Gothamist: Police Action Faulted in Bicyclist-Car Incidents

ddartley

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 15:51:50 -0500

Demand significantly more cops on bicycles (and fewer police cars and scooters)! Think about it before you scoff. If it magically happened, how many problems would it alleviate? Lots.

Adam

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 13:15:14 -0500

Miquel - if traffic and congestion were elements of the natural landscape over which humans had no control, then yes, cyclists would need to take responsibility for their lack of precaution in choosing to immerse themselves in it. Like a person with a weak immune system wading through a sick ward... But traffic and congestion are not natural, and they are fully under human control. There are people in those cars and there is a DOT, a city council, a mayor, a governor, etc., who have options when it comes to cars and street safety. New York City has a sickness, and it's time we administered some medicine rather than blaming cyclists for cycling.

ddartley

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:40:18 -0500

Hey, Jim, you're mostly right about Critical Mass. Critical Mass is best when it's so small that the riders can't bully their way past pedestrians and through red lights. In that form, it does do good. When it's too big, it does more harm to the cause than good. Same here, "flame away."

ddartley

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:37:32 -0500

There needs to be a change of culture. Too many NYPD cops come from suburbs and don't understand non-car life, and don't understand the TRUTH that motoring destroys everything! I was doored recently--by a taxi who was illegally discharging passengers in a travel lane, and the cop who showed up treated me the whole time as if I was the one who had done something wrong. I had done nothing wrong.

jim

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 12:07:48 -0500

Bicycling will not take off in this city until it's safer. A lot of drivers hate bicylists because bikers force drivers to pay attention, and sometimes to slow down. Precise vehicular control is not part of the American approach to driving. The cops don't take bicycling seriously because they have a driver's perspective, being drivers themselves, and they have an innate dislike of disorder. Also, seeing dead and injured people is just part of their job, as is knowing there are a lot of social problems (i.e. aggressive driving) that they can't fix. The only thing regular people can do about this is get more cyclists in the streets. To this end, Critical Mass is the best thing happening. Too bad it's been taken over by a bunch of wackos who seem to want attention more than safety. I'd love to see a day when my moms could ride to the grocery store on her bike, safely, as would be possible in many other parts of the developed world. Flame away, Jim

steveo

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 11:43:16 -0500

Peter, you wrote: "As for the Anderson case, well, it's entirely possible that the driver really did nothing wrong." However, the story states that the driver admitted he was speeding. Don't you think that speed laws are there for a reason and that if the driver had been obeying the law, that 1) the severity of the impact would have been less had it still occurred and 2) that the driver would have been more likely to perceive and avoid Anderson if he was not driving too fast? Peter, I find your post emblematic of a widespread problem, namely that many people (including the police) are willing to assume that the driver "did nothing wrong" even in the face of evidence to the contrary.

Miquel

Thu, 02 Nov 2006 11:27:30 -0500

Ed- Cyclists really should take responsibility for their own decision not to take any measure of precaution/prevention/safety in a congested city with heavy traffic at all hours if they die of head trauma after being struck by an automobile. It's horrible to say, but I wonder when the teens who do drive-by shootings will realize that hit and run not only provides you with a getaway vehicle, but allows you to avoid possessing a weapon. sorry.

JT

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:21:40 -0500

So L, if you're riding a bike and you get hit from behind by an SUV that's speeding and you aren't wearing a helmet, that's sort of your own fault, huh? And a helmet is really going to help, huh?

Ed Ravin

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 22:08:22 -0500

uh-oh - here come the "blame the victim helmet flames". Helmets do help, but they don't prevent injuries caused to places other than your head. The real cause of Andre's death seems to be aggressive driving. A careful or considerate driver would have slowed down when he saw a boy on a bike, helmet or no helmet. Not Jose.

