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Anyone who's followed along with the city's various cycling issues won't find much new in the Daily News's "Special Investigation" today, about how "pedestrians and cars clash over biking boom." There's the requisite quote from a biker-phobic pedestrian, 62-year-old Marjorie Levine: "When I, as a retired woman, walk these streets, I have fear of my safety that I will be hit by these riders and get knocked down." There's the requisite counterpoint from Transportation Alternatives spokesman Wiley Norvell: "We still have a really 'me first' culture on the street, whether you are a pedestrian, a driver or a big rig. The problem is that some of those 'me's' weigh tons and others weigh 110 pounds."
And the all-too-familiar tragic side of cycling is represented by Lizi Rahman, whose 22-year-old son Asif was fatally run over while riding his bike on Queens Boulevard last year: "I can't stop wondering, are they waiting for some more bicyclists to die on this road? Will they make a bike lane after that?" Sadly, another cyclist was killed on Queens Boulevard Friday night: 38-year-old James Langergaard, an experienced cyclist who volunteered for Transportation Alternatives.
Meanwhile, the Brooklyn Paper reports that by the end of the week a section of Kent Avenue in Brooklyn will change to one-way in an attempt to resolve a controversial bike lane battle. But there's an online petition urging the city to drop the change from two-ways to one-way, on the grounds that it will "seriously endanger the health and well being of the community's residents, especially children."
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Memo to Transportation Alternatives:
Why Stop At 185,000? Why Not Make It 1,000,000! You Know They’ll Print It!
Link to read all about Transportation Alternatives' Big Lie.
That 185,000 is pure conjecture or else outright bullshit!
Or are they really that bad at simple math?
http://www.commuteroutrage.com/2009/06/12/memo-to-transportation-alternatives-why-stop-at-185000-why-not-make-it-1000000-you-know-theyll-print-it/
One of TA's primary goals is safety. Ridership estimates mean very little to me, but the hard numbers of cyclist fatalities and injuries -- 225 deaths and 3,462 injuries in the last decade, according to that article -- mean a lot. TA's goal is to reduce those numbers by (1) advocating for infrastructure improvements that make the streets safer for everyone, and (2) educating motorists and cyclists on how to use the streets responsibly.
What is your goal, exactly?
=v= I appreciate you trying to use reason, but the last year of postings from the anonymous entity mislabled "thefacts" reveals some sort of mental compulsion to attack T.A. no matter what, regardless of facts and reason. And as we now see, even in response the most inappropriate occasion imagineable, someone's death.
"anonymous entity" describes you very well Jym. However, "anonymous non-entity" describes you better.
The blog story referred to a Daily News story "about how 'pedestrians and cars clash over biking boom.'"
The death of a cyclist referred to was an afterthought of Gothamist writer, JDS.
Didn't do so well in Reading Comprehenison, did you, old boy?
Furthermore, if you had bothered to read the yesterday's DN reports you would have learned that the story dealt with the death of a pedestrian by a cyclist riding illegally.
And the death of the other cyclist on Queens Blvd on Friday was his own fault: he ran a red light. Of course, this is the first time a cyclist has ever ran a red light.
And if you want to tolerate the bullshit that TransAlt spews as facts, you should work in a manure factory.
Speaking of "the facts" -- where are you getting yours from regarding the case of the death of James Langergaard? I have only seen the report on Streetsblog, which states that witnesses said that he "ran the light" crossing Queens Boulevard.
But really, we just don't know what happened. It seems rather unlikely that James, an experienced cyclist, would try to cross QB against 10 lanes of speeding cross traffic. I've seen speculation that because of the width of QB, he may have started to cross with the green, but ran out of time to make it across. But, like I said, we don't know exactly what did happen.
There are other important question to ask. Such as, was the driver "also" violating laws? Was he speeding? It seems almost certain that he failed to exercise due care for James, as required by New York state law.
