Bicycle Accidents

Published on: December 9, 2014

To avoid bicycle accidents in New York, Councilman Mark Treyger porposed a new law to ban cellphone use while bicycling

In a city like New York where traffic is dense, using a cellphone while riding a bicycle can have catastrophic consequences. After witnessing a distracted cyclist almost causing a multi-car accident because he was texting while riding his bike, Councilman Mark Treyger did some legal research and was surprised to learn that in New York there is no law prohibiting cycling and texting or cycling and calling. Therefore he decided to introduce a new bill that would ban cellphone use while bicycling and punish first time offenders with a safety class.

The NYPD says that the law isn’t really necessary. They have already issued 423 tickets this year for distracted bicycling compared to 213 last year.Bike advocates are not in favor of the new bill either. They argue that it would take police resources away from fighting other more dangerous behavior in the streets of New York.

To prevent fatal bicycle accidents in Central Park, the City cut the speed limit to 20 mph instead of 25

By GGCRBHS&M

Central%20Park.jpg
Picture: courtesy of Wikipedia

After a pedestrian was killed by a reckless cyclist in Central Park a few months ago, the city decided to lower the speed limit to 20 mph from 25 mph in Central Park. Signs will be installed in the next few days and the new speed limit will be in effect immediately after their installation is completed.

Recent NYC crash statistics show pedestrian deaths haven’t decreased and cyclists deaths have doubled between April and September despite de Blasio’s Vision Zero Initatives and Bloomberg’s previous implementation of bike lanes and safer street designs

By GGCRBHS&M

135 people died in traffic accident in New York between the beginning of April and the end of September this year compared to 134 for the same period of 2013. Despite all the Vision Zero efforts and the new street designs implemented by the Bloomberg administration, the streets of New York City remains dangerous for pedestrians, bicyclists and vehicle passengers.

The graphs presented in this post compare data from NYPD crash statistics on a 3 months basis with the blue bars representing traffic deaths in 2013 and the red bars, traffic deaths 2014.

While comparing 2014 to 2013 data, the graph below shows that most of the decline in traffic deaths happened at the end of the winter. During the good season, a slight increase of fatalities in the spring was compensated by a slight decrease during the summer.

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Published on: November 11, 2014

The Bronx River Greenway can help reduce pedestrian and bicycle accidents in the Bronx, NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

Bronx cyclists and pedestrians will soon have more space to safely walk and bike as a second stretch of the Bronx River Greenway is about to be revamped. A new bike lane and play spaces will be created along the Bronx River from E. 233rd St. to Duncomb Ave in Williamsbridge as part of a $3.25 million project.

Read more in the NY Daily News

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Picture: Bronx River Alliance

Published on: November 7, 2014

Is the “safe distance” Law effective in reducing bicycle accidents in New York State?

By GGCRBHS&M

The Merrill’s Law or “safe distance” Law was created after Merrill Cassell, a devoted cyclist, died in a bicycle accident during which he was struck by a bus that sideswiped him as he rode his bike along Route 119 in Greenburg (see video below).

The Law was enacted 5 years ago but very few tickets have been written under the Law.

In a recent article in the Lohud, Theresa Juva-Brown explains why this law offers little protection to cyclists.Read the article here.

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Published on: November 4, 2014

A man who suffered traumatic brain injury after he fell from a Citi Bike is believed to be the first person to sue the bike share program

By GGCRBHS&M

Citi%20Bike.jpg 73 year old Ronald Corvin is suing Citi Bike for the traumatic brain injury he suffered after a bicycle accident during which he fell from one of the Citi Bikes he was riding. The Citi Bike lawyer is arguing that the man should have worn an helmet. However Citi Bike stations in New York do not provide the option to rent helmets at their docking station. This option exists in Canada and in Australia where Alta, the Citi Bike operator, has installed helmet rental kiosks for their clients. Read more in the NY Daily News

It will be interesting to follow the evolution of this case as the Citi Bike program doesn’t have any insurance on their bikes. The cyclists using the share program are responsible for the damages incurred while they are using the bike. (read more here)

Published on: October 16, 2014

Since the beginning of the year the total number of traffic fatalities in NYC is down by 5.6% with pedestrian deaths down by 16.6% compared to 2013 however the number of cyclists dying in accidents has more than doubled during the same period of time

By GGCRBHS&M

167 people, including 80 pedestrians, 15 cyclists, 17 vehicle passengers and 55 motorists died in traffic accidents in New York City between the beginning of January and the end of August 2013 compared to a total of 177 including 96 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 18 vehicle passengers and 56 motorists for the same period of time in 2013. The number of motorists and passengers vehicle deaths is stable while pedestrian deaths have been declining following some intense Zero Vision campaigning. However not everything looks good in this picture: the number of cyclists dying in traffic accidents more than doubled during that time.

NYC%20traffic%20fatalities%20Agust%202014.jpg
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Published on: October 13, 2014

A Swedish model suffered severe brain injury in an accident during which she was hit by a bus while riding her bike on Roosevelt Island in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Anna%20Maria%20Mostrom%20FB.jpg 29 year old Anna Maria Mostrom, a Swedish model, was riding her bicycle on Main St., Roosevelt Island, NYC, when she was struck by a New York City bus making a left turn. The woman fell on the ground and sustained severe brain injuries. She was transported to the hospital where she already has undergone two surgeries. According to the NY Daily News, the young woman is brain dead and her prognosis is bleak.
Picture: Facebook

Published on: October 6, 2014

NYPD cop injured in another case of a pedestrian being struck by a bicyclist in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

A few weeks after a woman died after being struck by a bike in Central Park, NYC, a NYPD officer was struck by a bicyclist yesterday on the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian footpath. The officer suffered personal injury and appeared to haver a broken arm. The accident happened yesterday afternoon on a crowded path. According to the New York police, the cyclist was not arrested.

Read more in the NY Daily News

Picture: courtesy of Wikipedia Every day more than 4000 pedestrians and 3100 cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge

Published on: September 24, 2014

In a campaign to prevent bicycle accidents, Right of Way installs “20 is plenty” speed signals in Central Park

By GGCRBHS&M

Four days after Jill Tarlov was struck by a reckless cyclist and died in Central Park (see our previous post), activists from “Right of Way” took action last night by installing “20 is Plenty” signs along the Central Park Drives. (Read more about the Central Park Campaign here)

The actual speed limit in New York parks is 25 MPH but activists believe it should be reduced. Mark Levine, the City Council’s park committee chairman also shares this point of view. Yesterday he called for a reduction of the speed limit in all New York Parks for both motor vehicles and bicycles. Mr. Levine also believes that Central Park and Prospect Park should be completely car free as cars are a much bigger threat to pedestrians than bicycles. (Read more here)