File photo by Stephen Harmon.
A series of bicycle crashes around 72nd Street inside Central Park brought out a large police presence on Monday, as one of the crashes left a cyclist in critical condition.
The cyclist, who was on an e-bike, crashed into an elderly pedestrian who was walking in the crosswalk on Terrace Drive — the road that runs through the park east to west at 72nd — according to the Daily News. The cyclist appeared to suffer head injuries, a witness told the newspaper. Three other bicycle crashes also occurred “within feet of the crash,” the News reported.
A CBS News reporter covering the e-bike crash witnessed at least one of them as she stood there.
“As police investigated the incident, a woman was hit by a cyclist as she rode her bike with a group in almost the same area. Moments later, Mike Ryan wiped out on his bike right in front of CBS2’s crew.
Police stood in the roadway afterwards, cautioning cyclists to slow down. “Yo, yo, stop your bike right there, stop,” one officer told a cyclist. “One, you got headphones on. That’s against the law. Two, you’re riding like a maniac.”
Central Park has gotten crazy. With more and more cyclists speeding through as well as e-bikes and other motorized skateboards and such, combined with more and more dogs off-leash at all hours of the day, combined with clueless tourists – accidents waiting to happen.
Chuck D that was the funniest comment! Sad but true! I love biking but it’s far too dangerous in this city to do so.
And let’s remember the many thoughtless individuals inside the park, who vape or smoke cigarettes and litter the butts to the ground! There’s a $150.00 fine for breaking those rules – spread the word. “If you see something, say something!”
I’ve been here only eight years, and the atmosphere in the beautiful park has changed dramatically — indeed crazy!!
I think you are missing his point.m
so you went from talking about speeding cyclists to the people who are
(checks notes)
*vaping*?
Seriously?
I would gladly walk through 117 smokers on either East or West drive instead of playing hopscotch trying to maneuver around the packs of spandex wearing Lance Armstrong-wanna-be’s
Yes!!!
Well said!!
I am a cyclist and I will NEVER ride in Central Park during the day. It is way to congested. It happens to be that the intersection at issue (72nd and East Drive) is terrible and a problem. It is on a downhill after a curve, and you have the 72nd entrance path merging into the East Drive, so you have massive traffic from two directions merging together. Just watch the CBS video. Most cyclists are tourists and recreational riders riding fairly slowly and safely. But you also have pedestrians/joggers in the mix (even though there are separate lanes for each). And horses. And then you also have numskulls with headphones, teenagers and the random e-bike, weaving around all that traffic. Thats how accidents occur.
The fact is that the “speedsters” and “lance armstrong wannabees” stay out of the park during the day — they ride early AM or the evening. They aren’t the problem. Its the mass of humanity that all want to use the park at the same time.
Btw, the guy with headphones in the video was not riding like a maniac. But he was foolishly wearing headphones.
Stu, you are so wrong! The speedsters and cyclists are always present and thoughtless. They never stop for lights and are a hazard. They act if they own the road. They are rude and don’t follow the rules of the road at any time of the day. I wish they would be kicked out for good.
In 25 years of walking Central Park I can only recall one occasion on which a cyclist on the drive stopped when they had a red light. 99.999% of cyclists fail to yield the right of way to pedestrians even when they have a red signal. The problem is the cyclists and their failure to understand the vast difference between two pedestrians bumping into each other and a bike hitting a pedestrian. It is speed, not mass that drives the kinematics of trauma. I don’t think cyclists intend to be reckless. I’m going to repeat that. I don’t think cyclists intend to be reckless. I believe that they believe they are riding safely but that their yardstick of what is safe in NYC is miscalibrated.
“Humanity” is not the problem. It’s the cyclists. I walk in the park during the day and the number of cyclists who are speeding, riding the wrong way, riding in the pedestrian lanes, ignoring traffic lights, or on their phones or headphones keeps increasing. I have been hit once and come close a couple of other times. It’s especially bad when cyclists race around hills so pedestrians can’t see them coming. It is no longer pleasant or relaxing to walk in the park because pedestrians must be super vigilant. Cyclists in and out of the park are out of control, and it’s rime to start enforcing the law.
I also walk daily in the park, and your hyperbole is not helpful. You make it seem like there are dozens and dozens of reckless cyclists terrorizing the park. Ridiculous. Yes, you do have random reckless riders, but the problem is the vast increase in overall usage of the park drives since they banned cars, many of whom are oblivious to others around them.
