By Carol Tannenhauser
A 34-year-old woman, jogging southbound on West Drive in Central Park, was struck from behind and critically injured by a bicyclist, on Wednesday morning at 7:54 am, police told WSR. “She was near West 66th Street when a 50-year-old man on a bicycle hit her. She was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition, while the bicyclist remained on the scene.”
We’ll update when more information comes in.
By Carol Tannenhauser
A 34-year-old woman, jogging southbound on West Drive in Central Park, was struck from behind and critically injured by a bicyclist, on Wednesday morning at 7:54 am, police told WSR. “She was near West 66th Street when a 50-year-old man on a bicycle hit her. She was taken to New York Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition, while the bicyclist remained on the scene.”
We’ll update when more information comes in.
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While we don’t know the details of this specific case, it’s worth pointing out that cyclists IGNORE the red lights in the park. They just go right through them at a high rate of speed.
I frequently ride in Central Park. Pedestrians cross the roadway against the lights with as much frequency as I see cyclists ignore red lights. And “struck from behind” implies that both were traveling in the same direction, so a traffic light would have been irrelevant.
1) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
2) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
3) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
That’s New York State Law.
No it’s not. Pedestrians have the right of way where there are no other indications. If a pedestrian is in an intersection where there is a ‘don’t walk’ sign, and chooses to cross the street, they don’t have the right of way. The vehicle that has the green light does. In fact, there’s a term for that, ‘jaywalking’. Jaywalking is against the law, even if that law is seldom enforced in NYC. If the pedestrian always has the right of way, we wouldn’t need street lights, would we?
In Boston pedestrians always have the right away. Even if they are jaywalking and the light is green the car or bicycle will be at fault.
“Pedestrians have the right of way in all crosswalks and at intersections with marked or unmarked crosswalks. If an intersection is equipped with a pedestrian traffic signal, they should cross during the “Walk” phase of the signal.” – http://www.ny.gov
Key word, SHOULD.
Know your law.
Let’s play “know your law” the way it SHOULD be played:
NY Veh & Traf L § 1112
1112. Pedestrian-control / signals
require:
(a) Steady WALK or walking person. Cross the roadway in the direction of the signal; pedestrians shall be given right of way by traffic.
(b) Flashing DONT WALK or upraised hand. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but pedestrians who have partially completed their crossing on the shall continue to the sidewalk or nearest safety island.
(c) Steady DONT WALK or upraised hand. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but pedestrians who have partially completed their crossing on the WALK or flashing DONT WALK shall continue to the sidewalk or nearest safety island.
NY Veh & Traf L § 1151
1151. Pedestrians’ right of way in crosswalks. (a) When traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk on the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, except that any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overpass has been provided shall yield the right of way to all vehicles.
(b) No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impractical for the driver to yield.
(c) Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.
According to both of these laws together, traffic signals take precedence over any other markings, including crosswalks. So, I agree with you – know your law.
You are right. I should have said, “Know your practice of law.”
As Nathan points out: Pedestrians always have the right of way.
Pedestrians cross against the light because there is no crossing WITH the light! I’ve stood there for full green lights with zero opportunity to cross because of bikers speeding through. Finally I give up and play Frogger when the bikes thin out (even if that’s against the light) because there is no other way to get across.
Thank you for pointing out that there are no longer any crossing lights for pedestrians. There are red lights for bikes but they are ignored so the only way to cross is hope your judgment of oncoming bikes is accurate. The lights are there. Why can’t they be activated and enforced.
It’s worth pointing out that pedestrians IGNORE the red lights in the park too. You know, in the interests of being fair and balanced and everything.
It actually doesnt work the way you imply. The fact that pedestrians ignore laws doesnt mean bikers can ignore laws. In other words, the fact some people rob drugstores doesnt mean you can rob a bank. More generally, this sort of tit for tat doesnt really address providing a safe environment for a multiple modality transportation system. I hope the woman has a full recovery. — no matter who, if anyone, ran a red light.
I’ve heard of bicyclists hitting and killing or injuring pedestrians, but I’ve never heard of a pedestrian hitting and killing anyone
I was biking. I had the light. I was obeying the rules. A jogger running in the same direction as I was biking, turned without looking right into me. I went down very hard as I tried to avoid hitting her. I was injured, she was not.
Pedestrian having the right of way is fine, but does that rule apply if the pedestrian tries to cross the West Side Highway? There has to be shared responsibility and that includes pedestrians.
Same thing happened to me years ago. Headphones and earpods on nearly all joggers. Can’t even hear you when you tell them you’re passing them.
And 80% of runner run the wrong direction – law is to run against the direction of traffic.
There are no heroes in this. Every group is doing something wrong and selfish.
In 2012 I was riding in CP and couldn’t stop in time as a group of tourists suddenly started to cross (not at a light, so it was incumbent upon them to make sure it was safe for them). I almost stopped in time, ran into one slowly without hurting her, fell over and ultimately had to have shoulder surgery.
I’m sorry for your experience, I wish it didn’t happen. But it is incumbent upon any vehicle operator (motorized or not) to operate said vehicle in a manner that allows them to avoid obstacles. If you cannot stop in time, you’re going too fast.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/safety_laws/safety-tips
https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bicyclerules-english.pdf
Neither of them states that, since there is no such law. If there was, the jails would be full of people whose vehicle hit another vehicle while the second vehicle was running a red light, speeding, or being operated by a drunk driver. Vehicle operators do have a ‘duty of care’ to avoid collisions, even when the other driver is at fault, but to claim that every driver involved in a collision is at fault because they were both going too fast, is patently false.
I’d agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.
Read the 2nd link. It’s the legal one.
Please point to the part that says “If you cannot stop in time, you’re going too fast.” I cant seem to find it either.
I’ve been injured twice this year by runners/pedestrians changing direction suddenly or straying into the oncoming path of higher speed bike traffic obliviously. It’s literally a two-way street here – BOTH pedestrians and cyclists need to be more aware and proactive.
It works precisely that way. You post a comment, I post a comment responding to your comment. We call this “dialogue”.
What’s fascinating is your strawman response – I don’t believe (and I’ve read both posts carefully) that either of us suggested that ignoring laws was the right thing to do.
She was struck from behind and now she is critically injured! How does that have anything to do with a pedestrian ignoring a red light ?! The bicyclist who remained on the scene has more compassion than that comment!
Nothing at all. The comment was in response to a comment regarding cyclists ignoring red lights. In the interests of being fair and balanced, it seemed only fitting to respond that pedestrians do too. Compassion doesn’t enter into it.
And again, why do pedestrians ignore the red lights? Because there effectively no green lights from them to use to cross! Because the bikers won’t ever stop!
Same way or thinking: why do cyclists run red lights? Because there are effectively no green lights because pedestrians dont ever wait for their own green.
That being said, I strongly believe in pedestrians having the right of way in crosswalks and cyclists (including myself) must yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks.
I further believe that there is a better solution – grade separated crossings. There are many examples already in the park where pedestrian paths dip down under the road. If pedestrian crossings (at least the major ones) were grade separated, safety for all would drastically increase, traffic lights could be removed from many locations and cyclists would lose one of the major arguments against stopping at red lights.
Except when pedestrians ignore a red light, they put themselves and not others at risk for injury. So apples and oranges, but yes, laws are laws and should be obeyed no matter whether walker or cyclist or car.
When a pedestrian ignores the light, they put themselves at risk, yes. While they do not put drivers at risk, they do put cyclists and motorcyclists at risk, as they are also “vulnerable road users” just like pedestrians.
Jeez who DOESN’T ignore red lights? Not the hordes of e-scooters that silently come out of nowhere to clip whomever they can… I haven’t seen ANYBODY stopped, anywhere in NYC, for a traffic violation , not in a long long time…
which of course means there are no traffic laws anymore: none.
There’s now perfect freedom to kill & be killed.
I have actually seen people stopped for running red lights. That means there are still traffic laws.
Hope the jogger is OK. It is imperative everyone, cyclists *and* pedestrians, obey the traffic signals and pay attention while crossing the loop.
This may have had nothing to do with traffic signals. When the roadway is crowded with cyclists, runners, walkers and horse-drawn carriages, it’s possible for an accident like this to happen without anyone breaking any laws.
I was running in the park on Sunday and the bicyclists are a menace to all runners and pedestrians. I was almost hit twice – once while crossing the drive after my run, and once while running.
Riders, dressed up as if they’re just coming off the Tour De France, zip through the narrow park drive with no regard for the people around them at speeds that guarantee a major injury if a collision occurs.
I’m surprised that we don’t have daily bike on pedestrian fatalities, especially given the many locations where bikes pick up a lot of speed – like at the bottom of Harlem Hill near the west 102nd transverse.
Either the cops/park force bikes out of the park or they strictly limit the speeds. Something has to be done.
“daily bike on pedestrian fatalities” doesn’t exist because fewer than 5 people a year (on average) are killed by cyclists in NYC.
I believe the average is actually below one pedestrian per year. Some years no pedestrians are killed by cyclists and some years it is one or two. So, on average, it is less than 1.
I quit going to the park because I find it exhausting trying to dodge everything on wheels. I was hit by cyclists, twice in the park, and once on the street. A skateboarder also lost control of his board and it fractured my wrist. I did years of PT but I’ve never felt the same. Remember when the little girl was nearly killed in Riverside Park? Everyone blamed the parents because the child was on the walking path (with them). That all happened pre Covid. Nothing has changed. I really feel for this young jogger who never even saw what was coming. I hope she’ll have a speedy recovery.
Agreed. When I’m jogging in the park there are also tons of bikers (both exercisers and tourists) who are riding consistently in the pedestrian/jogging paths outside of the bike lanes-some to pass other bikers, some just riding permanently in the ped lanes and some in the wrong direction. It’s dangerous and really frustrating to have to constantly worry about my safety when I am running in the lane meant for walkers and joggers.
Many walkers cross into the bike lane too. I have walked next to folks walking while on cell phone, decide to exit the park and cross all lanes without looking , right in front of oncoming bikes. ( Not even at a crossing. )
Both sides are to blame. Not just cyclists.
Indeed! While this accident is a tragedy, it is important to know that many pedestrians are careless, walking outside of the pedestrian lanes and crossing the street without looking. They presume, too, that because they don’t see a cyclist coming right this second that there won’t be one coming shortly. They also presume that a cyclist riding closest to the pedestrian lanes can just move to the right. That puts the cyclist in danger from an oncoming cyclist!
I am a cyclist who has given up riding in Central Park out of frustration with the very dangerous behavior of PEDESTRIANS. I was hit by a pedestrian last year, sustaining permanent injuries, while my bike was totalled, too. Early morning hours for the racers (who generally meet @6 am in summer) should be set and posted and pedestrians made aware that there will be riders coming FAST – in the lanes they are assigned.
I have been nearly killed by bikers in the bike lane ignoring red lights.
I agree 100% that pedestrians are just as responsible for the problem as bikers. Too many are completely ignorant and lacking awareness of what is going on and show no willingness to compromise the right-of-way. They need to look up, see what is coming, obey signals, and hustle to get across as quickly as they are capable of moving – no looking at your precious phone and stopping to wipe your child’s nose or snapping a photo of an exotic bird while crossing the path.
But it would also be a lot easier for pedestrians to be aware if bikers were approaching at reasonable speeds, rather than very fast speeds. Perhaps follow your suggestion and say 6-7 am or something like that is for fast bikers – it should be a very limited amount of time. But that is it. During any semi-regular hour, bikers should be required to slow down. I’m not quite sure how police can truly enforce this as chasing a high speed bike is not easy without causing more harm than good.
I’ve been in the park most mornings for 35 years, running, dog walking, rollerblading (remember the craze?) and biking. Never had an issue.
I used to rollerblader there. Yes, it used to be different!!!
You have been lucky Have had many close shaves in Riverside and on the street
No looking to cast blame before I have all the facts, but I am a cyclist in Riverside Park and Central Park and spend half my time in Central Park screaming at joggers to stay in their lane (there are separate cycling and walking/running lanes) and yelling at pedestrians who cross on red lights. Now do I always stop at red lights while cycling? No, but I always slow down and make sure that there are no pedestrians before I proceed. These pedestrians cross without looking when they have the red light. All the time. We all have to share the roads.
“Share the road” is a fanciful idea, promulgated by various lobbyists and interest groups.
Please, everyone, repeat: “There is no room, there is no room, there is no room.”
People can pretend that there is room for everyone and every kind of vehicle in Manhattan. But there is not.
It is well past time to stop denying REALITY.
