By Carol Tannenhauser
On May 21, 2023, at around 12:30 p.m., Renee Baruch, then 74, tall and stately, was headed to a shredding event being held by Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal in front of her office. Her destination was on the south side of West 72nd Street, between Broadway and West End Avenue. Arms filled with documents, Baruch was on the north side of 72nd when she saw the shredding truck and decided to cross the long street mid-block.
She’s certain she looked both ways. “I always do, especially when I’m jaywalking,” she said in a conversation with West Side Rag. “New Yorkers jaywalk every day, everywhere. I don’t do it anymore nor do I recommend it, because the problem is that you’re used to jaywalking and looking for cars. And you’re looking for cars in the direction that cars come from. Because cars always come from only one direction at a time.”
Baruch doesn’t know which direction the e-bike rider that hit her was coming from. “I don’t even remember stepping off the curb,” she said. “You have to understand that I don’t remember anything. I remember going down 72nd Street and thinking I have to cross. The next thing I remember is waking up in an ambulance and begging them to please make me unconscious again, because I was in so much pain.” The ambulance took Baruch to the emergency room at Mount Sinai West hospital. “Most of my injuries that were visible were to my face, which was very messed up,” she said. “A plastic surgeon sewed me up.” Baruch remained in the hospital for three days.
Looking back, it is the good things about the day that Baruch chooses to highlight — and that bring her to tears.
“I know it sounds silly,” she said, “but I never relied on people as much as I did on that day, and on that day everybody came through. My neighbors were so good — the ones I know and the ones I don’t know.” Someone grabbed her phone and called her daughter and her partner. “Others ran after the guy and held him until the cops arrived. Others called 911. And they gathered up all my belongings, including my shredding, and it all went with me in the ambulance,” she said.
Baruch’s daughter, Rebecca, who lives outside of Boston, was horseback riding when she got the call. “She was on the back of a horse and her husband was out of the country,” Baruch explained. “She called him to come home, left her child with a babysitter, jumped in her car, drove down, and took charge. She got someone to take care of my dog. She got someone to take care of my car. She got someone to recommend a home health aide for when I got home. And she stayed in New York until I was able to function. That’s who she is.”
Along with gratitude, Baruch obviously carries negative effects and emotions from the experience. “I get panicky — flashes of PTSD — when I have to cross the street. I never feel safe anymore,” she said. “And I’m angry … at all of our city officials who do not support requiring any licensing or registration of e-bikes. Only [New York City Councilmember] Bob Holden has sponsored a bill to have e-bikes registered. And it doesn’t have enough support.”
Upper West Side Councilmember Gale Brewer explained her opposition to the bill here. Brewer’s statement on the issue came shortly after Transportation Alternatives, a nonprofit that advocates against cars and for biking, walking, and public transportation in the five boroughs, led a coalition of 31 groups that wrote to the City Council strongly rejecting Holden’s bill to register all electric vehicles.
Baruch decries what she perceives as the “undue” influence of Transportation Alternatives, which was started in the 1970s under the name of “Action Against Automobiles” (AAA), according to its website.
“It used to have a decency of purpose until it was radicalized,” she believes. “To say there should be no cars in New York City is simply unrealistic.”
In January, 2024, Baruch will undergo spinal surgery to repair her most serious physical injury from the crash, which was to her neck. Without the surgery, she risks paralysis.
“Every day I feel so regretful that it happened,” she said. “I wish it hadn’t. I wish it every single day.”
As for the man who hit her, Baruch knows only what she has heard from unconfirmed sources: he was a deliverista who didn’t stop but was detained by passersby until the police came and “held him for questioning, for leaving the scene of an accident that caused a serious injury,” she said. “They never got an affidavit from me, they never asked for testimony. Nothing.”
And then she added her voice to a common Upper West Side refrain: “One of the terrible, terrible things that’s going on now is there’s no accountability,” she said.
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I appreciate WSR for giving us this thorough update. Renee Baruch is amazing in her focus on gratitude and her recovery. She is also spot on when she says: “And I’m angry … at all of our city officials who do not support requiring any licensing or registration of e-bikes.“ All—absolutely all—city officials who don’t care about protecting the public should be removed from office and replaced with folks who give a priority to the safety of ordinary New Yorkers.
Bikes will never be able to be managed, licensed etc. They are defiant don’t understand our laws and/or english and
for those reason ALL bikes should be removed from our streets immediately
Food delivery? Not important. The safety
of our streets and pedestrians is the most
important. Our streets have descended into
a “wild west” scenario!!
Removing all bikes would solve the problem.
Hope you mean e-bikes? I enjoy biking (no e-bike) through NYC every day. Healthy and not polluting. Would encourage this by investing in bike lanes.
People should be using bus and subway. The City should be focusing funds on MTA bus and subway – not bicycles
I totally agree with you !