And finally, if the caught-in-the-middle theory is true, is DOT implicit in this death for failing to provide adequate crossing time on the green for all street users?"I have only seen the report on Streetsblog, which states that witnesses said that he "ran the light" crossing Queens Boulevard."
Yes, the source was Streetsblog.
If you want to say that my facts are wrong because it came from Streetsblog, I shall accept that, since most everything that Streetsblog (and their cohorts at TransAlt) writes is bullshit.
Don't you agree?
How many of these cyclists are killed while using the bike lanes? That's a study I'd like to see.
The answer is not always MORE lanes, just get people to use the ones that are there. Queen's BLVD averages 10 pedestrian deaths per year, putting a lane there is not a good solution.
It'd be nice for TA to have bike lanes on every street but it's not realistic, just like it'd be nice for me to be able to drive north on broadway.
Everyday I drive home from my work in Queens to my apt in Manhattan. Getting off the Wburg bridge there are cCyclists are all over Delancey but there's a bike lane 1 block south on Grand. Driving on Delancey is dangerous already. Still alot of self righteous bikers flip out on drivers as they weave in and out and run lights. When they get hit who's going to point that out?
Perfect example: http://foxyurl.com/s4B
Cyclist on Delancey swing a chain at an old pedestrian who got in his way. 1 block from the grand st bike lane.
Listen Marjorie, stay out of the bike lane and you won't get mowed down. I've noticed a disturbing thing about the bike lanes in this city: people treat them as sidewalk-extensions, WHICH THEY ARE NOT and step out in front of me daily without looking! Just because its painted a nice green, that is still the street people!
Really? Tell that to all the cyclists who love to ride on the sidewalk, even when bike lanes are available. I've nearly been hit by bicycles more times than I can count--because they somehow believe that sidewalks are there for their use, pedestrians be damned.
I have been nearly hit by stray bullets, flying dogs and UFOs regularly. Why don't you spare us your bullshit and document a time when you WERE hit by a bicycle. I'm not saying it NEVER happens, but how many fatalities are there from bikes hitting pedestrians versus cars hitting pedestrians?
yytttt,
I have lived in NYC for about 12 years and have actually been hit by bicyclists twice. I have never been hit by a car. Both times I was hit by a bike, the rider was going AGAINST traffic. Both times I was standing at an intersection looking at the oncoming traffic. I had been standing there for at least a minute (so it wasn't like I just stepped in front of the rider). Both times I was rammed into and the rider just kept going and never stopped to see if I was okay or to apologize. Last I checked, bikes were supposed to follow the rules of the road. I am all for bike riding in the city, just not when bicyclists disregard the rules, which happens a lot.
setnyc,
I'm sorry to hear you were actually hit by a bicycle (and on more than one occasion). I don't deny that these sorts of accidents happen. By chance, have you ever been hit by a pedestrian? Maybe he was running, maybe it was on the subway, maybe a child? Ever in your years in NYC? Did you go to the hospital for either one? I'm furiously trying to find one instance of serious injury from bike/pedestrian collisions. It's much easier to do with car/pedestrian or car/bike collisions. I know some.. ok many.. bikers disregard rules and ride dangerously. However, they pose MUCH less risk to you than a driver driving dangerously. If the city had more bike lanes (which is happening) and bike lane rules were enforced (which is not happening), bikers would be much more likely to follow rules and ride safely.
Spare ME your rudeness. Who the fuck are you to say my comment is "bullshit?"
Go stand on any street corner in Chelsea and count the number of bikes riding on the sidewalks over, say, a fifteen minute period. You'll see many, even on the narrow side streets. Then count the number of times you see pedestrians getting sideswiped, jumping out of the way or getting cut off by these bicycles.
Anyone riding on the sidewalk is violating the law. Period. It shouldn't be my responsibility to get out of their way; it should be their responsibility to ride in the street.
