed to Lake trying to squeeze between a truck and construction site, Transportation Alternatives says that a metal construction plate, a familiar site along gutted Houston Street, may have had something to do with the accident. From their press statement (PDF):

The metal street plate is in violation of the City DOT’s “Highway Rules” governing the specifications for construction plating in the street.

Specifically, the plate is not “sufficiently ramped to provide smooth riding and safe condition,” nor does it have “a skid resistance surface equal to or greater than the
adjacent existing street or roadway surface” (NYC Department of Transportation Highway Rules, Section 2-11 (e 10)).

In addition to not having the required skid-proof surface and ramping, the 2-inch high street plate was partly covered with loose gravel and construction debris. These violations may have caused the cyclist to slip and fall into the path of the truck that fatally struck him.

Lake was "crushed beneath the wheel of a tractor trailer" yesterday morning. Another truck driver saw the accident and said Lake did "wobble" on the plate before going under the truck, telling the NY Times, "The bike went right, and he went left." Another driver told the Daily News, "The bike was shaking. He lost control and he fell down into the big truck. [The truck] was going like 5 MPH."

Seven other mismatched metal plates were found last night. It's unclear what the Department of Transportation will do, but we hope its inspectors will be on Houston and taking note of all roads with metal plates on them.

Lake's father said, "Our understanding is that this is a terrible, terrible accident....He was an artistic young man at the beginning of his life and the beginning of his career. Very dedicated to his film." Lake's senior thesis film, San Penitence, was about American soldiers during World War II.

Photograph from Transportation Alternatives

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on June 27, 2006 9:50 AM

Comments [rss]

Rockabike

Kerri,

Please don't heed the comments posted here by the trolls. They sit back in safe cyberspace and hurl insults at everyone they can. It's like this on most bulletin boards and certainly on comment threads about bikes. I can't imagine your loss, and hope that you remember your brother for all the wonderful things he did with his life. Absolutely don't listen to these people when they say shitty things about him or any cyclist; it's unfortunately the norm on Gothamist and other blogs.

We'll put out some extra flowers on the Memorial Ride tomorrow night for every insult that morons have spewed here.

kerri

Hi Yeah,

that was a really mean post. Derek was a brilliant writer and filmmaker. So he has a brand new myspace page and acted like a drunken goofball with his lifelong friends and girlfriend on his vacation a few weeks ago. Who wasn't silly in college and right after college? I was much worse than that, and I thank God there was no Myspace back then!

Derek had a wicked sense of humor. It wasn't all that he was. I never knew that Myspace side of him, but I am sure everything he said on there related to in-jokes between his closest friends, and he should not be faulted for being human. He was an intelligent, well spoken, kind person. He worked his ass off and was VERY professional while working.

People, please stop with the mean comments. He was such a great person and he was not an irresponsible, reckless driver at all. That bike was new. He wanted to get into shape so he was riding it to and from work. Period. Please, think of his family.

jayKayEss

@dave No, you get real. If you read the news, you'd realize it's a coalition of Midtown businesses and corporations that are pressuring the city for a congestion zone.

Yeesh

Derek seemed a real charmer -- he wants to meet "You're mother" and counts among his fave films "Pyscho" Sex, drinking and making movies - what else is here (per his MySpace). Hmmm... He had a cute muffintop goin though.

Alec

He was my friend from high school. I don't think this is anyone's fault and I am mortified no matter what. People need to be careful. I am still in shock since last night, the kid got ran over

tek

people seem to come to NYC and expect it to be like a sleepy suburb... no high rises here, no construction there, too much congestion here, bla, bla, bla. Its a freakin' huge city, the hustle, bustle, interaction, development, dirt, traffic, culture, diversity is all part of it. plus the last post was so absolutely right, last thing we need here is an additional tax and additional ways for the city to raise money by having police harass normal people going about their business -- unfortunately my own boss is moving our company to NJ because of the expenses - don't feel good about that -- anyway just had to vent. LOL

dave

get real... you put congestion taxes in the city and watch as your job move out of state(or if they are going to bother to move and can, out of the country). Even though the management and upper rungs could pay, it would just give them more incentive to move out of NYC. The taxes businesses and people pay in general is way out of whack with the rest of the country - it would just add another reason to leave... and believe me they have been for a while.

drewo

Rather, limit autos to off-hours for deliveries only. The same could apply to Broadway from 14th Street to Canal. It is often so crowded with pedestrians, people practically have to walk in the streets.