I really want someone to study the effects that spandex shorts have on the human brain. It seems to cause this CTE-like aggression in MOST cyclists.
It is called MAMIL syndrome = Middle Aged Male in Lycra syndrome – pronounced same as mammel. Thel lycra cuts off the oxygen supply and impairs decision-making as well as elevates one’s desires over all others’ well-being. The outbreaks tend to cluster in parks and any walkways where pedestrians and cyclists must share road.
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It’s true. Too many cyclists ride too fast in Central Park. I saw a speeding spandex-clad rider hit a 4 year old girl a couple years ago. The guy felt terrible, but he also could’ve prevented it. I just hope the police focus on speed and riding recklessly & not other issues like wearing headphones and riding through traffic lights in the park (as long as it’s done safely). It’s excessive speed (and the inability to stop/swerve in a crowded park) that mainly causes crashes like this. And if you’re not going too fast, you’re unlikely to seriously hurt people if you do have an accident. People need to understand that Central Park isn’t an appropriate place to race through on your ebike or practice for the Tour de France.
Mike – 99% of the spandex crew use the park on off hours, because it is too congested during the day. Yes, you have a few jerks who weave around the mass of humanity — pedestrians, joggers, cyclists, pedicabs, horses etc etc — but the problem is congestion and lack of regard for other people. Folks looking at their phones while walking or riding. People running across the drive without looking and unawares.
Again, not condoning or apologizing for the jerks are ride recklessly. But they are a small part of the population using the park.
Are you like a paid PR guy for the biking lobby or something?!? Jeez!!
I jog in Central Park everyday, during the day, early afternoon and you are just wrong sorry.
The Spandex guys are 100x worse than the tourists, pedi-cabs, citibikers, etc. Weaving all over the place, crossing over into the running lanes, treating people and other vehicles as obstacles, not to mention traveling at speeds that are clearly dangerous in this environment.
Should I go on? You clearly have an agenda here.
The intersection at 72nd street on the East Side is hazardous and needs to be redesigned. Cyclists, runners and pedestrians crossing the park eastbound on 72nd street transverse who want to exit the park at East 72nd street have to go south against northbound traffic flow and then cut across a full lane of traffic to go towards the exit at 72nd and Fifth. Don’t believe there is any kind of stop sign or traffic signal on the 72nd street transverse warning of oncoming traffic flow. Its no wonder that there are accidents at that intersection. While there are North/South bike lanes in Central Park, there are very few ways to travel East/West other than at 102nd street and, unfortunately, at 72nd street. By the way, the picture that accompanies this article showing a group of riders on racing bikes is misleading. Click on the links in the articles and you can see pictures of individual riders on non-racing bikes. Most group riders on racing bikes skip the 72nd street transverse and ride on the south and north drives below 72nd.
City dwellers pretending they are in the Tour de France have taken to these racing bikes that literally do not have breaks. The first thing the city can do to curb speeding cyclists and protect cycling for safe riders is ban racing bakes.
Racing bakes is a sport I can definitely get in to.
Brakes, not breaks…
I’m a senior cyclist who used to love riding in the park. It’s way too crowded now and scary. The number of reckless and wild cyclists have ruined it for everyone. The racers should be given a window (early or late) in which to ride. They can be very intimidating when they silently whizz by within an inch of you. We need civility and enforcement of the rules so our beautiful park can be shared by all.
They have disk brakes, just like your car. Only track bikes don’t have brakes.
You are referring to track bikes. I agree that folks who want to “do laps” in the park should be required to do it during a specified time. The city should impose the times for “laps”. Just like a pool. Early morning or evening. Daytime is for “general swim” so to speak.
Most cyclists who do laps already avoid the park during the day, but the city should still impose this rule.
It’s not much better in Riverside Park. The cyclists are insane and do not yield to pedestrians when you try to enter the park at the ramp below W 68th st. I watched 10 cyclists blow through the crosswalk without even slowing down, as if we were invisible. Also, saw adult cyclists barreling down Riverside Blvd going south on THE SIDEWALK. One idiot came within a couple of inches of me. I need eyes in back, front and side of head. We need more of a police presence. I think I would more likely get hit by a cyclist now than a car.
Riverside Park is just as bad as Central Park as far as the Speedo crowd goes. They rarely stop to let a pedestrian cross at the ramp to the Pier 1 Cafe. Also dog owners (including pit bull owners) walk around like they own the place with their dogs off leash. No enforcement of the laws-I never see anyone ticketed.
