By Gus Saltonstall
A man is in critical condition after an electric-bike crash early Thursday morning on the Upper West Side, a police spokesperson told West Side Rag.
A 32-year-old man was riding an e-bike northbound just after midnight on Central Park West and West 103rd Street, when he swerved into the southbound lane and collided with a 2016 Toyota Camry traveling in the opposite direction, police said.
The e-bike rider suffered serious injuries to his head and torso, and was rushed to Mount Sinai Morningside, hospital where he remains in critical condition, police said.
The driver of the Camry remained on the scene and the investigation is ongoing, NYPD added.
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From the way the incident is reported, it sounds as though reckless behavior on the part of the man on the e-bike was a big factor in this accident. The e-bike rider swerved into oncoming traffic, as the incident is described.
Isn’t there a Citi bike station at 103rd and CPW.?
It’s actually between 102/103rd Streets…begins at 102 and runs north for about 1/2 the block.
Prayers for a speedy recovery. Sounds like he might have been preparing to park his CITIbike because CPW northbound has a pretty spacious bike lane that’s sometimes good enough for two bikes to pass. Just an assumption as a bike rider in the area. No matter what, I hope the biker is stays alive, feels supported and heals quickly. 🙏🏾.
this will keep happening as I crossed Amsterdam tonight in the dark there were so many
bikes and mopeds flying thru red lights , going in wrong lanes , , there are no rules or regulations
only the cars have to pay the bills the bike riders have no id no insurance
city will keep deteriorating until we get new leadership to control crime, accidents,
lets get new leadership its urgent
Bu there are rules AND regulations. It’s just that our City and its police force have decided not to enforce them. When people began to realize this, they simply stoped obeying the law.
It’s not that “the City and its police force have decided not to enforce them.” They have their hands full with 4000 immigrants coming into the city each day looking for food and shelter. Policing the subways stations (as we asked them to!) to attempt to prevent slashings, stabbings, pushings, muggings, and sucker punchings. They are arresting idiots who store e-bike batteries in basements of buildings, killing residents. They are investigating at least 3 shootings every weekend. They are saving idiots who are overdosing on Fentanyl, while trying to arrest those who are selling it and poisoning babies. They’re also trying to chase down the assholes who ride their e-bikes, motocycles and scooters the wrong way on roads and even sidewalks, weaving in and out of pedestrians. Very hard to catch those guys when you’re in a cop car or on foot, right? All this with a diminished police force since tax revenue has fallen as businesses have left NYC the last 2 years. So don’t blame the police. They’re doing their best.
Are area must be very safe because I haven’t seen a cop in maybe five years.
While you are quite right that the bike lane on Amsterdam at nite is crazy – based on experience of pedestrians hit by cars – they are paying nothing either and don’t get prosecuted unless drunk
I hope they are OK. And I also hope the driver of the car is OK. Based on the way the story is reported, it sounds like the bike rider swerved out in front of them. I’m sure it is very traumatic to hit someone. They behaved responsibly and stuck around. I would have trouble getting back behind the wheel after that, and, based on how this was reported, it is absolutely no fault of theirs.
There aren’t enough details in the story to make any real judgements one way or the other. Based on the way this was reported, we need more information to come to a conclusion.
What about “riding an e-bike northbound . . . [and] swerved into the southbound lane” don’t you understand? Seems very clear to me.
The story does not say who said the rider swerved. It happened late at night so it is very possible that the only people who observed the event were the rider and the driver. When the only narrative of the event comes from the driver and no one else, why wouldn’t the driver say the rider swerved into his path. In this type of situation, it is entirely possible that the rider could have been riding southbound on CPW and a driver who was distracted by their phone and not paying attention, strikes the rider. The rider is in critical condition and cannot tell police they were riding southbound. The driver can’t believe they just hit someone, so the only explanation is that the rider must have swerved in front of them. So that’s what they tell police.
Is this what happened? I couldn’t say. But I can say it is just as plausible as the rider being at fault. Which is why that one unqualified statement is not enough on which to base a conclusion.
Carlos, I am not one to immediately put the blame on the driver either. I am both a cyclists AND a car owner/driver. Hence why I don’t want to make a conclusion in either direction without additional information. Most importantly: Who said the rider swerved?
That is why multiple times I wrote “based on how this story was reported.”
I am just kind of tired of car drivers always being the bad guys around here. So I felt the need to show my compassion for the driver, who could be (notice again how I am qualifying everything) a silent victim here. We do not know the circumstances but again, “based on how this story was reported” the driver did nothing wrong, and will likely suffer mentally for doing nothing wrong.
“he swerved into the southbound lane and collided with a 2016 Toyota Camry traveling in the opposite direction, police said” That’s perfectly clear. The bike rider is at fault.
I wish him a speedy recovery.
Brandon, The police often get it wrong. This has been documented by cameras quite a number of times. At this point, we likely only have the driver’s version of events. I would say that nothing is PERFECTLY clear.
