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A New York state legislator stood at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge yesterday and blamed confusing signage and roadways for the death of Sam Hindy, who was killed last week. Hindy was killed when he struck a barrier and plunged to the lower roadway of the Manhattan Bridge and struck by a car. The 27-year-old was riding from Manhattan to Brooklyn with a friend, Benjamin Price last Friday evening when they found themselves on the roadway traveling with cars and trucks. Hindy and Price attempted to turn around to get back to the bike pathway across the bridge, which is when he struck the barrier and fell through a split in the bridge to the lower roadway.
Last week, the Daily News reported that the entrance to the bike pathway may have been blocked by construction and The New York Times said police told Hindy's father the pair had taken the wrong ramp, which led them to the car and truck roadway. Yesterday, however, state senator Eric Adams representing Brooklyn placed the blame squarely at the foot of poor signage on the Manhattan Bridge. Adams is quoted in the New York Post saying "A young 27-year-old should not have lost his life because he couldn't distinguish what roadway to use from what roadway not to use."
(12 - Manhattan Bridge sign, NYC, by sissnitz at flickr)
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As an avid cyclist and regular bicycle commuter, I would like to say that Eric Adams is being a dumbass.
Does the dude even live in Manhattan? Does he even commute by bike? (Eric Adams)
Anybody who wasn't drunk or not paying attention would quickly realize that they were on a friggin on ramp for cars and trucks.
A 27 year old probably would NOT have lost his life if he wasn't intoxicated and not paying enough attention. it's a simple, unfortunate accident, and the bike path on that side of the bridge doesn't need to be pointed out by flashing lights and confetti anytime soon.
Besides, there's no point in worrying about it now, as the south path has been reopened which is plenty safer and easier to use.
LOL!
OMG!
ROTFL!
They shouldn't be using the southern walkway, though. That's for pedestrians and really isn't wide enough for comfortable clearance. I hate it when cyclists go whizzing close by. There's a walkway and a separate bike path. I don't think it's asking too much that pedestrians and cyclists keep to the correct paths. Bikes shouldn't be on the walkway any more than they should be on sidewalks. That goes for the Brooklyn Bridge, too, where idiots keep walking in the bike lane.
Have you ever even ridden over the Manhattan Bridge? I do every day, and nearly every day I encounter someone who can't find their way to the bike path. The signage is pretty bad, and the path is surrounded by construction barriers. It isn't the easiest thing to find.
In my original post , I meant to say "the north path". 76 : Agreed, cyclists should use the north path (with ramps) and peds should use the south, with steps, except when one is closed.
guoo : Finding the north path entrance can be SOMEWHAT difficult, but once you find it the first time, you don't need to look again. And it's not so hard that any person should end up on the roadway.
And it's not so hard that any person should end up on the roadway.
Is it possible to find this the first time when it is dark and you are riding on a bike with a little to drink?
yeah, the bike path is pretty hard to find the first time, but who the hell would go onto the car ramp? that's just pure idiocy right there. It's like not finding the sidewalk and walking on the freeway.
when it is dark and you are riding on a bike with a little to drink?
When you're riding in the dark with ANYTHING to drink in this city, you are taking your life in your own hands.
It is unfortunate that the bridges signage doesn't cater to young drunk people riding around in the dark, but I honestly feel there are better things to spend our tax dollars on.
finding the north side bike way entrance is difficult the first time in daylight, at night almost impossible, Bicycles are legal and commonplace on the canal street vehicle approach to the bridge. All it would have taken to avoid this needless death was for the drivers behind the two Brooklyn bound bicyclists was to simply slow down, put their hazards on and escorted the misplaced bicyclist safely across the bridge. Drivers do this all the time for other vehicles when there are mechanical problems. a dog lost on the bridge would get more leeway and respect from many of these drivers.
The drivers following the bicyclist refusal to slow to a safe and prudent speed, instead acting in an aggressive, homicidal manner, forced these guys to attempt escape into a dangerous area in the center lanes of the bridge where Mr. Hindy fell to his death.
Drivers need to slow down and if necessary come to a complete stop when there is a person in danger in front of them. When pedestrians and bicyclist are chased to their death, they should not be given a free pass because they used a 2000 lb motor vehicle rather than a baseball bat. In this case, the victim Sam Hindy and his friend were traveling in the same direction of the traffic, just at a speed slower than the maximum of 30 mph.
how much time would have been lost if the drivers behind them slowed down from the legal 30 mph to 10 mph on the 6400 foot bridge? i am also a driver and i realize that when there is a dangerous situation, slow down and come to a stop. most of the local drivers blow their horns, speed up attempt to pass unsafely.
the manhattan bridge canal street entrance is scary.
trucks and cars going full tilt right onto the bridge. I've never seen a car slow down.
The exit is also scary, a pedestrian was killed by a car coming off the bridge onto forsyth street a few years ago.
I was stuck behind a disabled Harley once, one lane closed and police escort for the biker.