I agree with you that cyclists need to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalk and on shared paths, and generally ride at safe speeds. I’m not sure that “more cops” is the answer, because cops tend to enforce the laws on cyclists in stupid and meaningless ways (for instance, ticketing someone who runs a red light when there are no cars or pedestrians coming, but not ticketing someone riding 25mph on an ebike going the wrong way). I think the solution is to come up with an enforcement code that actually corresponds with how responsible cyclists behave, and then ticket the minority of reckless people.
Also, despite the fact that a lot of people ride like absolute morons, statistically you are much, much more likely to be injured by a car than a bike. This is mostly because cars are large, go fast, have huge blind spots, and weigh two tons. So I think that encouraging people to bike instead of driving will improve pedestrian safety.
I live by Riverside Park and cyclists NEVER stop at a red light, even with many pedestrians in the crosswalk. Super dangerous.
I agree with you 100%
What did the city expect, when bike lanes were introduced; promoted bike sharing; and banned cars from CP. As an avid runner and user of CP for over 50 years, I honestly felt safer when cars were using the park. The presence of cars slowed down bikers and made the walking pedestrian more aware of their surroundings. Bikers feel they own the park and are not afraid to speed. I’d rather get hit by a car than a speeding biker!
I’ve said it back then and will say it now again, the situation will only grow worse, as the city implements more bike lanes throughout the avenues. These accidents will become more common, and sadly not just in parks.
Ps: we are about 10-15 years away from banning bikes in CP (during peak rush hour at first, then completely). You heard it here first!
I agree with your view completely.
It is sane and correct.
I email Helen Rosenthall, city council rep, nearly daily about how encouraging biking in an already congested city has already led to, and will lead to even more, injuries and deaths.
These “bike advocates” are delusional.
I fear the only solution may be to vote Republican in all local elections. Perhaps they will understand that.
My dog was hit by a cyclist a couple of weeks ago. Actually, my dog was standing still and the cyclists, who was looking at her iPhone on the handle bars, ran into him. She then proceeded to yell at me. A park ranger came up and lectured me. Off she went. Off he went. I just wasn’t in the mood to fight it, but I walk in the park every day. Bikers are out of control. Riding at high speeds. Blowing through lights, riding ebikes at high speeds, and if you say anything you get trashed.
I’ve ridden my bike in the city my whole life. It’s the worst it’s ever been. Time to reign it in.
My 1st suggestion is high speed training should only be allowed in the park between 6-7am. After that bikes should be restricted to 5 mph.
Was your dog on a leash?
I’ve seen that owner with that dog and he never leased the dog not even on the sidewalks and always getting in trouble with other dogs maybe the dig is better off away from that so called responsible owner.
Maybe CB7 needs to build bike lanes in the park also to protect the bikers from themselves.
Could it be any clearer who the real problem is? It’s bikes not vehicles or pedestrians.
Judging from the Daily News photo, that electric bike is a throttle controlled bike. The state recently removed restrictions on such bikes; they are legally allowed to go 25 mph, same as the city speed limit for cars.
DeBlasio has mentioned preventing such bikes from using bike lanes (of which Central Park – off limits to cars – counts), but we all know that’s not going to be sufficiently enforced.
Throttle controlled e-bikes should remain illegal in NYC. Why are we letting what unlicensed, uninsured motorcycles, which move silently and are very frequently ridden against one-way streets, mix with pedal cyclists and pedestrians?
Common sense should dictate the rules in Central Park. eBikes + scooters should be forbidden. Crazed and unlawful cyclists should be ticketed as should any cyclist riding on path, riding in the pedestrian lane on the roads, using a cellphone or recording device while in motion and/or going in the wrong direction.
E bikes should be registered, with license plates, and insured.
And prohibited from using bike lanes.
All the criticism aimed at “spandex-clad” cyclists…clearly none of you bothered to watch the news reel. There were three crashes:
1. A delivery person on an e-bike crashed into a pedestrian.
2. What looks like a tourist on a rental bike crashed.
3. A guy who holding his phone and admitted he wiped out because he was using Snapchat while riding his bicycle.
West Side Rag – change your photo. You’re unnecessarily encouraging the usual ill-informed rants against “spandex-clad” cyclists.