Was the biker alert enough to say he swerved? did the Driver say the biker swerved? did witnesses say the biker swerved? were are there swerve marks in the street?
Um, there’s debris and other indicia that can alert an investigator to the location of the crash.
Recently, a Citi Bike rider hit a pedestrian and left the scene.
A pedestrian suffered a fractured skull after a man on an electric Citi Bike slammed into the victim in a Manhattan hit-and-run, police said Tuesday.
The pedestrian was near the corner of Fifth Ave. and E. 21st St. in Flatiron on Thursday when the crash happened about 12:40 p.m., cops said.
The e-bike rider zipped off, leaving the pedestrian on the street with a fractured skull, fractured right eye and bruising to the body.
A police spokesperson was not able to provide the age or gender of the victim.
Cops are still searching for the cyclist and released photos of him Tuesday in an attempt to identify him. Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
The crash came after a similar incident on Sept. 5, in which a beloved 69-year-old teacher was left for dead.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/09/26/electric-citi-bike-driver-slams-into-pedestrian-in-manhattan-leaving-victim-with-skull-fracture/
This person, although there’s a picture of them from a camera, fled the scene
My question to my fellow, smart neighbors –
Shouldn’t there be some kind of sensor or electronic ID on a Citibike where the police could ask them to identify who took out the bike with a credit card?
Excellent idea & feasible for prompt implementation,
This is our life now.
Constant chaos.
So much for the pedestrian city.
Now it’s all e-bikes and scooters, bikes., restaurants hogging the sidewalk.
No more room for pedestrians, anywhere. No where to walk.
Suddenly cars have competition.
If you’re not driving defensively, you’re not driving safely.
Everyone is writing in to tell their version of how dangerous it is on NY streets and sidewalks nowadays.
Knowing this, is it incorrect to assume that everyone is trying to navigate these dangerous streets safely?
If you are driving on Amsterdam Avenue, next to a parking lane. bike lane, stopped delivery truck lane—whatever—you should be assuming that at any moment a bicycle, a pedestrian, a delivery worker—whomever—is going to step out into your lane and you will suddenly have a serious problem on your hands.
Be prepared.
If being that aware is too much for you, stick to the center lanes. If that is too much for you,, drive when the traffic stream is thinner.
If that is too much for you, maybe you shouldn’t be living in a city like New York.
Driving with all this in mind used to be called ‘Defensive Driving’. It was a ‘thing’.
Now you can add ‘Defensive Walking’. You may not like it, but if you don’t you are being negligent.
What’s to lose?
Nothing but the truth. Look BOTH ways before crossing any street. If you have the light, do NOT put your head down and check your phone while crossing. I saw 2 SUVs almost plow through a dozen pedestrians the other week who had the walk signal at 96th. Bridge & Tunnel drivers with NJ vanity plates heading for the West Side Highway.
It’s cars, it’s mopeds, it’s ebikes, it’s citibikes. Something’s gotta give but PLEASE be aware of your surroundings
Being prepared doesn’t mean the driver can always stop their car or bike before a collision.
agreed, but being unprepared makes it an almost certainty. a few years ago, across the street from my window, i saw a truck ‘swamper’—looked like he was in his sixties—organizing cases of soda onboard his truck (street side) slip and fall to the street. Bang. car hit him. Dead..
A man is fighting for his life. Tragic. Senseless but also avoidable. I have read and participated in the debates hear about bike, car, pedestrian, electrics etc. And this is why those discussions are so heated. Real people really get hurt and possibly die because we can’t agree on how to solve this set of complex problems.
Everybody wants the streets to be easier for them and their group. Everyone wants just a little bit more than the next.
I had a close friend who was a prominent trauma surgeon. If he ever heard someone say, “car accident” he would say, “there is no such thing, someone is always at fault”. It’s why you see the term motor vehicle collision a lot more than accident now.
Someone is at fault and until the players can work together the people will keep ending up in the hosptitals.
As far as I know, Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu are refusing to sign on to City Council attempts to regulate e-bike use. We have to get these two out of office.
Activists such as Transportation Alternatives and certain members of CB7 pushed and pushed for this despite warnings. They were so focused on banning cars that they couldn’t see the obvious outcome. What no one will tell you is that according to data from the DOT, bicycles cause more injury and death to pedestrians per vehicle mile traveled. The injury rate is 5.5 times higher. Death is 3.9 times higher. This is what happens when activists put their political agenda ahead of the reality and needs of the communities.
That was my point. All this yelling and screaming about cars, no one saw this ominous threat (e-bikes, scooters, mopeds, dirt bikes) coming as fast as it happened. Like I said, ‘suddenly’ cars have competition on being the biggest nuisance in town. Wait until congestion pricing takes effect….