I can't see how anyone can be anything, BUT drunk to bike onto the car/truck portion of the bridge.
trains come to a screeching halt when someone is spotted on their tracks, there is no thought in the engineers mind about just blowing the whistle and they better get out of the way or else, they start hitting the brakes and try and come to a stop and avoid the loss of a life.
if it is expected of trains that are carrying hundreds of people to come to a complete stop, why is is ok for motorist to drive irresponsibly and dangerously when someone is misplaced and is in their path. this is not a super highway , on both sides of the bridge access roads bikes are allowed and very common. i ran the time calculation it would have taken a motorist traveling at the speed limit of 30 mph 5 minutes more to cross the 6500 foot bridge if the bicyclist was going very slow at 10 mph.
Galvo, you appear to not have read the stories. He wasn't hit by a driver from behind. He got on the bridge, tried to turn around, hit an obstacle and fell to the lower roadway. There is no mention or implication anywhere that anyone skimmed past them, honked their horns in anger or otherwise harassed them. The only irresponsible person here was the person who operated a vehicle while impaired. He should have taken a cab.
spirto76, i have read all the stories,
the ny times had a better article on the tragedy. they got on the roadway by mistake, were physically hazed and scared from the aggression the drivers displayed , cars from behind blowing their horns and zooming pass unsafely .Refusing to slow down and yield. In fear for their lives they made their way from the traffic lane to the construction island to seek safety and turn around and retreat. if the drivers behind didn't act so aggressively , the bicyclist could easily have completed their ride across the bridge. Many bridges in ny state do not have totally separated bike lanes. they have shoulders or simply ride with the regular traffic. On the canal street approach bicycles are allowed and the bike lane can not be accessed from canal street..
there was was no reason for any of the drivers behind the bicyclist to blow their horns. all they had to do was slow down and safety buffer them across the bridge just as they would do if their was a pretty woman with a mechanical problem slowly making her way across the bridge at 10 mph. there would have been a caravan of men forming a safety buffer.
blowing of a horn should only be used where it can make a difference to warn. not because someone is in your way or going slower than you like.
that is what the brakes are for.
Why is it that whenever it comes to bike fatalities or other accidents, it's always someone other than the BIKER who's to blame?
In many, if not most cases the biker probably isn't at fault. But come on, people - signs, motorists, barriers that shouldn't be there, UFO's, slippery moss on an uncleaned sidewalk, black holes, crashing Jeff Koons bunnies - cyclists and their proponents will blame everything and everyone else but the bikers themselves.
I was kidding about the UFO's, of course.
not james frey,
This type of behavior i describe is also commonplace on the roadways and highways of the USA. people in motor vehicles are also extremely vulnerable to death and injury from unsafe driving practices, probably more so than bicyclist if you go by the numbers. i have no great driving experience outside of metro ny , but i do remember when i used to travel to lake placid NY , the drivers were much more conscious of pedestrian and bikers on the roadways leading into town and they were also incredible polite compared to metro drivers. The ones that drove like aholes up there were the city folk, as they called them.
40,000 people are killed and hundreds of thousands seriously injured every year in motor vehicle crashes.
More than half are caused by dui and aggressive driving. i would say that at least 75 percent of the fatalities and collisions are caused by avoidable driver error or misconduct. Approx 30,000 motor vehicle deaths a year are avoidable, that is a big number.
the death toll and injuries continue to rise even though newer cars have safer collision construction, airbags, 4 wheel disc brakes, anti lock brakes, brighter headlights, tail and brake lights and turning lights, superior tires, improved handling and steering. Many cars are AWD and front wheel drive; they have much better traction, cornering and control than the vehicles of the 80’s. The drivers are consistently of poorer quality and have hazardous driving habits.
I don't see any mention of hazing or anything else in the Times. They got on, they turned around, he hit a wall and fell. That's all it says. You keep pointing at the drivers and absolutely refuse to acknowledge the root causes of this event. He was drunk. He rode where he shouldn't have. Coming back down, he rode faster than was prudent. If he hadn't done any of that, none of any drivers' actions would matter and he'd still be alive. Period. You bring up non sequiturs like drivers would cut some slack for cars with engine problems. Big difference. Those cars have a legal right to be on the bridge roadway and wouldn't be impeding traffic if not for the problems. These guys never have the right to be on that roadway. Theirs were the "hazardous driving habits," "avoidable driver error" and "misconduct."
Galvo:
Okay, so we both agree that alcohol + biking don't mix? Just like alcohol + driving motor vehicles don't mix?
yes i agree alcohol and biking do not mix , but if there is a choice , let it be alcohol and bicycle , usually the only person who will be hurt is the bicyclist and their family, friends.
i am sure the tox report will come out in a couple weeks , to see what the level of alcohol was. hopefully it was overplayed in the daily news, for the family sake.
The signage to the bike path is bad, but it's pretty freaking obvious that there's no room for bikes in the car lanes. Use a little common sense.