Just back from the park. My experience:
1) Entering the Bridle Path at 90th St, in the crosswalk with a green light, I was buzzed by 3 middle-aged spandex-clad cyclists (2 males, one female, all inappropirately stuffed into cycling suits that might have fit 15 years ago), who didn’t stop, slow down, or deviate their path, as the blew through a red light with pedesstrians in the cross walk. Extremely dangerous.
2) Exiting the Bridle Path, near the playground at 90th St in a crosswalk with a green light, I saw a 30-something male commuter-cyclist dressed in a suit blow threw a red light behind me at a high rate of speed. He neither slowed, nor deviated his course.
3) Exiting the park, I observed a 60-ish woman in casual business attire pedal through a red light at a moderate rate of speed.
These were not tourists, nor delivery peronnel, nor young teen males who think they are immortyal. They were feral adult cyclists not stopping at red lights, running through x-walks at unsafe speeds, not altering their path for pedeistrians; old enough to know better, too self-absorbed to care.
This is epidemic, and our politicians do NOTHING to make the streets safer for pedestrians. Indeed, they make the streets more dangerous, by opening them up to even more cyclists. No safety campaigns, no traffic safety initiatives, no enforcement.
I also just came back from walking through the park. I experienced many cyclists, all of whom but two were tourists, recreational riders and the like. I saw two cyclists wearing “spandex”. Most cyclists did not stop at the lights. Most of the recreational riders rode spread along the path in groups, at a relatively slow rate of speed, and generally not paying attention to the bike lane markings. The “spandex” cyclists rode in the bike path lane at faster speeds (but not excessive). I had maybe 15 bikes pass me within two feet of me.
Nobody “blew” through the red lights. They road continuously along the path, through the red lights, like joggers do. None came even close to riding recklessly. The ones that “buzzed” me, were completely aware of their riding, and had about as much chance of hitting me as a jogger who would run by me at the same distance.
I am not defending reckless cyclists. They exist. They should be off the roads. But all this hyperbole about “speed demons”, “blowing through red lights” etc etc. is not helpful. Cyclists have as much, if not more, at risk when hitting a pedestrian. They get as badly or more hurt. That is why most of these cyclists — particularly the experienced ones wearing “spandex” — are actually super careful and safe. In fact, most experienced cyclists don’t ride in Central Park during the day – because of all the pedestrians and other traffic.
We all need to be careful. I don’t meander on the drive wearing headphones, looking at my phone. That is reckless. But I see as many pedestrians doing that as I do cyclists acting recklessly. Speed riding (ie laps) should be reserved for early AM or evening hours. And only in the bike lane. But during the day, the park is crowded and we all need to be mindful of each other.
Wholeheartedly concur on all counts.
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Wouldn’t matter…
You just say the word ‘bikes’ on this blog and the folks will tell you about this one time a spandex biker kicked their dog while recording it on snapcat and riding the wrong way.
Facts don’t matter to a lot of people. This blog and many of the comments are proof of that.
We have an abundance of underused dedicated bicycle lanes throughout the city, cyclists should be prohibited from parks now.
I have long felt that Central Park has been taken over by cyclists. A pedestrian risks her life trying to cross from one side of the road to the other. This is especially bad on weekends. Cyclists should not be allowed to race and they should have to obey bicycle traffic sings so that pedestrians can safely walk the park. Central Park doesn’t belong only to cyclists. It’s my park too, you know!
My experience as a pedestrian who us VERY cautious crossing streets in Central Park is that the bikes do not stop for red lights. It’s no different than on city streets. You have to look both ways. Pedestrians have been blamed for crossing against the light but it’s simply not true. The bikes NEVER stop. Period.
It isn’t just Central Park. I’ve felt the near-miss whoosh of cyclists almost hitting me as they run red lights twice in just the last two weeks while crossing the street (legally) on Riverside Drive. Middle of the day.
When will pedestrians be considered, prioritized and have safe use of sidewalks, when the powers that be allocate the flow of traffic in New York City. This ain’t Iowa!!
Agreed. And these biker zealots and bullies like Tom DeVito and his Transportation Alternatives only care about bikers, not pedestrians. Most pedestrian accidents by bicyclists are underreported, and police rarely show up. Not is there any insurance requirements or licensing like many other cities require. i had a friend hit by a bicyclist who didn’t stop not did police show up. His medical bills And injury were substan. And this kind of problem is only gaining velocity as bikers get a free ride on our backs.