Either bikes OR pedestrians.
Either cars OR two wheeled vehicles.
Otherwise: Increasing stress, increasing number of accidents, more and more death.
This is what has been happening and will be happening. This is certain.
Came here to say what Joanne said. Waiting to learn more before passing any judgment. Ideally the cyclist had a camera to shed more light on the incident.
There are definitely some cyclists who are too preoccupied with their lap time and other measurables. I also use these to assess my exercise, but it’s imperative -for my own safety in the first place- to drive defensively at pretty much every crosswalk on the loop (a handful of them have no foot traffic).
I believe pedestrians have over time learned that the crossing lights have no meaning. Bikes never obey them so people don’t even press the buttons anymore.
Listen Joanne. You might slow down but MOST cyclists don’t. I’ve nearly been hit and have had to dodge cyclists as a pedestrian (not jogger) WHEN I HAD THE LIGHT. Most cyclists in the park just our of control.
This occurred where the marathon grandstand is being built and the road has been narrowed. Anyone on a bike should have taken that into consideration and there’s no excuse whatsoever for rear ending a jogger.
If someone on foot is too close to your pathway, then your job is to slow down.
Does the runner have no responsibility to look before they move across the solid line into the bike lane? This happens quite a lot, going the same direction and the runner will go around someone or something into the bike lane. Usually, we are able to avoid the runner at the last second. I am assuming something similar is what happened here, without the successful avoidance. I do agree it’s likely due to the marathon grandstands being installed. But the “no-fault” attitude towards the runners is laughable. There should be some awareness of bikes being in the bike lanes going fast, as everyone has stated. And just crossing over without looking is extremely unsafe. On another note, I do hope she is ok.
Cyclists and those with E bike and E assist bike can easily do 15-20 MPH compared to a 2-4 mph pedestrian. They are silent, and close on you very quickly leaving little or no time to jump out of the way. I don’t think the brakes on these bikes are up to snuff either. Too many cyclists feel they are in the tour de france. I do appreciate that you slow and stop where ever you can. Keep in mind, even at a “normal” pace on a bike, by the time you are close enough to “yell” you are on the individual pedestrian leaving no time for them to react.
I stop at red lights in the park every day. Also yell at other cyclists who don’t. But, I’ll concede that it’s probably something abysmal like 10% of cyclists who are following the law here, and 90% who aren’t. Just don’t forget that there are that 10% who are just as irritated by it as you are.
Are you kidding? I’ve never seen a biker stop for a red light in the Park, except for maybe a slow moving tourist, and I’ve been going for over 30 years. And, if that weren’t bad enough, they are increasingly riding on sidewalks. even on streets with bike lines. On top of that, I just love how they are on their phones now too, while speeding along on the sidewalks and streets and running lights.
That is simply not true. There are quite a number of cyclists who stop at the red lights — mostly tourists, but not all.
I am a firm believer in obeying all rules, whichever method of movement you use, there are runners who use the bike lanes on Central Park West without paying any attention. at all. I have learned to curse and yell at all of the wrongdoers and have become l o t s more careful wherever I run or walk. Sometimes I think: bring back the cars! I felt safer then. 😢
Constantly on sidewalks now. Grown men riding bikes on the sidewalk. A brand new danger for pedestrians.
I mean you kind of are casting blame before getting the facts, though. This feels super unnecessary, a woman has been critically injured.
I don’t think she was casting blame on the woman who was hit, and I hope that she’ll be OK. I think Joanne was defending cyclists against all the blame being cast on them. Sure, lots of cyclists are idiots (especially the spandex crowd), but in general I think pedestrians are sleepwalking with blinders on.
I don’t think Joanne was casting blame. So many people are quick to condemn cyclists (sometimes deservedly) but pedestrians can be at fault as well and need to understand that they do share the road. If not, accidents will happen.
Hope jogger is OK. Very sad.
Worth noting that with the expansion of the bicycle infrastructure, Manhattan has become a “destination” for bicycle “tourists”.
Locally, a bunch come in from NJ (drive in and park in upper Manhattan).
Also proliferation of tourist bicycle rental stores and City DOT encourages Citibike
Many tourists with zero knowledge of Manhattan are cycling around – dangerous for them and everyone else. Wish tourists would stick to walking, bus and subway.
About two dozen more deaths – perhaps in succession – will be needed before something is done about this scourge.
Likely, this jogger will have been seriously injured or will have died in vain.
Welcome to the new New York – where two wheeled vehicles run and have ruined our city.
The bike “tourists” are not the problem. The racers, who (i) don’t stop for any red lights (I agree that pedestrians also sometimes cross against their lights) and (ii) don’t obey the 25 mph speed limit, certainly create a potential danger.
I hope that this jogger is able to recover.
Jon,
There are “racers” or quasi “racers” coming in from NJ and boroughs .
Even worse are the electric bicycles which are just like motorcycles and some of them are motorcycles. They’re all over the place. They go 30 mph or more on bicycle paths. They are a danger to peds and cyclists, and there is absolutely no regulation.
if you look at the data for ‘cyclist’ fatalities in the city, ebikes are involved in a large # of the incidents. They are unregulated motorcycles. No matter what Streetsblog claims
Yup. And unless you die or are critically injured, the NYPD tells you “unfortunately, those are unregistered vehicles” …
This is terrible. I run in Central Park, and there is no enforcement of speed limits from bikes or e-scooters. I’ve had close calls with really fast moving bikes, even in the running lane. Getting hit from behind is my worst fear when these pelotons are flying around the loop. The city needs find ways to make this safer for pedestrians and runners. The park is just too busy for the current configurations.
If you fear being hit from behind so much, this is best mitigated by running against the direction of bike traffic. The jogging lanes in CP are split in half with the innermost section of the jogging lane being a counter flow lane (northbound on the westside, southbound on the east). This will limit your rearward exposure significantly. Although there are still those few jerks who ride their bikes/mopeds/motorcycles in the jogging lanes in the wrong direction, but that is less than 1% of all bike traffic.
Like anywhere in NYC, the speed limit is 25mph. I doubt many bikes are going much beyond that. I’m still more concerned by rampant speeding by cars than I am of bicycles.
25 mph is still too fast in crowded pedestrian areas, plus bikes and e-bikes can easily hit 30-35mph when racing the downhill. I’ll reiterate that the current configuration is not safe for pedestrians, it’s just too crowded.
Speed limit in Central Park is 20 rather than 25 – reduced in 2014.
Even a fairly fast cyclist is unlikely to exceed that 20 mph limit except on the downhills, no more than 20% of the loop. And except for the substantial downhills, going over that 20 mph limit is going to be marginal (like, 21-22 mph.)
If you’re a walker or jogger hit from behind, there’s little difference between 20 and 25 mph.
My physics is a little rusty, but kinetic energy = 0.5 mv^2. By that, a collision at 20 mph relative speed is 36% less energetic/severe than a collision at 25 mph relative speed. Assuming the cyclist is riding at the speed limit precisely.
Or let’s say the cyclist anticipates the problem _somewhat_ and scrubs off 5 mph of speed with their brakes before impact. At 15 mph rather than 20 the collision is 55.6% less severe. (Less than half as bad!)
The difference isn’t just completely in the margins.
NYC could balance their budget if they enforced the laws about cycling in parks. Bikers routinely ignore no bike rules south of the Boat Basin, and let’s not forget about people riding those rent a small motorcycles past the no motorized vehicle signs.
I’m not aware of “no bike rules south of the Boat Basin” Where do you see that?
Police barricades are in place south of the boat basin, requiring cyclists to dismount.
That’s incorrect. The entire 6.1 mile road loop is open to cyclists. Thats where this incident occurred, on West Drive. Please dont spread misinformation
A couple of years back my wife was struck by a lance Armstrong in central park. My wife spent two days with a concussion in the hospital. While many of the cyclist are responsible, there are many more that think they are in The Tour De Manhattan, i mean totally reckless. There has been several fatalities as well. Central Park is for the enjoyment of everyone, it is not a race track. Having said that, i hope the victim of that bicycle assault make a speedy recovery.
So I run & ride. Both at pace, in Central & elsewhere, have for decades. The peloton wannabe behavior from riders, many of whom are new to cycling & have little of the requisite awareness or control of their bikes, is abhorrent. Most responsible cyclists who do ride at pace will go *out* of the city to do so via Riverside –> GW Bridge on the weekends, or find their way thru the city on less trafficked roads. During the first wave, the park was ideal for riding. Not so with the return of the carriages, electric rickshaw taxis (not a bike if it has a motor) and the flocks of tourists. The marathon spectator structure further narrows the road for everyone using the park and makes that heavily trafficked section a sheer hazard.
I have older relatives and friends in the city, and fear for their safety every time it’s a nice day out and they go to Central Park precisely because of shit like this. This kind of rider should be shunned by other cyclists, and I deeply hope this woman recovers completely.
I am also a multi-sport, multi-use recreational type, and biking of any kind in Central Park is a miserable experience, so you have to highly question anybody doing it there, especially so recklessly. I will say if you’re biking for exercise it is not practical to come to complete stops, but again you can be very aware and cautious and slow down. But honestly the hazards are there for everyone, because all types of transit is happening in every direction chaotically so stuff can happen to anybody. The nicest way to enjoy the park is on foot buried in the paths. What a horrible way to get injured, I hope the victim recovers. There is a great gravel track at the Great Hill, with the Bridle Path and the Reservoir of course much more conducive to jogging and walking, and ultimately I think the riverfront lends itself to less chaos, though of course you still have to be careful and aware.
I have almost gotten creamed several times by cyclists ignoring the lights, stop signs, etc. When will the police enforce?
I think at this point enforcement will do little, the parks department needs to make it clear that racing in the park is against the law and those caught doing it will get their bikes confiscated. Common sense doesn’t seems to common anymore😩!
So you *can* race in the park. Early mornings – predawn and thereabouts – has been the traditional tide for peloton style riding for decades. Problem is, parks have not done anything for years about making sure rules are enforced
The parks department needs to open the park from 1am to 5am for people that want to race with their bicycle, the park is officially closed on those hours. That way it allows everyone to enjoy the park.
When will the police enforce anything is probably the better question.
It seems like the police aren’t interested in enforcing anything any more. I thought our present (useless)mayor was going to change things. Guess he’s only interested in partying every night until 4AM.
Agree about the mayor, useless
Bikers are completely out of control in the Park. Ignore all the lights and don’t care if anyone is trying to cross a pedestrian path. And it isn’t that much safer on the street either — bikers in the bike lane and on the road generally ignore traffic lights, not to mention folks riding e-bikes on the sidewalk.
Nowadays, there are also plenty of electric bikes and even scooters in the bike lanes of the park. And then there are the sidewalks of Manhattan with delivery people on electric bikes racing by. I am constantly looking in all directions, even when on the sidewalk. I wish tickets would be issued. But scooters don’t need to have insurance or a license.
There is NO question that there are many reckless cyclists in the park who go MUCH too fast and view pedestrians as nothing more than obstacles. It’s a not a track. They need so slow down and learn how to share the road, or be forced to.
Sure, let’s just blame the cyclist before we know the facts.
Cyclists are a MENACE. I’m sorry but they never pay attention to lights in the park–or if they’re riding in the street. And they go at ridiculously high speeds. This is also true in RSP. I think they should not be allowed in streets–only in cycle lanes where they don’t have to interact with pedestrians.
I hope the jogger recovers after this.
What about pedestrians walking in the bike lanes? What about pedestrians routinely crossing on red or in the middle of the block? Not to mention them doing all that while on their cell phones? Even before cell phones they were crossing the street like they had blinders on. Sorry, but pedestrians are the worst!
Needs to be a physical barrier to separate bikers and mopeds etc from walkers and joggers. Spandex crowd weaving in and out at 50 mph is scary af.
Even pro cyclists would not hit 50mph anywhere except the downward part of Harlem Hill. The fastest cyclists in the park are not going any more than 30mph on the downhills (5mph over the speed limit) and the number that actually hit 30mph (outside of the predawn racers) is very few. For the most part, 25mph (the speed limit) is the fastest cyclists are going to be going (on the downhills other than Harlem Hill). Non cyclists often talk about speeding cyclists, but it is very hard to accurately assess the speed of a bicycle. But as a cyclist who has an accurate speedometer, and is one of the faster riders in the park so I am not often passed, I can tell you with accuracy about bicycle speeds. That said, I prefer to not ride in Central Park precisely because of the behavior of other cyclists. Both the ones that are so selfish that they refuse to relinquish the right of way to those who have it and the giant groups of tourists who wobble across the whole width of the road or stop their bikes in the middle of the road (usually perpendicular to the road). The reality is that the color of the traffic light is not what is important – yielding to pedestrians is what is. If there were no traffic lights but all cyclists yielded to pedestrians, that would be utopia. The constant need to complete a lap in faster time is just plain stupid outside of the predawn racing hours. I never measure my lap time, because I am riding for exercise- so getting back up to speed after slowing or stopping for pedestrians is part of the exercise! If I have the right of way, I will ring my bell at pedestrians challenging it, but I will also make sure I dont hit them even if they do continue to challenge it – because I have a responsibility, morally and legally, to exercise due care.