There are a number of key takeaways to this situation:
– E-bikes should be licensed. And there should be true consequences for moving violations. Part of why there is no enforcement is that there are no consequences – why bother chasing down and arresting someone if you know nothing will happen to them? Also remember that most delivery riders are barely making a living. Going faster means more deliveries means more money. So the incentive structure is not properly aligned with safety.
– As others have said, always look both ways. Even on a one-way street. We shouldn’t have to but it has unfortunately become a necessary evil. I take my child to elementary school and cross a one-way bike path on Amsterdam but we both always look both ways, because we constantly see bikes going the wrong way.
– Cut down on your delivery orders. Fewer deliveries, fewer e-bikes. I know this is easier for some than others, but people have become obsessed with delivery. For most of history delivery was much more limited. Even if we cut down 20% it would help.
– Cut down on jaywalking. Great point by the scientist about focusing for cars so not noticing bikes. Especially at night. Bikes (both electric and pedal) should be better lit. But in the meantime, don’t assume anything and be careful.
Is the WSR planning on doing these type of updates for those who get hit by automobiles? There may be too many incidents for you to properly document.
Before registering e-bikes (which does sound like a reasonable requirement for any motor vehicle) the NYPD and Park Police should be enforcing the well-marked “no e-bikes, no motorized vehicles” rule in city parks, including the Hudson River Greenway. If there is no enforcement of those laws, I’m not sure what e-bike registration would accomplish exactly. There are gas-powered highway-capable motorcycles cruising at high speed on the bike path and in the pedestrian walkway every day. If you point this out to police officers or park police, they shrug and look the other way. And those vehicles are already subject to registration and licensing.
I just wanted to point out that the below contains mis-information. There is an active pilot program of the mayor’s office since May to legalize riding e-bikes in parks and on greenways controlled by the city.
https://www.nycgovparks.org/things-to-do/e-bikes#:~:text=As%20an%20initiative%20of%20Mayor,2023%20through%20May%2031%2C%202024.
Not gas powered motorcycles — and for what it’s worth, the Hudson River Greenway is still marked by signage forbidding e-bikes and e-scooters.
Only south of 59th street – it was explictly carved out of the legislation legalizing e-bikes.
South of 59 street it becomes a State Park and powered vehicles are prohibited.
This. The absolute disinterest in enforcement is stunning. During the summer there are DOZENS of accidents on that path thanks to the ebikes and motorcycles. You go to other cities and they do not have anything remotely like the mess we have on the roads, or the utter refusal to enforce vehicle code
I am a visual scientist – Rene is 100% accurate. At Harvard, we studied visual attention and found that drivers often did not see motorcycles when they were expecting to see cars. Today we have a similar situation; pedestrians generally do not perceive bicycles when they are expecting to see cars. This is further confounded by the fact that these bicycles travel in unexpected directions.
The issue is enforcement – of which the NYPD is either uninterested or incapable. Until our expectations change, more accidents will happen.
Michael,
Another situation is at turns.
Vehicles stop at the turn to allow pedestrians to cross.
But while pedestrians are crossing and vehicles are stopped, bicyclists come up with no warning and whip by pedestrians……
Uninterested or incapable (or both) even as the public cries out for relief. Deeply disturbing.
Jaywalking is illegal for a reason.
Jaywalking has absolutely NOTHING to do with it, because there was NOTHING in site. It is irrelevant also because the e-bikes RUN RED LIGHTS all the time. The point of the article is to also note if you look the proper way, the e-bikes will zoom through red the WRONG WAY UP A ONE WAY STREET, as well as all over the sidewalks. Cars are licensed, registered, and insured an it is CRIMINAL to leave the scene of an accident. The e-bikes has no identification, and therefore suffer no consequences, and when they stay they also have NO insurance. While I do not jaywalk myself, the incidence of “almost” being killed by a bike or e-bike or moped is multiple times per day.
I didn’t get to finish.
Please be safe and get well soon. These e bikes , formerly known as motorcycles, must be treated the same as all other motor vehicles. I used to ride my bike to work every day. No more. The bike lanes have been taken over by commercial interests by people riding 30 MPH on motorcycles. This must stop. Let’s remember this when we vote.
Who should I vote for who might do anything about this, if a (supposedly) “law and order” mayor was already elected? Seriously asking.
Yes, they are motorcycles! Some of them have electric motors, some gas powered, and both of them are traveling in bicycle lanes. It’s unbelievable! No enforcement!
Transportation Alternatives is not interested in anything except promoting bikes. They pretend that their goal is safer streets but actually do nothing to promote safety. Licensing or registration of e-bikes is a start but what about education? There should be a mandatory safety course taken by these riders. It doesn’t have to be complicated just a simple online video.
The larger issue is the story of a politically connected lobbying group running roughshod over a neighborhood pushing a single focus agenda without a care for how it impacts the community. Equally at fault are the politicians and community board who have supported it. There needs to be a comprehensive plan that involves equation and enforcement that is tailored to the community and that focuses on all stakeholders: Bikers, Pedestrians, drivers, residents, and businesses.