The cyclists are a danger to pedestrians crossing streets when often cyclists especially delivery riders go the wrong way on the streets and go WAY TOO FAST! The parks, both Riverside and Central Park are dangerous to pedestrians, especially if you’re walking your dog or have a small child. The city needs to start requiring license plates on all these bikes of whatever kind and start issuing tickets and put speed limits for bikers. Right now they think they own the streets and parks. Ridiculous and dangerous.
These accidents will increase unless cyclists take a safety course and understand that they are “moving vehicles”. Pedestrians always have the right of way. In the last week I came close to being hit twice. Once crossing with the light in my favor. The cyclist blew through the red light and yelled at me. Second time crossing 14th St. waited for the light and safely reached the sidewalk only to be buzzed within an inch of my life by a cyclist ON THE SIDEWALK.
Bike lanes are great but do not give cyclists unlimited power to do anything they want.
There should be a speed limit for e-bikes. They zoom past me on my commuter bike all the time. It’s a park and you many people treat it like an open road.
I walk/run in Central Park almost every day and am constantly amazed that so many bike riders think of the Park as their personal racetrack. They weave through other riders as well as pedestrians without even trying to slow down. In fact, they become abusive and aggressive when folks don’t scatter quickly enough. Some police enforcement is certainly needed as courtesy and perhaps sanity seem to have gone out the window.
No one wants to hear about cyclists who disobey traffic laws. Everyone wants to blame drivers. No one blinks an eye at cellphone wielding pedestrians… and no one is willing to give in.
This is very discouraging and dangerous.
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The second paragraph of this article mentions that the cyclist appeared to suffer head injuries. There is no mention of what happened to the elderly pedestrian. Just how many people are injured by bicyclists? You do not have to die to have your life seriously impacted if you are hit by a bike. Broken pelvis, broken legs, sever head trauma–I have friends who have suffered these injuries and more. The city should find a way to track these injuries too.
I hope he was OK! If I had to guess, I would suspect he wasn’t too badly injured, though. If he had been injured I think they would have mentioned it; the only reason (besides incompetence) I can think that they wouldn’t mention it is if he walked away without assistance.
It’s hard to say for sure, but what I would guess is that the cyclist hit him with the handlebar, since those accidents tend to be really nasty for the cyclist (their wheel turns and they fall over) but not too bad for the pedestrian. That said, if the man did escape unscathed, luck had a lot to do with it.
Though I’m completely sympathetic to bicyclists hit by cars this is the first of heard any empathy for pedestrians who are often MENACED by folks on their bicycle. Even cursed at and give the finger for daring to walk when and where it’s legal to do so. They go the wrong way on one way streets or in the wrong lane. Think they own the streets. And that’s not including delivery guys doing the same coming out of nowhere against the light in pedestrian crossings. It’s life threatening to be a pedestrian these days. Not to mention all the cars that must dash through a red light. People matter!!!!
And it’s not just bikes. At the end of that CBS video, you can clearly see bikers going on the green light who have to swerve to avoid clueless pedestrians walking across on red. Everyone needs to start paying attention to others who are also using our byways and use some common sense. Whatever happened to driving (walking, riding) defensively?
If a cyclist has to swerve or shout, s/he’s going too fast.
Wrong. If a car honks at a pedestrian jay-walking in the middle of the street or against the light, you wouldn’t fault the driver for honking. Cyclists should ride at prudent speeds and obey the traffic lights. Pedestrians should also obey the traffic signals and stop meandering in the middle of bike paths.
Repeat: If a cyclist has to shout or swerve to avoid pedestirans in a crosswalk he or she is going too fast. Period, full stop, point.
Cyclists bear more resonsibility because they can inflict more damage on a pedestrian.
Ridiculous. Everyone is responsible for their own behavior. If I’m on a bicycle, going through the crosswalk with the light, and a pedestrian steps out into my path against the light, that pedestrian is 100% at fault for what ensues.
Aha! Now I understand why protected bike lanes are needed on Central Park West!
Cyclist never follow traffic lights, traffic laws or right away for pedestrians .
The way the cyclists ride is pure insanity and makes Central Park Pleasant for everyone else from sun up to sundown
It looks as if Central Park roadways was designated part of Tour de France .