There would be a big hue and cry if such changes were enacted, then after a period of time, the city and the merchants would realize they can still draw customers (if not even more), that the business of the city would not suffer, and the quality of life for residents (and taxpayers) would improve.

anonymass

They should just turn 5th Ave into one big bike lane.

glenn

That picture of the streets in Copenhagen is great. Thanks. It doesn't have to be every street in the city, but some version of that is a possibility here and would be awsome.

Duderinoo

rog -

Actually, studies have shown (and Gothamist has cited some before) that most traffic in the city is caused by commuters. In midtown traffic is mainly cabs, but not so in the areas between Chambers and 23rd. Studies by TA have shown that increasing tolls or introducing congestion pricing during the day would significantly reduce traffic and smog.

nic

It's disgusting that Transportation Alternatives chooses to use tragic events such as this one to place blame, when the unfortunate truth (biking down a busy street that is under construction is basically suicide) is readily apparent to anyone with some common sense.

Transportation Alternatives isn't blaming anyone; they're citing the dangerous conditions that contributed to this tragedy. This construction area is dangerous to pedestrians, cars and bikes (and in violation of the law). It should be corrected, not avoided. Transportation Alternatives does this work year round. Unfortunately, the media and many people only pay attention after a tragedy.

drewo

As reported elsewhere, congestion pricing has proved to be very effective in reducing auto traffic in central London. You want to play, you have to pay.

Bicycles as vehicles do not damage the roads and bridges the way that 2-ton autos do. They occupy a fraction of the public space, they don't make noise and they don't foul the air. And they don't kill and injure people in the inordinate numbers that cars do.

The great cities of the world promote safe bicycle commuting by building and maintaining segregated bike paths and enforcing laws intended to protect the bicycle commuter. New York City is not worthy of being called a great city.

Kerri

Derek was not a reckless driver and I think that it is really inappropriate for people to keep blaming him for his own death. He was an amazing person. Very intelligent and extremely talented. Let's not forget that he lost his life and it is a tragedy.

Glenn

Plain and simple. Onstreet bike paths separated from car traffic is the only way to end these senseless deaths...

Here's a great picture of a Copenhagen Bike Lane

Note how it is separated from automobile traffic.

rog

I dont know the specifics of this incident, since I wasnt there, but I can tell you that most cyclists that ride the streets in NYC repect none of the traffic laws and I've seen them cause accidents weaving between vehicles, disregarding traffic lights and one-way streets. NYC has decent public transport, use it and ride in the parks. BTW, most residents of the city do not drive into manhattan as it is rediculous to park and there is traffic. Most of the congestion seems to be caused by trucks and particularly cabs with some city busses thrown in, so increasing taxes and thinking it will reduce traffic in the city is bordering on retarded.

johan

the underlying problem is there are TOO MANY PEOPLE in New York. The reason cars need to drive reckless cause if they actually obeyed the laws they would move at around 3 miles per hour. If you get to a crosswalk and have the light and go slowly a pedestrian will cross it and then a swarm of pedestrians will follow him/her and you will be blocking the box because of a glut of jaywalkers. this is why cars don't give a shit. It all starts with pedestrians not giving a shit about traffic laws. that carries over to the cars and bikes. It's simple really. All we need is either another huge terrorist attack to make people leave new york again or a massive bird flu epidemic to kill most new yorkers. That will solve the traffic problem. In New York, Only the Strong survive. Either the strong or loudmouthed whiners.

mh

The metal plates are pretty bad. My experience has been that they are not secure. When large vehicles role over them, the are even more un- steady. The biker should have known better. He should have taken a quieter and better maintained street.

___________________________

Damn feminists. You all shouldn't be talking. You’re the worst bunch of drivers out there!

[36] Posted by: Kojak | June 27, 2006 11:21 AM

___________________________

Are you kidding Kojak. What is a Damn feminists? They probably drive exactly like you do since they believe in equality. Feminists' believe that they have the same skill potential as any man. There is a difference between a bad driver and causing an accident because you didn't see someone in your blind spot.

Duderinoo

As for congestion pricing, cycles are vehicles and should be charged accordingly.

Darwin, you knew that was idiotic when you wrote it. And by the way, your Natural History show stinks.

As an aside, I was just standing at the corner of Bleecker and Broadway, waiting for the walk sign and saw the following:

3 illegally parking/parked cars, 1 cyclist riding the wrong way, 2 SUV drivers on their non-hands-free cell phones, 1 taxi take a swerving left turn to avoid hitting a pedestrian with a stroller (legally crossing), 2 jaywalkers, 1 cyclist running a red light, 1 car in need of an obvious emissions test, and 1 car running a red light (which almost hit me). If there had been 2 cops at this intersection, they could have easily just written about $1500 worth of tickets. I'm sure there would have been some speeding if not for the fact that there was so much congestion. Where's the enforcement???