Yes. Everyone – please support Robert Holden’s proposed legislation to register all electric vehicles and thus require them to carry license plates, insurance, driver’s ID on the operator, and require the driver to be trained just as motor vehicles must. That way, cameras can catch the plates, insurance is required, and anyone violating any laws can have the vehicle immediately confiscated and the driver held as a car driver would be. It all becomes criminal instead of floating around in the category of “no laws about this.” Please sign up for emails from NYC-EVSA (E-Vehicle Safety Alliance) which has been holding Town Hall Meetings with those in power to get this legislation passed. Another bill has been submitted by Liz Kruger. Here is their You Tube channel, and they are also on Twitter, etc. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWfin8UoXyhp4S4Tf7tJcPw
This has been my impression for sometime. Thanks for the data. Is there an organization formed or forming to demand some action. We need our streets back.
Yes, the N NYC E-Vehicle Safety Alliance (EVSA):
https://www.westsiderag.com/2023/06/12/the-growing-movement-to-rein-in-e-vehicles-and-how-to-get-involved
Do you have a link to those stats?
Defensive walking is also required in Riverside Park these days. A bike almost xx crashed in to me on a path at dusk! Something must be done!
The NYC-EVSA is demanding the bikes be banned from all parks and subways, too. It is all part of the Safety Alliance agenda. Please get on board with the NYC-EVSA.
We’ve come to this…”defensive walking”. It is absolutely true, but what sad state of affairs. With a government ID, I have personal identification. Most e-bikes do not. Explain that to me, politicians?
So many bikers don’t reqalize that they need to keep in the appropriate lane; instead they weave and wander across lanes–ignoring the directionality of traffic.
I feel sorry for the Camry owner, who is likely an innocent victim of the reckless biker. . . .
I am so distressed to read this. I bike and walk and drive a car in NYC. It is high time to license and ticket all bicycles. All wheeled vehicles in a major metropolitan city MUST obey traffic laws and must be forced to comply with them or be fined for transgressions. The streets have become a complete free-for -all and are dangerous to pedestrians, drivers, and bikers alike. It is inconceivable to me that we expect to have a civilized metropolis without any enforcement of basic laws that allow us to walk the streets in safety.
The greatest danger to pedestrians today is not cars but e-bikes and motorcycles. Cars generally follow the rules of the road but motorized scooters, bikes, etc. rarely obey red lights or stop signs. It’s dangerous to cross the street even with the light because so many bikers just rush through and the cops never stop them.
I’m afraid to cross the street, and I’m abled. Imagine being blind or deaf–you can’t see or hear these vehicles coming. We desperately need safety for all of us, e-riders, too. NY E-Vehicle Safety Alliance is doing marvelous work trying to get council members to support Bill Holden’s bill 0758-2022 to require every e-vehicle to be licensed and registered. To date 27 council members have signed on but interestingly, not Gale Brewer and Shaun Abreu.
Unfortunate incident. As a cyclist I find it becoming increasingly dangerous to ride in the city especially along electric scooters or E-bikes. I do hope the police will enforce the rules.
Prayers for the victim and hope for recovery.
On a related topic:
startling last spring a surge in teenagers (including young teens) on Citibike especially ebike.
They go through red lights, wrong way,.ignore bike lane, some on sidewalk….
They don’t use helmets.
Some double up with friends sitting in the basket.
They endanger themselves and others.
BTW it is not hard to get a student MetroCard
I live in the West 70s. It has become very dangerous to walk on sidewalks, cross streets around here now due to regular bicycles and motorized stuff on sidewalks, ignoring red lights etc. I got hit by a bicyclist riding east on w 73 st. Fortunately I wasn’t hurt very badly. I am amazed that pedestrians aren’t hit and hurt every day by mayhem on the sidewalks and streets. Someone should start an aggressive campaign to make crossing streets and walking on sidewalks safe again. Regulations and escalating fines should be developed to help achieve those goals.
It’s time to take Uber, Amazon (which is Breakaway), GrubHub, and Citibike to court.
These companies know their employees, renters, and “contractors” break the law all the time thereby massively endangering pedestrians.
It’s also quite possible to easily/quickly/inexpensively immobilize e-bikes and motorcycles without damaging them, because they all have vented disc brakes.
Video records of these infractions are easy to record now.
Sorry you were hit. I was hit not badly about 18 months ago by a guy who decided to just drive his e-bike upto to the sidewalk because construction equipment in the street had impeded his path forward.
Am on CPW four times a day dog walking. It is a free-for-all of e-vehicles and mopeds swerving in and out of bike lanes and main traffic lanes and yes into the opposite lanes all the time. There is no such thing of anything but blowing through lights. Have seen many of them get into crashes because of their own reckless driving.
Back in the early1990’s there were policemen on bike patrols and strict rules. I got a $20 ticket for not having a bell on my bicycle. Today there seems little by the police to keep electric bikes in control and obeying the laws. Its become the wild west again. Electric bikes going thru red traffic lights seems the norm. Wake Up NYPD !
I was recently on a bus on Second Avenue, mid-week.
Traffic had slowed around 38th Street as the tunnel was approaching.
I saw an ebike rider weave around cars – and then the ebiker hit a car that was not moving (there was a red light.)
The ebiker fell!
Luckily for him, vehicles were not moving due to the red light – and he was able to get up and pick up his ebike.