I run, cycle, and walk in the park almost every single day. I am vigilant at all times. Simply put, yes there are some people who disregard the rules but there are not many of them. I agree with one post here regarding the “tour de france” group – the large majority of them cycle in the morning – very early! The majority of problems stem from the electric bikes/scooters/skateboards and also tourists, who are not told what the rules are or do not understand. The park can be shared by all and accidents are going to happen. Let’s not throw stones in anger and let’s try to work together and make it better for everyone. Community boards and police should come up with a plan and implement it with proper research and legitimate applicability.
P.s. – Best term heard recently about tourists – Tourons
Wild that I had to come down so far to find a reasonable comment. Yeah, cyclists are aware that we have a subsect of middle aged spandex jerks living their Tour de France fantasy, as well as a subsect of idiots who don’t look at lights. When I go into Central Park on the weekends, I stop at red lights when peds are trying to cross and tell other cyclists off when they’re being dangerous. However, tourists really need a course on how to manage their bikes and to stay off their phones – the phone thing goes for pedestrians and city cyclists as well. It’s a bit of a chicken and egg problem because peds will cross whenever they can since cyclists aren’t stopping on reds because pedestrians go whenever. I can’t do much as one person but at least I can tell someone else to stop being an ass – maybe it’ll do something, probably not, but we need to be more mindful of sharing space overall.
I saw plenty of speedsters today at 11:30 am–hardly early morning. Also ambulance on Park Drive around 81st yesterday, clearly after a cycle accident. So this is widespread….
Ban the bicycles!
This is a walking subway city.
The bicycles are a danger, a nuisance, and everyone
i know thinks so.
Consensus of opinion: Ban the Bicycles!
Let’s not overlook the bikes on the pedestrian passageways on Riverside Drive. Bikes need to be banned entirely on the path from 72nd to 79th street which encompasses both basketball courts and a child’s playground. Not only are kids in danger but senior citizens walking on this stretch are taking their lives in their hands.
why aren’t the police ticketing the bikers? Enough giving bikes free resign within our City. While on the subject bikes should be registered within the City and before being registered show proper insurance. The City is not being responsible and obviously bikes have demonstrated free reign to drive where they want to, how fast they want…..in other words they are given the right to endanger the public.
The key problem is that most cyclists don’t obey the pedestrian signal lights in Central Park. Where I enter the park most days at 90th and CPW, cyclists fly through the pedestrian intersection and the vast majority of them ignore the red light. I myself, as a pedestrian, have given up waiting for the green WALK light because if I waited around for the cyclists to actually stop for a red light, I’d never move anywhere. Why can’t we have better enforcement of the traffic signals? Or else just take them down–they confuse tourists who do obediently pause at them, only to be yelled at by speeding local cyclists. Unenforced, they only add to the overall chaos.
Re police ticketing bike riders: Do the latter have to carry I.D. and/or license their bikes? Same question re dog owners, because how do you ticket someone with no I.D.? As a cat-owning pedestrian, I’ve never noticed whether dogs and bikes are licensed, allowing those responsible to be fined when they are speeding or their dogs are off-leash at the wrong time.
(Yeah, OK, make fun of me for not knowing…but I’ve only lived here for, like, 35 years, what do you expect?)
When are the police in Central Park going to do something about speeding cyclists and ones who disregard traffic signals and don’t yield to pedestrians
Riverside Park needs cops every weekend at the entrance to the park. It’s almost impossible to enter by Pier I because the insane cyclists don’t yield or stop for pedestrians. We also need a STOP SIGN there and cameras. Someone is going to die there.
We all know auto drivers ticketed for speeding or breaking other laws. I myself have received a ticket for jaywalking.
Anyone ever know of a bicyclist who was ticketed for speeding, going against a light, riding on the sidewalk or any act that endangers others?
Bicycling has become a life-threatening nuisance here, with no accountability for riders. They should be licensed, insured and tested to cut the problem to size.
Of course. I know and witnessed many cyclists who have received tickets. Cops are out all the time. First offense is $190!
Ticket schmicket. Cyclists who ignore traffic lights, stop signs and elderly pedestrians playing Dodge’Em as they try to cross the C.P. roads will also ignore tickets.
Authorize the police to confiscate the bikes of irresponsible riders on the spot and see how fast the roads become civil again.
Set up roadblocks at strategic spots on the roadways and watch bike traffic slow down.
I am guessing that most upper west siders want some type of restrictions on the types of guns that can be sold – guns that can rapidly shoot many times without being reloaded are extremely dangerous and should be banned.