Small nit, the speed limit in Central Park was lowered to 20 mph in 2014. There are a lot of online references that still list it as 25, though, even on the conservancy’s own website.
More to the point it was a change that was introduced when private cars/drivers were still allowed in the park in the peak direction during morning & evening commute hours on weekdays. It’s unclear if the rule change could have been fairly reverted when cars were removed from the park entirely.
And there is precious little signage about it in any part of the park.
I recently began cycling in this City, both on the streets and in the Park. It has made me hate cyclists more than when I was the pedestrian. Nobody stops for pedestrians in the Park, on the Hudson River trail, or on the streets. They do not obey any rules (lights, traffic direction, stop literally in the middle of a crosswalk) but then demand change when one of them gets creamed by a bus.
I will continue to ride with them and hate them. I’m your inside man.
I’ve been a bike rider, driver, and walker in the city for over fifty years. I’m not sure whether I hate cyclists or pedestrians more… pedestrians certainly break at least as many laws as cyclists do.
A perfect storm. Many cyclists ride too fast and feel too entitled to their space. Many pedestrians and most joggers are too checked out with zero awareness of their surroundings with music, texting or both. The lack of being present is dangerous to both themselves and others. Your safety is your responsibility.
It is so dangerous with these bikers who don’t observe any traffic signs. It is so dangerous for pedestrians. Not only in the park but all the avenues where bikers think they are above the law
I am a bike commuter and am so tired of the Tour de France / MAMIL (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) crowd — they are so aggressive on the west side bike path and in the park for joggers and other cyclists alike. I second more enforcement for this crowd, as well as the motorized ebikes that are essentially motorcycles. Hope this woman recovers quickly.
Cyclists are a danger to everyone – they often ignore rules of the road and red lights and think pedestrians (and joggers) should get out of their way. It is past time to rein them in. How? Maybe they should be licensed at the very least.
ANYONE ignoring traffic lights and/or oblivious to their surroundings is a danger to others and themselves. Yet Central Park and Riverside Park must not privilege cyclists over all others. Speed is the issue. Since traffic lights are 99% ignored, a SIMPLE start and partial solution is to place serious and very well-marked speed bumps before each pedestrian crossing. This and other “traffic-calming” measures can be done right away. Enforcement against motor scooters and throttle-bikes, etc., is plainly needed… but parks enforcement have told me more than once they will not chase scooters, that they have too few personnel to set “stings”, and that NYPD are very much not interested. Best thoughts for a quick recovery to the injured jogger.
Speed humps are not useful for cyclists. Speed jumps are taken at full speed by a cyclist and it will work the opposite, because the hump will actually divert attention from the cyclist. The only speed bumps that will slow a cyclist down are actually quite dangerous because a cyclist hitting that type of bump at slower speeds will actually be in more danger of losing control, because speed is a stabilizing force on a bike.
The WSR would do all of us a service if they continue their reporting on this and provide more details. Was the biker in the pedestrian lane? Did he have a warning bell to alert someone he was coming from behind? Was the jogger in the pedestrian lane or had she suddenly veered into the bike lane without looking? All of these things happen frequently, and it’s unhelpful to speculate without knowing. This could happen to any of us: we could be out for a normal walk/run/ride and our lives suddenly change forever.
Someone earlier in this thread correctly posted about NYRR narrowing that part of West Drive due to the marathon finish set up. The set up had pushed all bikers and runners into a narrow makeshift path. But regardless, that area has a slight blind decline which is why the tv execs wife was killed by the Toga store employee years ago. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3100853/amp/Cyclist-killed-CBS-executive-s-wife-Central-Park-year-spotted-blowing-red-lights-son-handlebars.html
If you’re on your feet in NYC, whether walking or running, whether in the park(s) or on the concrete, you’re taking your life in your hands. Two years ago, I was crossing one of the “highways” in Central Park around 72nd Street and a rollerblader screamed out, “You better run or I’ll hit you” in a dictatorial tone, as though I’m was in the wrong though the light was green. I zoomed up quickly and fell, fracturing my knee, though I probably escaped what would’ve been worse damage. I still remember the incident clearly, but more than remember, I hear his arrogant, entitled voice, as though none of the rules applied to him or his brethren on assorted wheels. Pedestrians beware!
I was there this morning. The runners and bikers are all sharing the bike lane because of the set-up in progress for the marathon. The victim was about ten yards behind me so I did not see the impact but I heard it. The biker yelled “on your right” twice, with a pause in between, and then you heard the crash. So, he had enough time to see her, recognize she was in his way, and call out a command TWICE with a pause in between. But, not enough time to stop or to swerve out of the way of a human being. And, yes, he was your typical Tour de France Central Park biker with all the gear and going fast through an area where it was OBVIOUS that caution was required (NYRR had ppl out there with flags to alert everyone on the road that there were obstructions). She was running on the right hand side of the road near the curb, so it is also inexplicable why he was choosing to thread the needle by biking in the 3-4 foot space between her and the curb.
It was obvious afterwards that she was horrifically injured. She was crumpled and motionless on the ground. Kudos to the Central Park staff and first responders; she was being evaluated by medics within two minutes. I left a statement at the precinct and asked after her and they said she was critical with internal bleeding. I would be grateful for any updates from the WSR about her condition.
While marathon set-up is there, NYRR MUST have the bikers dismount and the runners go left and the bikers go right. They had that in place last year and I cannot understand why it’s not in place today.
NYPD MUST start ticketing the bikers.
This runner is my sister. She is the most wonderful person I know, and is currently hospitalized with a severe brain injury. Thank you for sticking around to file a report. Can we talk more? Thankfully she is fortunate enough to have a support system that is there to rally and care for her, but some of these details (about the dangerous set-up) are gutting to read.
I am so sorry I didn’t see this last week. I have been thinking of your sister since Wednesday. I called the hospital but they couldn’t release any information. WSR is there any way you can get the two of us in touch?
On Tuesday eve, about 5PM; I stopped at the set-up site looking for someone to discuss “a lane was blocked off for NO REASON-as construction material was far away.. 15 minutes..no one. I was concerned as too many people were forced to share a narrower space. And from photos on Weds morning..the same. Only yesterday did I notice a HUGE park enforcement officer deployment
I’m very, very sorry that happened to your sister and your family. I wish we could do something to help!
R T, so sorry that this happened. Sending healing thoughts and wishing your sister a speedy recovery.
Thank you for the update and so sorry to hear. I saw her on the ground — I must have arrived right after it happened as people were on their phones calling 911. Two ambulances came very quickly, I left after she was put on a stretcher and into the first ambulance. If there’s anything the community can do to help and support your family, please let us know.
How do you know that the rider was threading a 3-4 foot gap if this all happened behind you? Honest question.
Just seems to me that what you observed was *suggestive*, but not conclusive.
If the runner was about four feet from the curb (I assume that the place where they were lying on the ground in pain was roughly the distance from the curb where they were running) and the biker was saying “on your right” then it seems pretty clear that the biker was trying to thread the needle as the poster noted. Perhaps the victim fell towards the curb so was actually six feet away. The point remains the same.
I’m all for fair and balanced reporting but I really hate the need by some people to show how smart they think they are by being a contrarian.
Where she landed, where he landed, the fact that the roadway is narrow there with the work going on, and observations from other witnesses. He and his bike landed on the sidewalk on the west side of West Drive and she was in the road with her feet almost touching the curb, laying perpendicular to the road. My 3-4 foot assumption is actually a bit generous, in my opinion, based on what I saw.
Of course, ultimately up to the police to determine if there was wrongdoing. I do hope witnesses who saw what happened reached out to the precinct to make statements so that the detective can be conclusive, as you said.
Hard to gauge where the jogger and cyclist were based on where they fell if you are not part of the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad. Direction of impact, point of contact, exact velocities, exact travel vector, etc complicate all of this. She could have been against the curb if she was hit 10 feet from it. Or she could have even been hit from the left rather than the right, with the cyclist still ending up to the right of her. Best to leave the detective work to the professionals.
Not sure what the construction set-up was, as I rode in the park with my son on Tuesday before it was there. But something is wrong if joggers are near the west curb, as joggers should be on the east and cyclists west. Sounds like a failure somewhere. Were there cones delineating jogging lanes from the biking lane if NYRR was taking up some of the width?
Thanks for sharing. This is horrifying. I hope she makes it.
Best wishes for a speedy full recovery!
None of us know anything about the actual circumstances of this accident based on this article. We do not know if the cyclist was riding aggressively, or if the runner darted out suddenly. I have seen good and bad behavior from cyclists, pedestrians, rollerbladers, scooters, motorbikes, etc. The current heavy usage of the roadways by so many different kind of users is problematic. In addition to some of the reckless cyclist behavior mentioned by others, the number of pedestrians that just walk out into the middle of the street without even looking up in the direction of traffic is astonishing.
If we are looking for enforcement as the solution, it should be applied across the board, not only at cyclists. Police are already not enforcing much worse and more dangerous behavior in the regular city streets and sidewalks. Roving bands of motorcycles blow through lights and across sidewalks through crosswalks, etc with nary glance up. Not to mention some totally reckless drivers, many of whom have obviously fake plates yet get a pass for some reason.
I wonder why the traffic lights still even exist in the park. They are left over from when cars were there and make no sense in the way they are timed and how long they last. They provide a false sense of security for anyone who doesn’t already know the situation in the park. And when is the last time a pedestrian went out of their way to walk all the way to a crosswalk in order to use the light?
Question for bikers: do traffic laws (stop lights, one-way traffic rules, etc…) apply to them? I’ve never looked it up, but I infer from Manhattan biker behavior that bikers don’t think those rules apply. Maybe one in a hundred stop at a red light, and it seems that one-way designations are likewise advisory to bikers. As a pedestrian, it’s “head on a swivel” at all times, including on sidewalks, since some bikers think those are bike lanes, too.
See above for what ACTUALLY happened.
What ACTUALLY happened: If you read what they said,it is clear that they didn’t see what happened, only heard the cyclist call out “on your right” twice. I know from another source that the runner decided to run suddenly straight across the road. Local runner made up the rest. Cyclist was all the way at the right because that was the only space left to use in trying to avoid the sudden maneuver. He ended up flipped over the bike into the grass. She, unfortunately, was not so lucky.
We can discuss all day long the best way to use the park together,and should. The rush to demonize and blame the cyclist for being reckless or irresponsible doesn’t describe this situation.
Grass? There is nothing but benches lining the road south of west 72nd street. He flipped over the curb and park benches? Regardless, with the NYC Marathon set up, they typically cut off to bike traffic due to the narrowing of the road and visibility issues. They cut off foot traffic there after the Boston Bombing for obvious reasons . That was a failure of the Parks Dept this year.
Goodness, it’s too bad he couldn’t slow down in a crowded area! I mean – that would be a less sexy Strava time after all. He had enough time to yell at her though, thankfully.
It is a shame the biker chose not to use his brakes instead of shouting at the runner. But hey: can’t slow down, amiright?
Why couldn’t the biker dismount in a narrow, crowded area where work was going on? It seems odd to ride a bike at a speed where someone could get hurt into a ‘the only space left’, no? Or is that also ‘made up’?
Adding my 2 cts to say I got hit by an electric (delivery) bike going the wrong way on Lex and 74th 3 weeks ago. He left me there after I fell and hit my head. I didn’t need stitches but still have the glue in my head. It’s been reported to the 19th precinct.
I’ve lived here for 10 years and have never felt this unsafe with all those “bikes”
So sorry to hear that. I have less fear of getting mugged than I do of getting hit by a bike again. It’s shocking when people just ride away and don’t even look back or ask if you’re ok. I hope there were bystanders to help you out. : (
Yes. 2 really nice girls stayed with me and walked me to Lenox Hill (was fine enough to walk). Now I’m waiting for my first ER bill…. 🙁
The cyclists are (as a group) rude, disrespectful and a danger to all of the people enjoying the park. They ignore the lights and expect everyone to get out of their way. You literally take your life in your hands just crossing the street on a green light. Central Park West is the same scenario.