I know they are violating the law. Your comment is bullshit because being "almost hit" means exactly nothing and calling it "bullshit" was my poetic way of expressing myself. Now if you show me proof of hospitalization from a massive bike hit, I will gladly take you seriously. I can show you proof of people being injured by all sorts of things much more often than bikes on the sidewalk of chelsea.
No, it's not bullshit at all. "Almost hit" means that a pedestrian was put in harm's way by a cyclist who was not doing the right thing. So if your precious bicycle is almost hit by a truck, that's okay too? It doesn't matter if there were traumatic injuries or not. It matters that cyclists are constantly putting pedestrians in harm's way.
In the meantime, any and every recent urban planning report studying pedestrian safety in NYC has noted the ill effects of bicycles vs. pedestrians. Here's one from the Pulaski Bridge:
Despite the sidewalk being designated as pedestrian-only, pedestrians are constantly in danger of being hit by bicycles.
Pedestrian killed by bicycle on sidewalk
A Hunter College study found that cyclists in midtown flagrantly disobeyed traffic laws, with 37% zooming through red lights, less than a third wearing helmets and nearly 75% failing to use head and tail lights in the evening.
And city figures show bicycles struck and killed 11 pedestrians from 1996 to 2005. No statistics are kept on non-fatal crashes.
Still bullshit, right?
Yes. Being "almost" hit is bullshit evidence for an argument. Please provide me with statistics indicating what percent of the pedestrians "almost" hit by bicycles were on a) on a sidewalk and b) paying attention to where they are going and maybe you'd have a point. You know what else "almost" happened? I "almost" won the lottery, but I got every number wrong.
Now as for the 11 pedestrians killed by bicycles from 1996 to 2005. According to the same report from the New York City Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Parks and Recreation, Transportation, and the New York City Police Department, there was an average of 17,000 bikers in NYC every year between 1996 and 2005. If those bikers took 2 bike trips per week, that would account for 34,000 weekly bike trips, or 1768000 rides per year (conservatively speaking). Multiply that by the 9 year period we are talking about and you have around 15,912,000 bicycle rides. Divide a total of 11 fatalities by that and you get the odds that a biker will kill someone while riding their bike (that is if NYC bikers ride no more than 2 times per week) would be about 0.000000691 per bike ride. I think I'll take my chances.
Just as a comparison, according to a report by the National Safety Council, in the year 2000 alone, 1,307 people died in the US (and NYC makes up about 2.7% of the total population of the US) from a "fall on and from stairs and steps" or compare to 55 people who died from "contact with hot tap-water" or how about the 9 people who were "bitten or stung by nonvenomous insect and other arthropods." Six Americans died in 2000 from "ignition or melting of nightwear." This will make fascinating reading: http://www.nsc.org/research/odds.aspx
Right, so what was your point?
I've been almost hit by a car 1000000 times... but each time they stopped or missed. Drivers are bastards, almost hitting me every day!
I have been almost hit by cars and pedestrians.
if you guys are so tough, why don't you do a forearm check to the bicyclist like that cop who felt for his safety.
You were "almost" hit by pedestrians? Were they going too fast and acting recklessly? And disregarding traffic rules? BAN PEDESTRIANS! Who's with me? Let's freeze all city streets and require everyone to get around by ice skating.
Yes Wiley, everyone is really me first except you didn't include the bicyclists. You are the most "me first" and self-serving of all of us on the streets lately. You are so blinded by your cause, you see nothing else.
The problem is that some of those 'me's' weigh tons and others weigh 110 pounds."
an 8 year old with a bike will weigh 110 lbs. You, to 180+ lbs with bike. What's your point? Wiley did not include cyclists in the "we" any way you slice it.
Bloomberg has been far too magnanimous with his powers as the king of the bike lane mapping. He is your champion , felix the cat. If you are not going to vote for him again, you clearly have lived here less than 2 years. Bicycle on home.
yeah ... i think she's talking about how some "me's" are trucks and some "me's" are on bikes or on foot. or else the city's obsesity problems are much worse than previously reported.