Similarly, there should be restrictions on the types of high speed bikes that seem to cause a lot of the problems. I do not think they should be banned. However, they should be registered and tracked so that if they are being used in an improper way, it is easy to penalize the owner.
One possible solution is to just confiscate them. I would love to see a spandex boy doing the walk of shame home in his clip-on shoes without his bike, with everyone knowing why he was doing this.
Regardless, there needs to be more enforcement. And similarly, there needs to be more enforcement of reckless pedestrians – there should also be penalties for walking with your head buried in your phone.
What about the electric bikes that go forty miles an hour? Saw one on the park drive just the other day. Traveling faster than cars are allowed to travel.
I bike in CP – I always let pedestrians cross when I have a red light. If no one is crossing, I will go through it, and not a a high speed. That’s the extent of my bad behavior. Having said that, I would like to point out that countless pedestrians casually cross on THEIR red lights, AND where there are no marked crossings. When I leave the park and ride on streets, I constantly have to deal with pedestrians crossing against the light because there are no cars coming. When they see me (if they do), some will slow down or stop, and some keep walking. Finally, anyone (pedestrian or cyclist) looking at a phone while walking or riding deserves to be hit.
Perfectly said Paul.
I commute on my bike and use it to run errands and yield to pedestrians whether they have the light or not. If nobody is using the crosswalk and I have the red light I carefully ride through it just as I carefully walk through the red light when I am a pedestrian.
The racer boys coming from NJ and CT, the super fast e-bike delivery guys and even the pedicabs (you know those are all electric powered right?) are the big problem. Also too many people riding with headphones or holding up their phones doing facetime or facebook or whatever. The tourists, though generally clueless about riding, and the regular NYC commuters generally ride at safe speeds with courtesy and respect for the safety of others as well as their own safety.
City council came up with a new law for Pedestrians to share the green light leadtime with cyclists. they will be between us crossing streets. Many of us walking children home from school on that block on 63rd St. and third Avenue. many seniors and disabled on their way to the subway station or to the supermarket on that corner. This is so dangerous. Why are the pedestrians not being treated as first class citizens. Enough!Get registration and insurance as bike-Ped reported accidents are up to 170 so far. This has to stop.
A good way to slow cyclists would be to place traffic cones in the crosswalk. Likewise, traffic cones would make cyclists dismount at the entrance to park footpaths.
As a frequent walker in the park, I often have to jump as a cyclist brushes by me on a footpath.
Yesterday a Man walking the Dog did not wait for the light,and cross anyway in W 72 , he was lucky a group experienced rider avoid him, we all need to do little work ,in every corner on the city pedestrian are not waiting in the side walk to cross,they will not wait in Cenatral Park .
Time to issue tickets with fines. They never stop for red lights. Why are they permitted to get away with this. Police should be stationed at busy crosswalks that have lights and start ticketing these cyclists. Pedestrians have rights.. I’m tired of waiting at the light for them to go by..
As of Monday, there had been 169 pedestrians recorded as injured by cyclists in the first 8 months of 2019. This is a 14% increase in reporting over the same time last year.
While it is possible that this number simply represents a significant increase in reporting over last year, it is likely that this number represents an underestimation as most bicycle-pedestrian incidents go unreported.
Exactly. If there’s no police report it’s unreported. I know many doctors who practice at Cornell & Special Surgery. They will tell you of the high numbers of people admitted as victims of bike accidents.
How about banning bikes from the park since they are getting dedicated lanes on public streets.
They do not need the park to ride anymore….
Speed Bumps at all crosswalks would slow every biker down(In the park and all bike lanes)
YES – A practical compromise: SPEED BUMPS AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS IN CP. That will prevent the racers from speeding through lights, and force others to at least slow down to a crawl whether or not they then go through the light. AND it doesn’t require a police presence. The only down side is that if the light is green for traffic, it requires slowdowns anyway. So maybe just put them south of 72nd Street.
Bicycles and e-bikes are so out of control on the city streets and Central Park. Just yesterday at 77-year-old man was taken to the hospital hit by a E-bike in Central Park on the West Drive near the Delacorte Theater it would be parallel with W. 81st St.
“The bike was an E bike” why aren’t they not licensed and registered with the city and state…they can go up to 60 miles an hour… do you know what a force of metal at 60 miles an hour can do to pedestrians!
Most of the Bikers in this city have no regard for pedestrians!!!!