That is just plan silly. I have seen a lot of bad behavior by joggers running on Broadway during the late afternoon. It is a sidewalk – not a side jog. To demonize all cyclists is irresponsible. And I do stop at red lights
I’m a runner who is frequently in Central Park before sunrise and after sunset to get in my marathon training around my work schedule. I empathize with many of the cyclists in the park because it is one of very few places in the city where you can move without stopping for cars. With that said, a few notes from a runner:
1) While I always stop and look both ways before crossing, I cannot see you on your bike in the dark if you do not have lights.
2) The area between Cat Hill and the 102nd St Transverse is popular for running intervals. Last year I was running at ~6:30 min/mile pace, slowed to a jog, and came very close to being rear ended like this poor woman today because someone cutting through the running lane did not expect me to slow down. I stay out of the bike lane and I even tell people in my running group to stay out of the bike lane. Please stay out of my lane.
3) Everyone– walkers, runners, cyclists– needs to look where they are going and not at their smartphone.
4) Lighting in the park gets off schedule when Daylight Savings ends. I’ve complained to the Parks Department about this in years past. The lighting where the Grandstand is being built is not great (ran through there at 6:30 this morning) but this should not have been an issue when the woman was hit.
5) FYI: Dogs must be leashed at all hours on the Bridle Path: https://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/guides/dogs
How about we all write to the mayor and police commissioner demanding enforcement of the rules of the road that already exist. While we’re at it, let’s write to our city councilpeople to urge them to enact a licensing law for 2-wheeled vehicles that would require them to hang a license plate on their bikes. Ticketing and fining scofflaws would go a long way to deterring the reckless behavior, especially of delivery people on the sidewalks, whose employers would have to pay the fines.
I fail to see how fining employers would reduce the reckless behavior. If the delivery people don’t bear the risk, they might actually increase the reckless behavior. How is it the employers’ fault anyway?
Letter writing campaigns accomplish nothing. Try electing people without paying attention to the letter after their names.
You can’t sue a delivery guy if he has no money, Seen that attempted. Doesn’t wrk.
You also can’t successfully sue an employer if he has no control over the equipment used by the delivery person or how they operate vehicles. They own their own bikes. Most of them don’t even work for specific restaurants; they get the deliveries through apps that connect them with the restaurant. The winning cases usually involve a defect on the employer side that’s directly related to improper behavior or practices. Besides, why would you want to make it harder for people to run a business?
Wishing the woman a speedy and complete recovery!
1. I’d like to see POLICE OFFICERS PATROLLING ON BICYCLES directly in the areas where the incidents occur. This used to be an everyday occurrence.
2. I’d like to see these officers have the power and ability to CONFISCATE OR IMPOUND THE BICYCLES OF THESE LAWBREAKERS!!! Tickets alone don’t work as they can be ignored.
3. Please, legally, find a way to make it extremely inconvenient for these reckless riders to continue their law-breaking and dangerous ways. Anything else is merely a slap on the wrist, and means nothing to these individuals!!
4. PUNISH BICYCLISTS AND E-BIKES FOR RIDING ON THE SIDEWALKS!!! NO EXCUSES PERMITTED!!!
BAN BIKES IN THE PARK! All wheeled contraptions should be banned. There are plenty of roads for the wheeled machines. The park should be safe for pedestrians. Cyclists rarely respect the rules, or lights, and don’t pay any road tax or insurance, so send ‘em somewhere else.
Nonsense. There are also plenty of non-roads for pedestrians. The loop is actually a road.
For their own safety, it’s time to ban runners from the roadway in CP. It’s safer for all if they stay on the paths and the bridal path around the reservoir.
Cyclists are the most aggressive “drivers” in the city. Arrogant, often reckless. And dangerous. Is there no way to regulate them?
You could easily look into this and see that your assertion is laughably false, but for some reason you chose not to. Drivers kill over 100 pedestrians and cyclists every single year in this city alone. Last year, almost 1400 pedestrians and almost 700 cyclists sustained serious injuries thanks to drivers. Study after study demonstrates drivers break traffic laws more often than cyclists, and the consequences are far more catastrophic when they do.
Whatever your “study after study” says, cars certainly observe red lights and one-way designations much more faithfully than bicyclists. You don’t nee a “study” to know that, just eyes.
That said, I’m sure more people are hurt by cars than by bikes, just because of the disparity of numbers and the vastly greater mass of cars, trucks and buses. Getting hit by a 4000 lb motor vehicle is going to way more damage than getting hit by a 200 lb rider/bike. But I’m not sure that’s something for bikers to be proud of.
Banning cars is not the solution. Cars are never going away.
the park is a jungle really , bikes , smokers, dogs of leash , people peeing and pooping everywhere … nobody follows any rules because in this city the politicians make rules but nobody’s trying to enforce the rules !
Somewhat shockingly, at that time of day and place offleash dogs are allowed. (Unless the people doing the marathon grandstand setup are telling people to leash up.) Leash rules in effect at all times on the drives or within 10-15 feet of them would be the easiest thing in the world to enact, sensibility-wise, and yet…
The serious cyclists in their speedos do not obey the red light. They’ve ruined my enjoyment of Central Park. And the casual bikers on the walking paths are just as frustrating. Why can’t we have officers or rangers in the park? It was a real pleasure to visit the main park in Madrid last spring where no cyclists are allowed and police patrolled the park to keep an eye on things.
Try strolling on River Walk along the Hudson. The speeding bicyclists make it hell! It’s anything but leisurely.
Open the Park Drive to cars again the way it used to be!!!!! It was a relief valve to the vehicle congestion on the streets during the rush hours!! At least cars stop for red lights. Ebikes do 50 MPH now, it’s time to register and insure them. More revenue for the City. Cars are doing 25MPH and Ebikes and other E transportation vehicles fly by cars like they’re standing still. Getting killed is the cost of doing business in NYC!!!
I was going to post the same thing! So many newcomers to the area don’t understand how it used to be and don’t have the decency to slow down for their fellow neighbor. Maybe it’s the problem with people in the last 10-20 years. this issues is the same with the war on the Hudson River Greenway. People don’t seem to remember all bikes and runners were forced off the main path onto the steep blind-curved hill to Riverside Park and back before they built the over water connector. I remember runners using a dirt trail along side the WSH!
It’s sad people can’t get along…a woman is severely injured. And most people have to just prove they are right and their beliefs are the lay of the land. As I said maybe we have become an entitled, selfish culture. It’s disappointing. This city used to be a community and the UWS used to be a closer knit neighborhood.
Just a bunch of newbies to NYC. You think this is something recent with the influx of EBikes???!! NO! Thirty years ago I remember this being an issue. There used to be bikes with cop lights and sirens writting tickets and confiscating bikes after the third offense. Didn’t last more than a couple of years because they confiscated the bike of some lawyer that decided to sue the city. He got a lot of money and his bike back!! That was the end of that!
It’s funny to me to hear the bike apologists in this comment section say the same things that the car apologists say when a motorist runs down a cyclist. From whataboutism (what about the escooters? what about cars? what about the price of tea in China?) to victim blaming (well, pedestrians never obey at lights either), the hypocrisy would shock me if I didn’t expect it.
When you are maneuvering a metal object at high speeds in and around areas with pedestrians, the onus is on YOU to not kill or maim people around you who just want to get somewhere on foot. If you’re in or on a car or a motorcycle or a bike or a moped or a tricycle or a skateboard, it is your responsibility not to hit pedestrians and to blame them when your death machine is improperly ridden around is really very disgraceful.
I send best wishes to the pedestrian/jogger. There but for the grace of God go all of us, considering the disregard motorists and cyclists have for anyone else’s right to use public space safely.
By the same token it is up to the pedestrian not to walk into me when I am in the bike path. Common sense missing on all sides.
I have never seen a pedestrian walk into a bike. You have clip in pedals right? You would have to be riding really slowly for a pedestrian to strike you.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! A genuine question for everyone: as someone who aspires to again walk, run, and bike in Central Park, could the following be part of the solution: bicyclists add one of those tiny brass bells (that automatically jingle without any manual effort) so that pedestrians could hear them coming? Some of these bells actually sound beautiful; they are not very loud, but their distinct sound could alert others in advance. Here is a short video showing one such bell – skip to the 3:15-min mark to hear it and see its lever, where the bicyclist controls whether it’s ‘on’ or ‘off.’ Many of you may know these types of bells are generally intended for mountain-biking and may not be too audible on the smooth roads in Central Park; if that’s the case, if such a bell sounds like a good idea to you, let’s collaborate to make one that suits this purpose! Does anyone have a bell like the one in the video below to test this out, and post a video of how it sounds in the park?
212-274-4560 Everyone commenting here should be calling this number ALL the time about the bikes. It’s the # to report a problem in Central Park. If they get bombarded maybe they’ll finally do something. There need to be signs at every entrance about dismounting and walking bikes. Call the number and keep calling til they do something.
I usually take my walk in Central Park every day. After several near misses by cyclists, I just decided to walk opposite the flow of the cyclists. That gives me a visal of all those knucketheads riding into walk lanes. Once in a while it reminds me of that famous scene in the Midnignt Express.
I run in the park at least once a week. True, many walkers and pedestrians don’t pay attention to their surroundings.
However, many cyclists are dangerous and ride way too fast and are a menace. I’ve had altercations with reckless cyclists on several occasions.
I believe a good solution is to put in speed bumps in strategic locations, ie crowded intersections and crossings.
We have enough of a running track record of reported collision events, notwithstanding state/citylaw exists that bikers must yield under all circumstances to pedestrians. Now,it;s well past due NYC notified obligation to formally place newly automatic burden of civil and criminal liability and evidence along with any presumptions of innocence to rest on these SOW aka sociopaths on wheels negligently operating their ‘downhill racer’ bicycles. There must also be acknowledged to be FEW scenarios where a active speeding manual bike operator can claim no fault to such speed junkies vs walking humans collisions to attribute liability to pedestrians. This must also pertain to high velocity engine driven speed e-scooters who also whisk by pedestrians at almost 25MPH+ on these expensive tricked out electro speed scooters. These bikes and scooters compounded with with the the addition of bikers body weight -at full speed- have deadly g-force injury potential of a Ford F150 at 45mPh+
Life-long park user here. I’ve been a marathoner, one of the spandex-wearing criminals you describe, as well as a guy pushing his infant daughter in a stroller or walking my dog. First, this incident is horrible, very sad, and I pray for her recovery. My heart goes out to her family. Second, the lower loop should be closed to all users (or at least cyclists) at this NYC Marathon time of year. Third, the traffic lights are obsolete — many or most or all should be removed and replaced with constantly flashing yellow — and actually cause confusion among ALL park users.
Why aren’t there large, enclosed dog runs in the park? Why does the Conservancy refuse to create them? That would eliminate the need for off-leash hours and things would be a lot safer. The Conservancy doesn’t give a damn.
Why do people walk in the middle of the road? And sometimes against the flow of traffic? Even on the curve around Lasker Pool!?!?!
Why are cyclists and motor-bikers allowed to ride against the flow of traffic???
Why don’t runners use the bridle path a lot more as well as the path next to the road on the lower loop that is protected by the wood barrier?
All of the park users are here to stay — runners, cyclists, walkers, dogs, and you know, just people. People will cross without looking. Cyclists won’t stop or slow at every (obsolete) light. Runners will run everywhere. Dogs will run off-leash (even during regular on-lease hours).
Harassing any one of these groups won’t work.
Be careful out there. Stay safe!
While we don’t know the details of this specific case, it’s worth pointing out that cyclists IGNORE the red lights in the park. They just go right through them at a high rate of speed.
I frequently ride in Central Park. Pedestrians cross the roadway against the lights with as much frequency as I see cyclists ignore red lights. And “struck from behind” implies that both were traveling in the same direction, so a traffic light would have been irrelevant.
1) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
2) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
3) Pedestrians always have the right of way.
That’s New York State Law.
No it’s not. Pedestrians have the right of way where there are no other indications. If a pedestrian is in an intersection where there is a ‘don’t walk’ sign, and chooses to cross the street, they don’t have the right of way. The vehicle that has the green light does. In fact, there’s a term for that, ‘jaywalking’. Jaywalking is against the law, even if that law is seldom enforced in NYC. If the pedestrian always has the right of way, we wouldn’t need street lights, would we?
In Boston pedestrians always have the right away. Even if they are jaywalking and the light is green the car or bicycle will be at fault.