In the meantime remember what we used to have drilled into our heads in NYC with PSAs: “Cross At The Green not In Between”
https://youtu.be/v2gD5kwySLM
Cross at the Green and not in Between and add: And look both ways before you do it even if it’s a one way street and you have the light.
Look *both ways in the street*, then look *both ways in the bike lane*. If there isn’t a bike lane, look the length of the *space between car traffic and parked cars*. Look for bikes slipping in and out of the *edges of those spaces*. They can be *slim and quick*, especially if they have no lights at twilight.
I’m so sorry this happened to you, Renee! What a tragic and painful accident but I absolutely applaud you for your strength and focus on gratitude. It’s wonderful how people come together and help each other in difficult situations. What I don’t understand is the focus on the deliverista and his lack of accountability in this comment section. From the article, it seems to me that he did nothing wrong. She doesn’t know if he came from the right or the wrong direction, so why are we assuming he did something wrong? As Michael the visual scientist says, it can be hard for peds to see bikes when we’re expecting to see cars. But bikes on the street is a reality, we have to start expecting them. This is such a tragic incident but doesn’t seem the right opportunity to bash bikes and the politics of regulation.
He…hit her. That is what he is wrong. Just as if a pedestrian crosses on a red light and gets hit by a car.
Brakes exist for a reason.
The law requires a road user to exercise due care. That means do whatever they can to avoid hitting someone. Relative to the actual collision, since Renee was jaywalking, it is completely possible that the deliverista was the actual victim.
However, it must also be noted that the law requiring reporting of the incident applies no matter if you are at fault or the other party is at fault. Leaving the scene with a serious injury, whether or not you are at fault, is a Class A Misdemeanor.
He didn’t leave the scene. He was questioned by police at the scene. The article states that he tried to leave but oedestrians stiooed gim. I wonder about this. How could pedestrians catch aomeone on an eBike? Or had he fallen during the collusion and they didn’t allow him to get back on his bike and leave?
Just going on what the article said. She (Renee) stated that he did not stop and other people ran after him and that the police questioned him about leaving the scene. There is not a charge of ‘Attempted’ leaving the scene, so if he was stopped before he could leave the scene, he didn’t leave the scene. If the police determined that he was traveling in the right direction and not doing anything wrong, then there would be nothing to charge him with and no reason to further hold him. I was just pointing out the fact that the charge of leaving the scene applies to anyone, regardless of fault.
I do hope Renee heals, and feels better. But we know she was doing something wrong but do not know if the e-bike rider did anything wrong at all. The fact that he was riding an e-bike does not mean he was doing anything wrong, as much as people will immediately blame him. It is entirely possible that Renee was only a victim of her own negligence. We just don’t know all of the facts, or really any of the facts, so we cannot make such a determination. Even if many already have a preconceived determination of fault.
I’m sure there were witnesses among the people who “stopped” him and gave statements (?) to the police. I’m not sure if Ms. Baruch wants to really see what happened because there are 3 luxury buildings, FedEx, and a bank near by so there’s probably video from multiple angles. 72nd street is a tricky street to cross at the middle of the block bc it’s 4 lanes/bidirectional, bus stops, u-turns, TJ double parking…
I always look 3 times and Walk predictably making eye contact, even if you cross at YOUR green you still have to see if turning drivers will actually wait and yield. People who think drivers always obey the law are fooling themselves.
I hope the recovery is full and speedy.
This is one more painful example of the total lack of regulation or enforcement of the explosion of e-vehicles on our streets and sidewalks by the Mayor, the Governor, the City Council and the NYPD. The information about the danger of e-vehicles has been out there for years now and still no action. Why we have this incredibly dangerous situation is largely because of the sway of hedge fund backed lobby Trans Alt who is very sure to fill the coffers of elected leaders with donations! It exemplifies the very worst of New York! That lives and the health and security of tax paying citizens are sacrificed for the profits of a hedge fund, their corporate donors, and shareholders! Call your elected leaders and demand action! Join the only group standing for safety and accountability, nyc-EVSA@outlook.com (e-vehicle safety alliance). Only through massive action will we become safe again on our streets and sidewalk! Wishing good health for Renee Baruch in her recovery battle.
Trans Alt has grown into a despicable lobby doing the bidding of Uber/Lyft. They advocate for things that directly harm New Yorkers every single day. They don’t care about safety, they don’t care about people whose livelihoods rely on cars. They think the city is only for young, fit and single people who can bike to and from midtown every day. They the most entitled group of one percenters that celebrate every time there is car crash so they can use it to promote their anti-car agenda, but could care less every day NYers are hit by these illegal e-bikes and mopeds.
Actually, TransAlt COULDN’T care less, but in all other respects your comment is spot on.
Agree. Trans Alt has to go. Retiree here. