NYPD Launches Crackdown Amid Spike in Cyclists Deaths

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/07/...p-riders-safe/

Streetsclog won't admit that even if every street and avenue in NYC had a segregated bike lane, the intersections would still be unprotected, and that's where the vast majority of crashes happen.

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

Streetsclog won't admit that even if every street and avenue in NYC had a segregated bike lane, the intersections would still be unprotected, and that's where the vast majority of crashes happen.

You can't have safe, segregated bike lanes when 90% of the cities inhabitants deny their existence.

[SlowPokePete]

Tuesday riding in Manhattan...

one of MANY times the bike lane was blocked.

July 16, 2019 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

That's my bike messenger friend Danee ahead of me...

SPP

[Dead Man]

Originally Posted by SlowPokePete

Tuesday riding in Manhattan...

one of MANY times the bike lane was blocked.

July 16, 2019 by SPP™ SlowPokePete, on Flickr

That's my bike messenger friend Danee ahead of me...

SPP

is there no citizen citation process in place in new york, or are city vehicles exempt from traffic and parking rules? i can tell you this sort of thing would never fly as a general practice in Portland- cyclist citizens would be citing PPB right out of their budget

[SlowPokePete]

If you're on Instagram check out @onthebikelane

SPP

[tctyres]

Another cyclist squished.
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/07/...18-fatalities/

The map of cyclists hit in Brooklyn is really sad.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by tctyres

Another cyclist squished.
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/07/...18-fatalities/

The map of cyclists hit in Brooklyn is really sad.

The cyclist killed yesterday was riding with no front brake. Even if her bike was a fixed gear, that's not safe.

[sonicCows]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

The cyclist killed yesterday was riding with no front brake. Even if her bike was a fixed gear, that's not safe.

Thanks for pointing that out. But, there's a lever for a rear brake there on the handlebar. Sure it's unsafe, but does it sound like a lack of front brake affected anything the rider could have done to avoid being killed? If there were laws governing bicycle setup–would you rather have NYPD stopping every cyclist to ensure they have reflectors and bells, ticketing you if you didn't? Or a city-wide licensing scheme with bicycle inspections and renewals to make sure your bike was up to standards?

[jdp211]

Originally Posted by fiamme red

The cyclist killed yesterday was riding with no front brake. Even if her bike was a fixed gear, that's not safe.

How about, don't victim blame. A working front brake wouldn't have changed the circumstance (as reported). The cyclist was avoiding a door opened illegally into the bike lane.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by sonicCows

Thanks for pointing that out. But, there's a lever for a rear brake there on the handlebar. Sure it's unsafe, but does it sound like a lack of front brake affected anything the rider could have done to avoid being killed?

Yes, she might have been able to slow down and stop, rather than swerving around the open car door into traffic.

[benb]

Lack of a front brake is 100% relevant in this accident...

Lack of front brake means stopping distance is instantly 2X further than a bike with 2 properly functioning brakes. Two good brakes may have given the rider the option to stop without hitting the car door and to have turned the whole thing into a non-incident.

I get the outrage though.. no matter what stuff is going to happen and the atmosphere sure does seem to have gotten hostile.

I think I was a bit combative in this thread earlier this summer, I'd say sorry for that.. last month I had a car try and push me into the curb commuting. Cars were stopped and I was passing by on the shoulder and a driver turned their car at the last minute to squeeze me into the curb. I absolutely would have crashed and gotten hurt if I didn't have a front brake. I was able to stop before hitting him or the curb but I was at the rear wheel of the car. Gave the window a good slap... scary situation, it made me think of this thread. It was extremely bad behavior by the driver. I live in a small town, it'd have been interesting what would have happened if I'd crashed and had to call the police. The town is small enough I have talked to just about every officer in the department at town events, etc..

Maybe in my head but when I had a fixed gear bike I only had a front brake. That's not as bad as only a rear brake but I always felt like that bike always stopped poorly compared to a non-fixie, even when I braked with my legs and used the front brake at the same time.

This stuff is why some of us are so persnickety about our brake setups.

[fiamme red]

Originally Posted by jdp211

How about, don't victim blame. A working front brake wouldn't have changed the circumstance (as reported). The cyclist was avoiding a door opened illegally into the bike lane.

The driver who opened the door was certainly at fault, but the cyclist might have lived if she wasn't riding in the door zone with no front brake.

[seanile]

how about we focus on the fact that a door was opened into a rider and catapulted them in front of a semi-truck. a ****ing front brake would not have changed that. jfc

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by jdp211

How about, don't victim blame. A working front brake wouldn't have changed the circumstance (as reported). The cyclist was avoiding a door opened illegally into the bike lane.

+1 Not sure what a brake does in this situation or even if it's indicative of anything about the cyclist. What we know is that there is no bike lane, and the woman was riding a beater. I think that's about it.

Had the police issued a summons for failure to look before opening the door, that would have opened up an insurance settlement. One sad part here is the reaction of the police to do nothing and then be "joking around" about it.

[rallizes]

Originally Posted by seanile

how about we focus on the fact that a door was opened into a rider and catapulted them in front of a semi-truck. a ****ing front brake would not have changed that. jfc

Exactly