“Pedestrians have the right of way in all crosswalks and at intersections with marked or unmarked crosswalks. If an intersection is equipped with a pedestrian traffic signal, they should cross during the “Walk” phase of the signal.” – http://www.ny.gov
Key word, SHOULD.
Know your law.
Let’s play “know your law” the way it SHOULD be played:
NY Veh & Traf L § 1112
1112. Pedestrian-control / signals
require:
(a) Steady WALK or walking person. Cross the roadway in the direction of the signal; pedestrians shall be given right of way by traffic.
(b) Flashing DONT WALK or upraised hand. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but pedestrians who have partially completed their crossing on the shall continue to the sidewalk or nearest safety island.
(c) Steady DONT WALK or upraised hand. No pedestrian shall start to cross the roadway in the direction of such signal, but pedestrians who have partially completed their crossing on the WALK or flashing DONT WALK shall continue to the sidewalk or nearest safety island.
NY Veh & Traf L § 1151
1151. Pedestrians’ right of way in crosswalks. (a) When traffic-control signals are not in place or not in operation the driver of a vehicle shall yield the right of way, slowing down or stopping if need be to so yield, to a pedestrian crossing the roadway within a crosswalk on the roadway upon which the vehicle is traveling, except that any pedestrian crossing a roadway at a point where a pedestrian tunnel or overpass has been provided shall yield the right of way to all vehicles.
(b) No pedestrian shall suddenly leave a curb or other place of safety and walk or run into the path of a vehicle which is so close that it is impractical for the driver to yield.
(c) Whenever any vehicle is stopped at a marked crosswalk or at any unmarked crosswalk at an intersection to permit a pedestrian to cross the roadway, the driver of any other vehicle approaching from the rear shall not overtake and pass such stopped vehicle.
According to both of these laws together, traffic signals take precedence over any other markings, including crosswalks. So, I agree with you – know your law.
You are right. I should have said, “Know your practice of law.”
As Nathan points out: Pedestrians always have the right of way.
Pedestrians cross against the light because there is no crossing WITH the light! I’ve stood there for full green lights with zero opportunity to cross because of bikers speeding through. Finally I give up and play Frogger when the bikes thin out (even if that’s against the light) because there is no other way to get across.
Thank you for pointing out that there are no longer any crossing lights for pedestrians. There are red lights for bikes but they are ignored so the only way to cross is hope your judgment of oncoming bikes is accurate. The lights are there. Why can’t they be activated and enforced.
It’s worth pointing out that pedestrians IGNORE the red lights in the park too. You know, in the interests of being fair and balanced and everything.
It actually doesnt work the way you imply. The fact that pedestrians ignore laws doesnt mean bikers can ignore laws. In other words, the fact some people rob drugstores doesnt mean you can rob a bank. More generally, this sort of tit for tat doesnt really address providing a safe environment for a multiple modality transportation system. I hope the woman has a full recovery. — no matter who, if anyone, ran a red light.
I’ve heard of bicyclists hitting and killing or injuring pedestrians, but I’ve never heard of a pedestrian hitting and killing anyone
I was biking. I had the light. I was obeying the rules. A jogger running in the same direction as I was biking, turned without looking right into me. I went down very hard as I tried to avoid hitting her. I was injured, she was not.
Pedestrian having the right of way is fine, but does that rule apply if the pedestrian tries to cross the West Side Highway? There has to be shared responsibility and that includes pedestrians.
Same thing happened to me years ago. Headphones and earpods on nearly all joggers. Can’t even hear you when you tell them you’re passing them.
And 80% of runner run the wrong direction – law is to run against the direction of traffic.
There are no heroes in this. Every group is doing something wrong and selfish.
In 2012 I was riding in CP and couldn’t stop in time as a group of tourists suddenly started to cross (not at a light, so it was incumbent upon them to make sure it was safe for them). I almost stopped in time, ran into one slowly without hurting her, fell over and ultimately had to have shoulder surgery.
I’m sorry for your experience, I wish it didn’t happen. But it is incumbent upon any vehicle operator (motorized or not) to operate said vehicle in a manner that allows them to avoid obstacles. If you cannot stop in time, you’re going too fast.
https://www.dot.ny.gov/display/programs/bicycle/safety_laws/safety-tips
https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/downloads/pdf/bicyclerules-english.pdf
Neither of them states that, since there is no such law. If there was, the jails would be full of people whose vehicle hit another vehicle while the second vehicle was running a red light, speeding, or being operated by a drunk driver. Vehicle operators do have a ‘duty of care’ to avoid collisions, even when the other driver is at fault, but to claim that every driver involved in a collision is at fault because they were both going too fast, is patently false.
I’d agree with you, but then we would both be wrong.
Read the 2nd link. It’s the legal one.
Please point to the part that says “If you cannot stop in time, you’re going too fast.” I cant seem to find it either.
I’ve been injured twice this year by runners/pedestrians changing direction suddenly or straying into the oncoming path of higher speed bike traffic obliviously. It’s literally a two-way street here – BOTH pedestrians and cyclists need to be more aware and proactive.
It works precisely that way. You post a comment, I post a comment responding to your comment. We call this “dialogue”.
What’s fascinating is your strawman response – I don’t believe (and I’ve read both posts carefully) that either of us suggested that ignoring laws was the right thing to do.
She was struck from behind and now she is critically injured! How does that have anything to do with a pedestrian ignoring a red light ?! The bicyclist who remained on the scene has more compassion than that comment!
Nothing at all. The comment was in response to a comment regarding cyclists ignoring red lights. In the interests of being fair and balanced, it seemed only fitting to respond that pedestrians do too. Compassion doesn’t enter into it.
And again, why do pedestrians ignore the red lights? Because there effectively no green lights from them to use to cross! Because the bikers won’t ever stop!
Same way or thinking: why do cyclists run red lights? Because there are effectively no green lights because pedestrians dont ever wait for their own green.
That being said, I strongly believe in pedestrians having the right of way in crosswalks and cyclists (including myself) must yield the right of way to pedestrians in crosswalks.
I further believe that there is a better solution – grade separated crossings. There are many examples already in the park where pedestrian paths dip down under the road. If pedestrian crossings (at least the major ones) were grade separated, safety for all would drastically increase, traffic lights could be removed from many locations and cyclists would lose one of the major arguments against stopping at red lights.
Except when pedestrians ignore a red light, they put themselves and not others at risk for injury. So apples and oranges, but yes, laws are laws and should be obeyed no matter whether walker or cyclist or car.
When a pedestrian ignores the light, they put themselves at risk, yes. While they do not put drivers at risk, they do put cyclists and motorcyclists at risk, as they are also “vulnerable road users” just like pedestrians.
Jeez who DOESN’T ignore red lights? Not the hordes of e-scooters that silently come out of nowhere to clip whomever they can… I haven’t seen ANYBODY stopped, anywhere in NYC, for a traffic violation , not in a long long time…
which of course means there are no traffic laws anymore: none.
There’s now perfect freedom to kill & be killed.
I have actually seen people stopped for running red lights. That means there are still traffic laws.
Hope the jogger is OK. It is imperative everyone, cyclists *and* pedestrians, obey the traffic signals and pay attention while crossing the loop.
This may have had nothing to do with traffic signals. When the roadway is crowded with cyclists, runners, walkers and horse-drawn carriages, it’s possible for an accident like this to happen without anyone breaking any laws.
I was running in the park on Sunday and the bicyclists are a menace to all runners and pedestrians. I was almost hit twice – once while crossing the drive after my run, and once while running.
Riders, dressed up as if they’re just coming off the Tour De France, zip through the narrow park drive with no regard for the people around them at speeds that guarantee a major injury if a collision occurs.
I’m surprised that we don’t have daily bike on pedestrian fatalities, especially given the many locations where bikes pick up a lot of speed – like at the bottom of Harlem Hill near the west 102nd transverse.
Either the cops/park force bikes out of the park or they strictly limit the speeds. Something has to be done.
“daily bike on pedestrian fatalities” doesn’t exist because fewer than 5 people a year (on average) are killed by cyclists in NYC.
I believe the average is actually below one pedestrian per year. Some years no pedestrians are killed by cyclists and some years it is one or two. So, on average, it is less than 1.
I quit going to the park because I find it exhausting trying to dodge everything on wheels. I was hit by cyclists, twice in the park, and once on the street. A skateboarder also lost control of his board and it fractured my wrist. I did years of PT but I’ve never felt the same. Remember when the little girl was nearly killed in Riverside Park? Everyone blamed the parents because the child was on the walking path (with them). That all happened pre Covid. Nothing has changed. I really feel for this young jogger who never even saw what was coming. I hope she’ll have a speedy recovery.
Agreed. When I’m jogging in the park there are also tons of bikers (both exercisers and tourists) who are riding consistently in the pedestrian/jogging paths outside of the bike lanes-some to pass other bikers, some just riding permanently in the ped lanes and some in the wrong direction. It’s dangerous and really frustrating to have to constantly worry about my safety when I am running in the lane meant for walkers and joggers.
Many walkers cross into the bike lane too. I have walked next to folks walking while on cell phone, decide to exit the park and cross all lanes without looking , right in front of oncoming bikes. ( Not even at a crossing. )
Both sides are to blame. Not just cyclists.
Indeed! While this accident is a tragedy, it is important to know that many pedestrians are careless, walking outside of the pedestrian lanes and crossing the street without looking. They presume, too, that because they don’t see a cyclist coming right this second that there won’t be one coming shortly. They also presume that a cyclist riding closest to the pedestrian lanes can just move to the right. That puts the cyclist in danger from an oncoming cyclist!
I am a cyclist who has given up riding in Central Park out of frustration with the very dangerous behavior of PEDESTRIANS. I was hit by a pedestrian last year, sustaining permanent injuries, while my bike was totalled, too. Early morning hours for the racers (who generally meet @6 am in summer) should be set and posted and pedestrians made aware that there will be riders coming FAST – in the lanes they are assigned.
I have been nearly killed by bikers in the bike lane ignoring red lights.
I agree 100% that pedestrians are just as responsible for the problem as bikers. Too many are completely ignorant and lacking awareness of what is going on and show no willingness to compromise the right-of-way. They need to look up, see what is coming, obey signals, and hustle to get across as quickly as they are capable of moving – no looking at your precious phone and stopping to wipe your child’s nose or snapping a photo of an exotic bird while crossing the path.
But it would also be a lot easier for pedestrians to be aware if bikers were approaching at reasonable speeds, rather than very fast speeds. Perhaps follow your suggestion and say 6-7 am or something like that is for fast bikers – it should be a very limited amount of time. But that is it. During any semi-regular hour, bikers should be required to slow down. I’m not quite sure how police can truly enforce this as chasing a high speed bike is not easy without causing more harm than good.
I’ve been in the park most mornings for 35 years, running, dog walking, rollerblading (remember the craze?) and biking. Never had an issue.
I used to rollerblader there. Yes, it used to be different!!!
You have been lucky Have had many close shaves in Riverside and on the street
No looking to cast blame before I have all the facts, but I am a cyclist in Riverside Park and Central Park and spend half my time in Central Park screaming at joggers to stay in their lane (there are separate cycling and walking/running lanes) and yelling at pedestrians who cross on red lights. Now do I always stop at red lights while cycling? No, but I always slow down and make sure that there are no pedestrians before I proceed. These pedestrians cross without looking when they have the red light. All the time. We all have to share the roads.
“Share the road” is a fanciful idea, promulgated by various lobbyists and interest groups.
Please, everyone, repeat: “There is no room, there is no room, there is no room.”
People can pretend that there is room for everyone and every kind of vehicle in Manhattan. But there is not.
It is well past time to stop denying REALITY.
Either bikes OR pedestrians.
Either cars OR two wheeled vehicles.
Otherwise: Increasing stress, increasing number of accidents, more and more death.
This is what has been happening and will be happening. This is certain.
Came here to say what Joanne said. Waiting to learn more before passing any judgment. Ideally the cyclist had a camera to shed more light on the incident.
There are definitely some cyclists who are too preoccupied with their lap time and other measurables. I also use these to assess my exercise, but it’s imperative -for my own safety in the first place- to drive defensively at pretty much every crosswalk on the loop (a handful of them have no foot traffic).
I believe pedestrians have over time learned that the crossing lights have no meaning. Bikes never obey them so people don’t even press the buttons anymore.
Listen Joanne. You might slow down but MOST cyclists don’t. I’ve nearly been hit and have had to dodge cyclists as a pedestrian (not jogger) WHEN I HAD THE LIGHT. Most cyclists in the park just our of control.