BIKE LANES SUCK. Bikes are traffic and should be out in the flow (going the same direction as the traffic, obeying the rules). Until they start giving real tickets for blocking the bike lanes (for cars, trucks and j-walkers) there's little point being there as a cyclist.
old peeps are weird when they see something coming straight at them even at 3mph. they just freeze, not knowing whether to cross or back up. maybe bikes should have a PA system blaring out instructions to the olds.
Simone Weichselbaum, Daily News:
"The only thing protecting you is a little piece of paint on the ground called a bike lane," said my pal Baruch Herzfeld, 37, a city cyclist advocate who runs a clubhouse in Williamsburg where bikers gather, gripe and just hang out.
"You have to be aggressive. You experience road rage because you have to protect yourself."
I agree. So next time a cyclist is riding down the street, please move the hell out of our way."
Terrific. With that attitude, no wonder many pedestrians (like me) consider bicyclists their primary enemy, rather than cars. When I am a bicyclist, I go slow, watch on all sides, stop at lights and ride with traffic. Do I ride timidly? Yes, and I ride responsibly.
www.forgotten-ny.com
I rather be hit with a bike than a car.
No, I'd rather not get hit by a bike, and I'm much more likely to be hit by a bike than by a car. So a bike will merely injure you. Whoop de damn doo.
www.forgotten-ny.com
Sorry, replying to "Felix The Cat"
www.forgotten-ny.com
Yes, I have been hit by a bike and I did not really appreciate being knocked into the street and nearly run over by oncoming traffic! I would be generally sympathetic except so many bicyclists here are the same as the drivers - aggressive to the point of dangerous behavior.
ok, get hit with a car, I take my chances with a bicyclist.
Do you have a citation for that claim, Kevin? I rarely see bikers who ride faster than 10 mph, and I rarely see drivers who drive slower than 30 mph. Which one is less likely to stop in time?
I'd rather you be hit with a bike, too, but I'd rather not be hit by anything.
Meant as response to earlier post. Sorry.
I agree with the leisurely style you respectfully ride.
The hustlers have a different calling.
Time is money.
Who's insurance pays for getting hit by a bike?
Yes. And does anyone really think a bike isn't going to hurt you if it hits you? Maybe it won't kill you, sure. Can it break bones, push you into traffic or cause other injuries? Of course it can.
we all gotta die sometime. I had a close call with a sanitation truck. lesson learned, stay away from stinky trucks. what can I do? short of lobbing an IED to the hopper. would be almost a relief really, no more subpoenas and threats from collection lawyers.
cyclists need to stay the fuck off the sidewalk. just saying, since we're all bitching about something here.
Agreed. Easily one of my pet peeves.
Or bikers who commute on the subway and take up multiple seats because their bike is in the way.
Yes. I'm sick and tired of getting sideswiped every single day when I walk around the city by idiot cyclists who think the sidewalk is another bike lane.
I've barked at cyclists to get off the sidewalk and then, I swear, people look at me like I'm a crazy bitch. Well, guess what people? You benefit from crazy lady telling that idiot to get off the sidewalk.
More than a few times when have asked the cyclist (we have a lot of delivery restaurants on our street) to get off the sidewalk they pretend not to know English. Riiiight. You ride a bike for a living, yet have no idea what the rules of the road are?
Just was doored by a taxi discharging a passenger (pedestrian) in a bike lane. I'm lucky I'm alive. Of course the pedestrian did not peal me off the ground or stick around while i got up and limped off with my damaged bike.
Next time keep this list handy and follow it: http://www.transalt.org/files/newsroom/magazine/981JanFeb/checklist.html
Non of the many pedestrian around helped me either. Not one of them helped me even though I was obviously injured. "Me first" for sure.
that what happens in NYC since this city has a mayor that has no compassion and his apathy has spread like a virus in this city. I would have help you up.
They were too busy waiting to see if you'd get run over by a car and have your head crushed like a watermelon.