L

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 20:06:33 -0500

I don't understand what the complaint is in the Anderson case. It's very unfortunate that the boy died. But he was driving a bicycle in a multiple-lane divided highway -- where passing on the right appears to be permitted because each direction is a one-way street, see Chapter 6 of the NY DMV drivers manual ("You may pass on the right ... [w]hen you are driving on a one-way road that is marked for two or more lanes or is wide enough for two or more lanes, and passing is not restricted by signs") -- and he was hit by a massive SUV that attempted to avoid him. The article also states that he suffered from head trauma but doesn't state whether he wore a helmet or not. Bizarrely, Transportation Alternatives -- New York's leading bicycle advocacy group -- is against forcing cyclists to wear helmets. See http://www.transalt.org/press/media/2006/561.html . Would a helmet have saved him?

Tim N.

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 19:08:38 -0500

And now, Chapter XXXVIII of Cops. Hate. Cyclists. I've become more and more convinced, since my own accident that a police officer witnessed and ignored, and reading these, that there is an "approach" taken by NYPD brass to discourage bikes on the streets. The (euphamism) lack of aggressive enforcement in these instances would seem to confirm this. I love riding my bike in the city and I'm loathe to say anything about cops out of family loyalty and personal admiration. But this shit has got to stop. Good job G'mist for bringing this to everyone's attention. Keep it up.

mike

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:45:19 -0500

Lew, despite your assinine "yawning", bicycling makes very good sense in NYC. * public transportation, as much as it awesome, does not go everywhere. * it keeps you in shape * it calms traffic * it gives you a totally new perspective on the City Congested streets are not a reason to not bike around the City. They are a reason to get more people to bike, take public transit and walk. A large proportion of drivers have those options instead of congesting our city with pollution, noise and misery, things we all pay for in one way or another. And yawning as a reaction to peoples' death and injuries is pretty disgusting on your part.

mike

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:26:30 -0500

Gwin

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:19:37 -0500

Lew: do you have any idea how many people use bikes to get around instead of public transportation? If, as you profess to want, everyone gave up on biking and piled onto the subways/buses, there would be literally thousands more people clogging the system. Is that REALLY what you want, or did you merely not think things through before commenting?

Gwin

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:17:23 -0500

andy

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:16:52 -0500

don't be such a pedestrian, Lew

drewo

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 18:10:24 -0500

Thanks Gothamist for following up on these stories. Intimidation-by-automobile is a major quality of life issue in this city.

drewo

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:56:15 -0500

Thanks Gothamist for following up on these stories. Intimidation-by-automobile is a major quality of life issue in NYC.

krunkymunky

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 17:09:15 -0500

it's amazing to me sometimes how people in this City can let their sense of humanity be diluted by the sheer size of the population here. what excuse can there ever be for soullessness? :(

Lew

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:58:52 -0500

Yawn. Take public transportation like the rest of us. The streets are too congested to begin with. Crime, lol.

Interlard

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:53:21 -0500

So when can we elect a mayor who gives enough of a shit about citizens of New York to hold the police accountable? Bloomberg doesn't care, there's no money it in.

Peter

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:51:59 -0500

In the Yoo case, it's likely that the bus driver was unaware of the collison. Calling it a "hit and run" really isn't accurate. As for the Anderson case, well, it's entirely possible that the driver really did nothing wrong. Bicycling and driving are potentially dangerous activities and accidents sometimes are unavoidable.

John

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:46:00 -0500

Thanks, very thorough. I remember reading about Andre's killer on Sucka Pants and feeling so compeletely disgusted. It's stunning that when it comes to bicycle fatalities in NYC the driver is almost never charged with anything serious.

Jen

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:34:42 -0500

Thank you, Uptown Biker - I added that link to the post. This makes me so sad and angry that the police aren't doing more. While accidents can and do happen, it's hard to think that drivers can get away with this - I feel like it might make them more apt to think they'll be able to get away with it again.

uptown biker

Wed, 01 Nov 2006 16:20:08 -0500

many thanks for posting this!!! for more on andre anderson see: http://www.times-up.org/ghost_bikes_anderson.php