This occurred where the marathon grandstand is being built and the road has been narrowed. Anyone on a bike should have taken that into consideration and there’s no excuse whatsoever for rear ending a jogger.
If someone on foot is too close to your pathway, then your job is to slow down.
Does the runner have no responsibility to look before they move across the solid line into the bike lane? This happens quite a lot, going the same direction and the runner will go around someone or something into the bike lane. Usually, we are able to avoid the runner at the last second. I am assuming something similar is what happened here, without the successful avoidance. I do agree it’s likely due to the marathon grandstands being installed. But the “no-fault” attitude towards the runners is laughable. There should be some awareness of bikes being in the bike lanes going fast, as everyone has stated. And just crossing over without looking is extremely unsafe. On another note, I do hope she is ok.
Cyclists and those with E bike and E assist bike can easily do 15-20 MPH compared to a 2-4 mph pedestrian. They are silent, and close on you very quickly leaving little or no time to jump out of the way. I don’t think the brakes on these bikes are up to snuff either. Too many cyclists feel they are in the tour de france. I do appreciate that you slow and stop where ever you can. Keep in mind, even at a “normal” pace on a bike, by the time you are close enough to “yell” you are on the individual pedestrian leaving no time for them to react.
I stop at red lights in the park every day. Also yell at other cyclists who don’t. But, I’ll concede that it’s probably something abysmal like 10% of cyclists who are following the law here, and 90% who aren’t. Just don’t forget that there are that 10% who are just as irritated by it as you are.
Are you kidding? I’ve never seen a biker stop for a red light in the Park, except for maybe a slow moving tourist, and I’ve been going for over 30 years. And, if that weren’t bad enough, they are increasingly riding on sidewalks. even on streets with bike lines. On top of that, I just love how they are on their phones now too, while speeding along on the sidewalks and streets and running lights.
That is simply not true. There are quite a number of cyclists who stop at the red lights — mostly tourists, but not all.
I am a firm believer in obeying all rules, whichever method of movement you use, there are runners who use the bike lanes on Central Park West without paying any attention. at all. I have learned to curse and yell at all of the wrongdoers and have become l o t s more careful wherever I run or walk. Sometimes I think: bring back the cars! I felt safer then. 😢
Constantly on sidewalks now. Grown men riding bikes on the sidewalk. A brand new danger for pedestrians.
I mean you kind of are casting blame before getting the facts, though. This feels super unnecessary, a woman has been critically injured.
I don’t think she was casting blame on the woman who was hit, and I hope that she’ll be OK. I think Joanne was defending cyclists against all the blame being cast on them. Sure, lots of cyclists are idiots (especially the spandex crowd), but in general I think pedestrians are sleepwalking with blinders on.
I don’t think Joanne was casting blame. So many people are quick to condemn cyclists (sometimes deservedly) but pedestrians can be at fault as well and need to understand that they do share the road. If not, accidents will happen.
Hope jogger is OK. Very sad.
Worth noting that with the expansion of the bicycle infrastructure, Manhattan has become a “destination” for bicycle “tourists”.
Locally, a bunch come in from NJ (drive in and park in upper Manhattan).
Also proliferation of tourist bicycle rental stores and City DOT encourages Citibike
Many tourists with zero knowledge of Manhattan are cycling around – dangerous for them and everyone else. Wish tourists would stick to walking, bus and subway.
About two dozen more deaths – perhaps in succession – will be needed before something is done about this scourge.
Likely, this jogger will have been seriously injured or will have died in vain.
Welcome to the new New York – where two wheeled vehicles run and have ruined our city.
The bike “tourists” are not the problem. The racers, who (i) don’t stop for any red lights (I agree that pedestrians also sometimes cross against their lights) and (ii) don’t obey the 25 mph speed limit, certainly create a potential danger.
I hope that this jogger is able to recover.
Jon,
There are “racers” or quasi “racers” coming in from NJ and boroughs .
Even worse are the electric bicycles which are just like motorcycles and some of them are motorcycles. They’re all over the place. They go 30 mph or more on bicycle paths. They are a danger to peds and cyclists, and there is absolutely no regulation.
if you look at the data for ‘cyclist’ fatalities in the city, ebikes are involved in a large # of the incidents. They are unregulated motorcycles. No matter what Streetsblog claims
Yup. And unless you die or are critically injured, the NYPD tells you “unfortunately, those are unregistered vehicles” …
This is terrible. I run in Central Park, and there is no enforcement of speed limits from bikes or e-scooters. I’ve had close calls with really fast moving bikes, even in the running lane. Getting hit from behind is my worst fear when these pelotons are flying around the loop. The city needs find ways to make this safer for pedestrians and runners. The park is just too busy for the current configurations.
If you fear being hit from behind so much, this is best mitigated by running against the direction of bike traffic. The jogging lanes in CP are split in half with the innermost section of the jogging lane being a counter flow lane (northbound on the westside, southbound on the east). This will limit your rearward exposure significantly. Although there are still those few jerks who ride their bikes/mopeds/motorcycles in the jogging lanes in the wrong direction, but that is less than 1% of all bike traffic.
Like anywhere in NYC, the speed limit is 25mph. I doubt many bikes are going much beyond that. I’m still more concerned by rampant speeding by cars than I am of bicycles.
25 mph is still too fast in crowded pedestrian areas, plus bikes and e-bikes can easily hit 30-35mph when racing the downhill. I’ll reiterate that the current configuration is not safe for pedestrians, it’s just too crowded.
Speed limit in Central Park is 20 rather than 25 – reduced in 2014.
Even a fairly fast cyclist is unlikely to exceed that 20 mph limit except on the downhills, no more than 20% of the loop. And except for the substantial downhills, going over that 20 mph limit is going to be marginal (like, 21-22 mph.)
If you’re a walker or jogger hit from behind, there’s little difference between 20 and 25 mph.
My physics is a little rusty, but kinetic energy = 0.5 mv^2. By that, a collision at 20 mph relative speed is 36% less energetic/severe than a collision at 25 mph relative speed. Assuming the cyclist is riding at the speed limit precisely.
Or let’s say the cyclist anticipates the problem _somewhat_ and scrubs off 5 mph of speed with their brakes before impact. At 15 mph rather than 20 the collision is 55.6% less severe. (Less than half as bad!)
The difference isn’t just completely in the margins.
NYC could balance their budget if they enforced the laws about cycling in parks. Bikers routinely ignore no bike rules south of the Boat Basin, and let’s not forget about people riding those rent a small motorcycles past the no motorized vehicle signs.
I’m not aware of “no bike rules south of the Boat Basin” Where do you see that?
Police barricades are in place south of the boat basin, requiring cyclists to dismount.
That’s incorrect. The entire 6.1 mile road loop is open to cyclists. Thats where this incident occurred, on West Drive. Please dont spread misinformation
A couple of years back my wife was struck by a lance Armstrong in central park. My wife spent two days with a concussion in the hospital. While many of the cyclist are responsible, there are many more that think they are in The Tour De Manhattan, i mean totally reckless. There has been several fatalities as well. Central Park is for the enjoyment of everyone, it is not a race track. Having said that, i hope the victim of that bicycle assault make a speedy recovery.
So I run & ride. Both at pace, in Central & elsewhere, have for decades. The peloton wannabe behavior from riders, many of whom are new to cycling & have little of the requisite awareness or control of their bikes, is abhorrent. Most responsible cyclists who do ride at pace will go *out* of the city to do so via Riverside –> GW Bridge on the weekends, or find their way thru the city on less trafficked roads. During the first wave, the park was ideal for riding. Not so with the return of the carriages, electric rickshaw taxis (not a bike if it has a motor) and the flocks of tourists. The marathon spectator structure further narrows the road for everyone using the park and makes that heavily trafficked section a sheer hazard.
I have older relatives and friends in the city, and fear for their safety every time it’s a nice day out and they go to Central Park precisely because of shit like this. This kind of rider should be shunned by other cyclists, and I deeply hope this woman recovers completely.
I am also a multi-sport, multi-use recreational type, and biking of any kind in Central Park is a miserable experience, so you have to highly question anybody doing it there, especially so recklessly. I will say if you’re biking for exercise it is not practical to come to complete stops, but again you can be very aware and cautious and slow down. But honestly the hazards are there for everyone, because all types of transit is happening in every direction chaotically so stuff can happen to anybody. The nicest way to enjoy the park is on foot buried in the paths. What a horrible way to get injured, I hope the victim recovers. There is a great gravel track at the Great Hill, with the Bridle Path and the Reservoir of course much more conducive to jogging and walking, and ultimately I think the riverfront lends itself to less chaos, though of course you still have to be careful and aware.
I have almost gotten creamed several times by cyclists ignoring the lights, stop signs, etc. When will the police enforce?
I think at this point enforcement will do little, the parks department needs to make it clear that racing in the park is against the law and those caught doing it will get their bikes confiscated. Common sense doesn’t seems to common anymore😩!
So you *can* race in the park. Early mornings – predawn and thereabouts – has been the traditional tide for peloton style riding for decades. Problem is, parks have not done anything for years about making sure rules are enforced
The parks department needs to open the park from 1am to 5am for people that want to race with their bicycle, the park is officially closed on those hours. That way it allows everyone to enjoy the park.
When will the police enforce anything is probably the better question.
It seems like the police aren’t interested in enforcing anything any more. I thought our present (useless)mayor was going to change things. Guess he’s only interested in partying every night until 4AM.
Agree about the mayor, useless
Bikers are completely out of control in the Park. Ignore all the lights and don’t care if anyone is trying to cross a pedestrian path. And it isn’t that much safer on the street either — bikers in the bike lane and on the road generally ignore traffic lights, not to mention folks riding e-bikes on the sidewalk.
Nowadays, there are also plenty of electric bikes and even scooters in the bike lanes of the park. And then there are the sidewalks of Manhattan with delivery people on electric bikes racing by. I am constantly looking in all directions, even when on the sidewalk. I wish tickets would be issued. But scooters don’t need to have insurance or a license.
There is NO question that there are many reckless cyclists in the park who go MUCH too fast and view pedestrians as nothing more than obstacles. It’s a not a track. They need so slow down and learn how to share the road, or be forced to.
Sure, let’s just blame the cyclist before we know the facts.
Cyclists are a MENACE. I’m sorry but they never pay attention to lights in the park–or if they’re riding in the street. And they go at ridiculously high speeds. This is also true in RSP. I think they should not be allowed in streets–only in cycle lanes where they don’t have to interact with pedestrians.
I hope the jogger recovers after this.
What about pedestrians walking in the bike lanes? What about pedestrians routinely crossing on red or in the middle of the block? Not to mention them doing all that while on their cell phones? Even before cell phones they were crossing the street like they had blinders on. Sorry, but pedestrians are the worst!
Needs to be a physical barrier to separate bikers and mopeds etc from walkers and joggers. Spandex crowd weaving in and out at 50 mph is scary af.
Even pro cyclists would not hit 50mph anywhere except the downward part of Harlem Hill. The fastest cyclists in the park are not going any more than 30mph on the downhills (5mph over the speed limit) and the number that actually hit 30mph (outside of the predawn racers) is very few. For the most part, 25mph (the speed limit) is the fastest cyclists are going to be going (on the downhills other than Harlem Hill). Non cyclists often talk about speeding cyclists, but it is very hard to accurately assess the speed of a bicycle. But as a cyclist who has an accurate speedometer, and is one of the faster riders in the park so I am not often passed, I can tell you with accuracy about bicycle speeds. That said, I prefer to not ride in Central Park precisely because of the behavior of other cyclists. Both the ones that are so selfish that they refuse to relinquish the right of way to those who have it and the giant groups of tourists who wobble across the whole width of the road or stop their bikes in the middle of the road (usually perpendicular to the road). The reality is that the color of the traffic light is not what is important – yielding to pedestrians is what is. If there were no traffic lights but all cyclists yielded to pedestrians, that would be utopia. The constant need to complete a lap in faster time is just plain stupid outside of the predawn racing hours. I never measure my lap time, because I am riding for exercise- so getting back up to speed after slowing or stopping for pedestrians is part of the exercise! If I have the right of way, I will ring my bell at pedestrians challenging it, but I will also make sure I dont hit them even if they do continue to challenge it – because I have a responsibility, morally and legally, to exercise due care.
Small nit, the speed limit in Central Park was lowered to 20 mph in 2014. There are a lot of online references that still list it as 25, though, even on the conservancy’s own website.