Why the hell would you cycle on major roads such as Queens and Northern Boulevards? There are side streets you can bike on that are much safer and have much less traffic, not to mention buses and tractor-trailers.
Also, just because there's a bike lane on one side of the road DOES NOT mean you should ride against the flow of traffic on that side of the street.
Many cyclists are sound, but some are just stupid. And I've done a few amateur races in Central and Prospect Parks before I got my license.
The pedestrians who saw your accidents may have felt some hostility because too many cyclists fail to obey traffic regulations and ride with disregard for pedestrians. They may have thought, justified or not, that you had it coming. Many, many pedestrians feel some hostility towards cyclists. Stop whining, clean up your act and you'll have people on your side.
Wish I could agree with this... but unfortunately, I get all sorts of abuse hurled at me on a regular basis despite the fact that I am 100% respectful of pedestrians' right of way. I even once had a crazy bitch chase me and try to hit me with her car because I told her to slow down (she was racing down a side street, endangering pedestrians and cyclists alike). So it's not about cleaning up one's own act -- there are always going to be assholes on bikes out there messing it up for the rest of us.
it's a bike people, not a driver inside his metal cocoon.
maybe the next posting of a hit and run I should dance my jig and say the Pedestrian had it coming.
I think that the TA spokesperson has a really good point that a lot of people forget to point out. There are a ton of people that have a "me first" attitude. People really need to follow some basic rules and common sense about yielding, stepping off sidewalks, riding where you are supposed to and a general sense of not mowing people down with your car or bicycle or making yourself a target by crossing a street / bike lane before looking to see if it's safe. If everyone keeps up the "me first" attitude then "natural selection" will take it's coarse.
The TA spokescoyote would have had a good point if he remembered to include bikers in his comment. But he didn't -- just everybody else who uses the streets.
i love that nyc is becoming more bike friendly - I hope it continues 1k more. I also like having a car in nyc and dont see why bikes, cars and people cant co-exist. save for one a-hole I never had a bad experience as a walker with a bicyclist -
I think the reason bikes, cars and people can't co-exist is because you are the first person to suggest that in 33 comments, and most likely ever in the history of this debate on Gothamist. Like the quote in the article, there is a "me first" attitude (esp. in manhattan where there is massive congestion) on the streets. Also, cops like to enforce rules selectively and help perpetuate that trend.
I too get lots of abuse from motorists and pedestrians alike when I haven't done anything illegal or dangerous. I can only assume it is latent irritation with other cyclists who disobey the law and endanger peds and themselves.
"villagegal" don't be naive, a huge percentage of cyclists try everyday to lead by example as you've suggested and still we're berated and threatened because of the transgressions of other cyclists (mind you I think most real cyclists know that the worst offenses are from delivery guys, who don't seem to understand that the sidewalk is for walking).
Furthermore, you all need to calm the f down.
look at your own actions before you vilify an entire group of people. How often have you jaywalked or crossed mid-block? how often do motorists in this city flagrantly ignore public safety laws?
"Furthermore, you all need to calm the f down."
I can't calm down. I have pizzas and Chinese food and dry cleaning, and special reports to deliver. Plus I have to jog five miles twice a day. And then I have to listen to my ipod and call my coworkers to find out if they are at work and what about that quart of milk and the bottle of Windex that my girlfriend needs? All of this while I take my kids to their soccer/baseball games and then I have to make sure the SUV is washed and gassed for our weekend trip to the Hamptons. And you want me "to calm the f down?"
hear hear, snoopy. As long as those that do that stay the F off my A for choosing to NOT do likewise. AYHSMB
The city streets are Darwinian - if it weren't for stop lights and crosswalks, pedestrians wouldn't have a chance. As such, pedestrian-favoring infrastructure and respect for that infrastructure has been established, enforced and socially accepted for the most part. The bicycle - as old as it is - is a relative newcomer to this ecosystem. To accommodate cyclists, there has been little infrastructure built. Enforcement of regulations for AND against cyclists is feeble. Most of all, societal acceptance of bicycles is practically non-existent. In the resulting hostile ecosystem for cyclists, only the strong survive - unfortunately, this means the aggressive bicycle rider. For if a cyclist plays by the rules and no one else does, the outcomes usually are not so good for the cyclist.