More to the point it was a change that was introduced when private cars/drivers were still allowed in the park in the peak direction during morning & evening commute hours on weekdays. It’s unclear if the rule change could have been fairly reverted when cars were removed from the park entirely.
And there is precious little signage about it in any part of the park.
I recently began cycling in this City, both on the streets and in the Park. It has made me hate cyclists more than when I was the pedestrian. Nobody stops for pedestrians in the Park, on the Hudson River trail, or on the streets. They do not obey any rules (lights, traffic direction, stop literally in the middle of a crosswalk) but then demand change when one of them gets creamed by a bus.
I will continue to ride with them and hate them. I’m your inside man.
I’ve been a bike rider, driver, and walker in the city for over fifty years. I’m not sure whether I hate cyclists or pedestrians more… pedestrians certainly break at least as many laws as cyclists do.
A perfect storm. Many cyclists ride too fast and feel too entitled to their space. Many pedestrians and most joggers are too checked out with zero awareness of their surroundings with music, texting or both. The lack of being present is dangerous to both themselves and others. Your safety is your responsibility.
It is so dangerous with these bikers who don’t observe any traffic signs. It is so dangerous for pedestrians. Not only in the park but all the avenues where bikers think they are above the law
I am a bike commuter and am so tired of the Tour de France / MAMIL (Middle Aged Men in Lycra) crowd — they are so aggressive on the west side bike path and in the park for joggers and other cyclists alike. I second more enforcement for this crowd, as well as the motorized ebikes that are essentially motorcycles. Hope this woman recovers quickly.
Cyclists are a danger to everyone – they often ignore rules of the road and red lights and think pedestrians (and joggers) should get out of their way. It is past time to rein them in. How? Maybe they should be licensed at the very least.
ANYONE ignoring traffic lights and/or oblivious to their surroundings is a danger to others and themselves. Yet Central Park and Riverside Park must not privilege cyclists over all others. Speed is the issue. Since traffic lights are 99% ignored, a SIMPLE start and partial solution is to place serious and very well-marked speed bumps before each pedestrian crossing. This and other “traffic-calming” measures can be done right away. Enforcement against motor scooters and throttle-bikes, etc., is plainly needed… but parks enforcement have told me more than once they will not chase scooters, that they have too few personnel to set “stings”, and that NYPD are very much not interested. Best thoughts for a quick recovery to the injured jogger.
Speed humps are not useful for cyclists. Speed jumps are taken at full speed by a cyclist and it will work the opposite, because the hump will actually divert attention from the cyclist. The only speed bumps that will slow a cyclist down are actually quite dangerous because a cyclist hitting that type of bump at slower speeds will actually be in more danger of losing control, because speed is a stabilizing force on a bike.
The WSR would do all of us a service if they continue their reporting on this and provide more details. Was the biker in the pedestrian lane? Did he have a warning bell to alert someone he was coming from behind? Was the jogger in the pedestrian lane or had she suddenly veered into the bike lane without looking? All of these things happen frequently, and it’s unhelpful to speculate without knowing. This could happen to any of us: we could be out for a normal walk/run/ride and our lives suddenly change forever.
Someone earlier in this thread correctly posted about NYRR narrowing that part of West Drive due to the marathon finish set up. The set up had pushed all bikers and runners into a narrow makeshift path. But regardless, that area has a slight blind decline which is why the tv execs wife was killed by the Toga store employee years ago. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3100853/amp/Cyclist-killed-CBS-executive-s-wife-Central-Park-year-spotted-blowing-red-lights-son-handlebars.html
If you’re on your feet in NYC, whether walking or running, whether in the park(s) or on the concrete, you’re taking your life in your hands. Two years ago, I was crossing one of the “highways” in Central Park around 72nd Street and a rollerblader screamed out, “You better run or I’ll hit you” in a dictatorial tone, as though I’m was in the wrong though the light was green. I zoomed up quickly and fell, fracturing my knee, though I probably escaped what would’ve been worse damage. I still remember the incident clearly, but more than remember, I hear his arrogant, entitled voice, as though none of the rules applied to him or his brethren on assorted wheels. Pedestrians beware!
I was there this morning. The runners and bikers are all sharing the bike lane because of the set-up in progress for the marathon. The victim was about ten yards behind me so I did not see the impact but I heard it. The biker yelled “on your right” twice, with a pause in between, and then you heard the crash. So, he had enough time to see her, recognize she was in his way, and call out a command TWICE with a pause in between. But, not enough time to stop or to swerve out of the way of a human being. And, yes, he was your typical Tour de France Central Park biker with all the gear and going fast through an area where it was OBVIOUS that caution was required (NYRR had ppl out there with flags to alert everyone on the road that there were obstructions). She was running on the right hand side of the road near the curb, so it is also inexplicable why he was choosing to thread the needle by biking in the 3-4 foot space between her and the curb.
It was obvious afterwards that she was horrifically injured. She was crumpled and motionless on the ground. Kudos to the Central Park staff and first responders; she was being evaluated by medics within two minutes. I left a statement at the precinct and asked after her and they said she was critical with internal bleeding. I would be grateful for any updates from the WSR about her condition.
While marathon set-up is there, NYRR MUST have the bikers dismount and the runners go left and the bikers go right. They had that in place last year and I cannot understand why it’s not in place today.
NYPD MUST start ticketing the bikers.
This runner is my sister. She is the most wonderful person I know, and is currently hospitalized with a severe brain injury. Thank you for sticking around to file a report. Can we talk more? Thankfully she is fortunate enough to have a support system that is there to rally and care for her, but some of these details (about the dangerous set-up) are gutting to read.
I am so sorry I didn’t see this last week. I have been thinking of your sister since Wednesday. I called the hospital but they couldn’t release any information. WSR is there any way you can get the two of us in touch?
On Tuesday eve, about 5PM; I stopped at the set-up site looking for someone to discuss “a lane was blocked off for NO REASON-as construction material was far away.. 15 minutes..no one. I was concerned as too many people were forced to share a narrower space. And from photos on Weds morning..the same. Only yesterday did I notice a HUGE park enforcement officer deployment
I’m very, very sorry that happened to your sister and your family. I wish we could do something to help!
R T, so sorry that this happened. Sending healing thoughts and wishing your sister a speedy recovery.
Thank you for the update and so sorry to hear. I saw her on the ground — I must have arrived right after it happened as people were on their phones calling 911. Two ambulances came very quickly, I left after she was put on a stretcher and into the first ambulance. If there’s anything the community can do to help and support your family, please let us know.
How do you know that the rider was threading a 3-4 foot gap if this all happened behind you? Honest question.
Just seems to me that what you observed was *suggestive*, but not conclusive.
If the runner was about four feet from the curb (I assume that the place where they were lying on the ground in pain was roughly the distance from the curb where they were running) and the biker was saying “on your right” then it seems pretty clear that the biker was trying to thread the needle as the poster noted. Perhaps the victim fell towards the curb so was actually six feet away. The point remains the same.
I’m all for fair and balanced reporting but I really hate the need by some people to show how smart they think they are by being a contrarian.
Where she landed, where he landed, the fact that the roadway is narrow there with the work going on, and observations from other witnesses. He and his bike landed on the sidewalk on the west side of West Drive and she was in the road with her feet almost touching the curb, laying perpendicular to the road. My 3-4 foot assumption is actually a bit generous, in my opinion, based on what I saw.
Of course, ultimately up to the police to determine if there was wrongdoing. I do hope witnesses who saw what happened reached out to the precinct to make statements so that the detective can be conclusive, as you said.
Hard to gauge where the jogger and cyclist were based on where they fell if you are not part of the NYPD Collision Investigation Squad. Direction of impact, point of contact, exact velocities, exact travel vector, etc complicate all of this. She could have been against the curb if she was hit 10 feet from it. Or she could have even been hit from the left rather than the right, with the cyclist still ending up to the right of her. Best to leave the detective work to the professionals.
Not sure what the construction set-up was, as I rode in the park with my son on Tuesday before it was there. But something is wrong if joggers are near the west curb, as joggers should be on the east and cyclists west. Sounds like a failure somewhere. Were there cones delineating jogging lanes from the biking lane if NYRR was taking up some of the width?
Thanks for sharing. This is horrifying. I hope she makes it.
Best wishes for a speedy full recovery!
None of us know anything about the actual circumstances of this accident based on this article. We do not know if the cyclist was riding aggressively, or if the runner darted out suddenly. I have seen good and bad behavior from cyclists, pedestrians, rollerbladers, scooters, motorbikes, etc. The current heavy usage of the roadways by so many different kind of users is problematic. In addition to some of the reckless cyclist behavior mentioned by others, the number of pedestrians that just walk out into the middle of the street without even looking up in the direction of traffic is astonishing.
If we are looking for enforcement as the solution, it should be applied across the board, not only at cyclists. Police are already not enforcing much worse and more dangerous behavior in the regular city streets and sidewalks. Roving bands of motorcycles blow through lights and across sidewalks through crosswalks, etc with nary glance up. Not to mention some totally reckless drivers, many of whom have obviously fake plates yet get a pass for some reason.
I wonder why the traffic lights still even exist in the park. They are left over from when cars were there and make no sense in the way they are timed and how long they last. They provide a false sense of security for anyone who doesn’t already know the situation in the park. And when is the last time a pedestrian went out of their way to walk all the way to a crosswalk in order to use the light?
Question for bikers: do traffic laws (stop lights, one-way traffic rules, etc…) apply to them? I’ve never looked it up, but I infer from Manhattan biker behavior that bikers don’t think those rules apply. Maybe one in a hundred stop at a red light, and it seems that one-way designations are likewise advisory to bikers. As a pedestrian, it’s “head on a swivel” at all times, including on sidewalks, since some bikers think those are bike lanes, too.
See above for what ACTUALLY happened.
What ACTUALLY happened: If you read what they said,it is clear that they didn’t see what happened, only heard the cyclist call out “on your right” twice. I know from another source that the runner decided to run suddenly straight across the road. Local runner made up the rest. Cyclist was all the way at the right because that was the only space left to use in trying to avoid the sudden maneuver. He ended up flipped over the bike into the grass. She, unfortunately, was not so lucky.
We can discuss all day long the best way to use the park together,and should. The rush to demonize and blame the cyclist for being reckless or irresponsible doesn’t describe this situation.
Grass? There is nothing but benches lining the road south of west 72nd street. He flipped over the curb and park benches? Regardless, with the NYC Marathon set up, they typically cut off to bike traffic due to the narrowing of the road and visibility issues. They cut off foot traffic there after the Boston Bombing for obvious reasons . That was a failure of the Parks Dept this year.
Goodness, it’s too bad he couldn’t slow down in a crowded area! I mean – that would be a less sexy Strava time after all. He had enough time to yell at her though, thankfully.
It is a shame the biker chose not to use his brakes instead of shouting at the runner. But hey: can’t slow down, amiright?
Why couldn’t the biker dismount in a narrow, crowded area where work was going on? It seems odd to ride a bike at a speed where someone could get hurt into a ‘the only space left’, no? Or is that also ‘made up’?
Adding my 2 cts to say I got hit by an electric (delivery) bike going the wrong way on Lex and 74th 3 weeks ago. He left me there after I fell and hit my head. I didn’t need stitches but still have the glue in my head. It’s been reported to the 19th precinct.
I’ve lived here for 10 years and have never felt this unsafe with all those “bikes”
So sorry to hear that. I have less fear of getting mugged than I do of getting hit by a bike again. It’s shocking when people just ride away and don’t even look back or ask if you’re ok. I hope there were bystanders to help you out. : (
Yes. 2 really nice girls stayed with me and walked me to Lenox Hill (was fine enough to walk). Now I’m waiting for my first ER bill…. 🙁
The cyclists are (as a group) rude, disrespectful and a danger to all of the people enjoying the park. They ignore the lights and expect everyone to get out of their way. You literally take your life in your hands just crossing the street on a green light. Central Park West is the same scenario.
That is just plan silly. I have seen a lot of bad behavior by joggers running on Broadway during the late afternoon. It is a sidewalk – not a side jog. To demonize all cyclists is irresponsible. And I do stop at red lights
I’m a runner who is frequently in Central Park before sunrise and after sunset to get in my marathon training around my work schedule. I empathize with many of the cyclists in the park because it is one of very few places in the city where you can move without stopping for cars. With that said, a few notes from a runner:
1) While I always stop and look both ways before crossing, I cannot see you on your bike in the dark if you do not have lights.
2) The area between Cat Hill and the 102nd St Transverse is popular for running intervals. Last year I was running at ~6:30 min/mile pace, slowed to a jog, and came very close to being rear ended like this poor woman today because someone cutting through the running lane did not expect me to slow down. I stay out of the bike lane and I even tell people in my running group to stay out of the bike lane. Please stay out of my lane.
3) Everyone– walkers, runners, cyclists– needs to look where they are going and not at their smartphone.
4) Lighting in the park gets off schedule when Daylight Savings ends. I’ve complained to the Parks Department about this in years past. The lighting where the Grandstand is being built is not great (ran through there at 6:30 this morning) but this should not have been an issue when the woman was hit.
5) FYI: Dogs must be leashed at all hours on the Bridle Path: https://www.centralparknyc.org/activities/guides/dogs
How about we all write to the mayor and police commissioner demanding enforcement of the rules of the road that already exist. While we’re at it, let’s write to our city councilpeople to urge them to enact a licensing law for 2-wheeled vehicles that would require them to hang a license plate on their bikes. Ticketing and fining scofflaws would go a long way to deterring the reckless behavior, especially of delivery people on the sidewalks, whose employers would have to pay the fines.
I fail to see how fining employers would reduce the reckless behavior. If the delivery people don’t bear the risk, they might actually increase the reckless behavior. How is it the employers’ fault anyway?
Letter writing campaigns accomplish nothing. Try electing people without paying attention to the letter after their names.
You can’t sue a delivery guy if he has no money, Seen that attempted. Doesn’t wrk.
You also can’t successfully sue an employer if he has no control over the equipment used by the delivery person or how they operate vehicles. They own their own bikes. Most of them don’t even work for specific restaurants; they get the deliveries through apps that connect them with the restaurant. The winning cases usually involve a defect on the employer side that’s directly related to improper behavior or practices. Besides, why would you want to make it harder for people to run a business?
Wishing the woman a speedy and complete recovery!
1. I’d like to see POLICE OFFICERS PATROLLING ON BICYCLES directly in the areas where the incidents occur. This used to be an everyday occurrence.
2. I’d like to see these officers have the power and ability to CONFISCATE OR IMPOUND THE BICYCLES OF THESE LAWBREAKERS!!! Tickets alone don’t work as they can be ignored.
3. Please, legally, find a way to make it extremely inconvenient for these reckless riders to continue their law-breaking and dangerous ways. Anything else is merely a slap on the wrist, and means nothing to these individuals!!
4. PUNISH BICYCLISTS AND E-BIKES FOR RIDING ON THE SIDEWALKS!!! NO EXCUSES PERMITTED!!!
BAN BIKES IN THE PARK! All wheeled contraptions should be banned. There are plenty of roads for the wheeled machines. The park should be safe for pedestrians. Cyclists rarely respect the rules, or lights, and don’t pay any road tax or insurance, so send ‘em somewhere else.
Nonsense. There are also plenty of non-roads for pedestrians. The loop is actually a road.
For their own safety, it’s time to ban runners from the roadway in CP. It’s safer for all if they stay on the paths and the bridal path around the reservoir.
Cyclists are the most aggressive “drivers” in the city. Arrogant, often reckless. And dangerous. Is there no way to regulate them?
You could easily look into this and see that your assertion is laughably false, but for some reason you chose not to. Drivers kill over 100 pedestrians and cyclists every single year in this city alone. Last year, almost 1400 pedestrians and almost 700 cyclists sustained serious injuries thanks to drivers. Study after study demonstrates drivers break traffic laws more often than cyclists, and the consequences are far more catastrophic when they do.
Whatever your “study after study” says, cars certainly observe red lights and one-way designations much more faithfully than bicyclists. You don’t nee a “study” to know that, just eyes.
That said, I’m sure more people are hurt by cars than by bikes, just because of the disparity of numbers and the vastly greater mass of cars, trucks and buses. Getting hit by a 4000 lb motor vehicle is going to way more damage than getting hit by a 200 lb rider/bike. But I’m not sure that’s something for bikers to be proud of.
Banning cars is not the solution. Cars are never going away.
the park is a jungle really , bikes , smokers, dogs of leash , people peeing and pooping everywhere … nobody follows any rules because in this city the politicians make rules but nobody’s trying to enforce the rules !
Somewhat shockingly, at that time of day and place offleash dogs are allowed. (Unless the people doing the marathon grandstand setup are telling people to leash up.) Leash rules in effect at all times on the drives or within 10-15 feet of them would be the easiest thing in the world to enact, sensibility-wise, and yet…
The serious cyclists in their speedos do not obey the red light. They’ve ruined my enjoyment of Central Park. And the casual bikers on the walking paths are just as frustrating. Why can’t we have officers or rangers in the park? It was a real pleasure to visit the main park in Madrid last spring where no cyclists are allowed and police patrolled the park to keep an eye on things.
Try strolling on River Walk along the Hudson. The speeding bicyclists make it hell! It’s anything but leisurely.
Open the Park Drive to cars again the way it used to be!!!!! It was a relief valve to the vehicle congestion on the streets during the rush hours!! At least cars stop for red lights. Ebikes do 50 MPH now, it’s time to register and insure them. More revenue for the City. Cars are doing 25MPH and Ebikes and other E transportation vehicles fly by cars like they’re standing still. Getting killed is the cost of doing business in NYC!!!
I was going to post the same thing! So many newcomers to the area don’t understand how it used to be and don’t have the decency to slow down for their fellow neighbor. Maybe it’s the problem with people in the last 10-20 years. this issues is the same with the war on the Hudson River Greenway. People don’t seem to remember all bikes and runners were forced off the main path onto the steep blind-curved hill to Riverside Park and back before they built the over water connector. I remember runners using a dirt trail along side the WSH!
It’s sad people can’t get along…a woman is severely injured. And most people have to just prove they are right and their beliefs are the lay of the land. As I said maybe we have become an entitled, selfish culture. It’s disappointing. This city used to be a community and the UWS used to be a closer knit neighborhood.
Just a bunch of newbies to NYC. You think this is something recent with the influx of EBikes???!! NO! Thirty years ago I remember this being an issue. There used to be bikes with cop lights and sirens writting tickets and confiscating bikes after the third offense. Didn’t last more than a couple of years because they confiscated the bike of some lawyer that decided to sue the city. He got a lot of money and his bike back!! That was the end of that!
It’s funny to me to hear the bike apologists in this comment section say the same things that the car apologists say when a motorist runs down a cyclist. From whataboutism (what about the escooters? what about cars? what about the price of tea in China?) to victim blaming (well, pedestrians never obey at lights either), the hypocrisy would shock me if I didn’t expect it.
When you are maneuvering a metal object at high speeds in and around areas with pedestrians, the onus is on YOU to not kill or maim people around you who just want to get somewhere on foot. If you’re in or on a car or a motorcycle or a bike or a moped or a tricycle or a skateboard, it is your responsibility not to hit pedestrians and to blame them when your death machine is improperly ridden around is really very disgraceful.
I send best wishes to the pedestrian/jogger. There but for the grace of God go all of us, considering the disregard motorists and cyclists have for anyone else’s right to use public space safely.
By the same token it is up to the pedestrian not to walk into me when I am in the bike path. Common sense missing on all sides.
I have never seen a pedestrian walk into a bike. You have clip in pedals right? You would have to be riding really slowly for a pedestrian to strike you.
Best wishes for a speedy recovery! A genuine question for everyone: as someone who aspires to again walk, run, and bike in Central Park, could the following be part of the solution: bicyclists add one of those tiny brass bells (that automatically jingle without any manual effort) so that pedestrians could hear them coming? Some of these bells actually sound beautiful; they are not very loud, but their distinct sound could alert others in advance. Here is a short video showing one such bell – skip to the 3:15-min mark to hear it and see its lever, where the bicyclist controls whether it’s ‘on’ or ‘off.’ Many of you may know these types of bells are generally intended for mountain-biking and may not be too audible on the smooth roads in Central Park; if that’s the case, if such a bell sounds like a good idea to you, let’s collaborate to make one that suits this purpose! Does anyone have a bell like the one in the video below to test this out, and post a video of how it sounds in the park?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRLZ1MMk3mc
212-274-4560 Everyone commenting here should be calling this number ALL the time about the bikes. It’s the # to report a problem in Central Park. If they get bombarded maybe they’ll finally do something. There need to be signs at every entrance about dismounting and walking bikes. Call the number and keep calling til they do something.
I usually take my walk in Central Park every day. After several near misses by cyclists, I just decided to walk opposite the flow of the cyclists. That gives me a visal of all those knucketheads riding into walk lanes. Once in a while it reminds me of that famous scene in the Midnignt Express.
I run in the park at least once a week. True, many walkers and pedestrians don’t pay attention to their surroundings.
However, many cyclists are dangerous and ride way too fast and are a menace. I’ve had altercations with reckless cyclists on several occasions.
I believe a good solution is to put in speed bumps in strategic locations, ie crowded intersections and crossings.
We have enough of a running track record of reported collision events, notwithstanding state/citylaw exists that bikers must yield under all circumstances to pedestrians. Now,it;s well past due NYC notified obligation to formally place newly automatic burden of civil and criminal liability and evidence along with any presumptions of innocence to rest on these SOW aka sociopaths on wheels negligently operating their ‘downhill racer’ bicycles. There must also be acknowledged to be FEW scenarios where a active speeding manual bike operator can claim no fault to such speed junkies vs walking humans collisions to attribute liability to pedestrians. This must also pertain to high velocity engine driven speed e-scooters who also whisk by pedestrians at almost 25MPH+ on these expensive tricked out electro speed scooters. These bikes and scooters compounded with with the the addition of bikers body weight -at full speed- have deadly g-force injury potential of a Ford F150 at 45mPh+
Life-long park user here. I’ve been a marathoner, one of the spandex-wearing criminals you describe, as well as a guy pushing his infant daughter in a stroller or walking my dog. First, this incident is horrible, very sad, and I pray for her recovery. My heart goes out to her family. Second, the lower loop should be closed to all users (or at least cyclists) at this NYC Marathon time of year. Third, the traffic lights are obsolete — many or most or all should be removed and replaced with constantly flashing yellow — and actually cause confusion among ALL park users.
Why aren’t there large, enclosed dog runs in the park? Why does the Conservancy refuse to create them? That would eliminate the need for off-leash hours and things would be a lot safer. The Conservancy doesn’t give a damn.
Why do people walk in the middle of the road? And sometimes against the flow of traffic? Even on the curve around Lasker Pool!?!?!
Why are cyclists and motor-bikers allowed to ride against the flow of traffic???
Why don’t runners use the bridle path a lot more as well as the path next to the road on the lower loop that is protected by the wood barrier?
All of the park users are here to stay — runners, cyclists, walkers, dogs, and you know, just people. People will cross without looking. Cyclists won’t stop or slow at every (obsolete) light. Runners will run everywhere. Dogs will run off-leash (even during regular on-lease hours).
Harassing any one of these groups won’t work.
Be careful out there. Stay safe!
I am so sorry to hear about the accident : and wish the young woman well.
I am not at all surprised: I live opposite the Park and love to walk their; however, the cyclists ignore green lights and if one reprimands them as I often do, the cyclist’s ignore me and continue riding. It is a real problem: and as evidenced a dangerous one!
I recently had knee surgery and eventually ventured forth to the Park with my cane.
I came to an intersection and of course hesitated to cross. To my utter surprise a family of cyclists stopped, smiled snd gestured me to walk across the road: I found myself curtsying and I welled with tears. It was a lovely surprise
and one I won’t forget!
I don’t want to deprive people of their rides but surely it is time to enact measures before someone gets killed not only in the Patk but also on the city’s streets!
Unfortunately 14 cyclists have already been killed on city streets this year, including one just last week next to Prospect Park. Nothing is ever done about it.
Per the report and photos in AM NY, it seems like the jogger was using the path and was “forced onto the roadway” by the grandstand construction. The bicyclist may have been going fast, but didn’t seem dressed for speed (hoodie, no spandex).
https://www.amny.com/news/central-park-jogger-struck-bicyclist/
My guess is that the jogger came off the path and neither the jogger or cyclist saw each other until too late.
Very unfortunate – I hope she recovers quickly.
The pictures in the article are very helpful to visualize the scene. My question is, if there are still two full travel lanes available, why didnt NYRR set out cones to separate the two lanes – the left lane for joggers, the right lane for bicycles/ official vehicles?
I was there yesterday and he was in full bike gear. The photos must be from later in the day. That’s not what he was wearing
AMNY article stated he came back to talk to investigators. He is still wearing his bike shoes, though.