One can look to Beijing when the bicycle was the dominant form of transportation. With strict (some would say draconian) enforcement of road rules, commuters all managed to co-exist. Until NYC has the three elements - infrastructure (i.e., bike lanes), enforcement (i.e., ticketing of double-parked vehicles and stop-light-running cyclists) and acceptance of the cyclist (i.e., pedestrians staying on the sidewalk till they have the light) - the streets will continue to be a jungle.
My two cents as a walker, cyclist and motorist.
totally agree. one of the best decisions i made recently was to buy a bike. i only ride a few days a week, but it's the most rewarding way to get around the city - it keeps you fit, allows you to explore more neighborhoods, and it costs nothing. a casual rider like me would never consider biking to work everyday, because it's simply too dangerous. i would love to have a bike-friendly nyc though - it will improve the quality of life here on so many levels.
I remember as a kid back in the mid nineteenth century when I was growing up, my grandmother told me when she watched George Washington's inauguration there was such a hustle and bustle on Broadway that there were several pedestrians struck by carriages.
And then in late 1866 or early 1867 they built a bridge over Broadway so the pedestrian could cross safely. It was short lived. But I still remember when them bicyclists started riding all over and they didn't care shit about pedestrians. I believe it was about 1894 or '95. Then the auto mobile came about and it was nice and clean without all the horse shit and flies a bothering you every day. Them's were the good old days. This was before the women had the right to vote.
There's the requisite quote from a biker-phobic pedestrian, 62-year-old Marjorie Levine: "When I, as a retired woman, walk these streets, I have fear of my safety that I will be hit by these riders and get knocked down."
Levine went on to say, "When I, as a retired woman, sit on the toilet, I have to fear that my ass will be bitten by a crododile from the sewer."
crocodile^
I don't know the statistics, but the number of bike-on-pedestrian injuries has to be tiny when compared to the number of auto-on-pedestrian fatalities, (let alone injuries).
You want to freak out about something? Freak out about cars. Thousands of gas-guzzling, smog-belching metal projectiles speeding around in our midst, many of which are being driven by goons who are not competent to operate a knife and fork. Toss in cel phones and non-existent traffic enforcement, and you have F***ING MAYHEM.
Two choice examples here:
http://gothamist.com/2009/08/19/no_charges_for_cab_driver_who_drove.php
http://gothamist.com/2009/08/19/bronx_driver_who_killed_father_indi.php
If you can't stop whizzing in your britches about cyclists jumping the sidewalk, you should demand more traffic calming roadway redesigns, plus the implementation of dedicated bike lanes on every street. When the streets are made safe for cyclists, cyclists will stop jumping the sidewalk, (okay, maybe the stupid ones won't, but they can be ticketed into submission).
I am the Marjorie Levine that is quoted in the piece from the Daily News article. The jokes are funny, but...
I want to weigh in and say I am for bike riding in the city. It is a great form of transportation. However, the bike riders are mandated by state law to follow NYS traffic laws. But, they ride through red lights at very high speeds, ride the wrong way on one-way streets, and ride on the sidewalk. This is dangerous to pedestrians. They also have been observed not following the bike lane picture signals on Ninth Avenue.
I do not see any program in place in terms of public awareness to publicize the law:
Article 34 of the New York State Vehicle & Traffic Law describes in detail the rules and regulations that are applicable to bicyclists, who can receive tickets for violations. (see www.nysdmv.com)
And yes, every day as I walk the streets I am in fear of being hit and knocked down by these reckless bicycle riders who blatantly disregard traffic laws.
How am I not right? The streets are not a free-for-all where anything goes. If laws were obeyed, it would make it safer for pedestrians and bike riders as well.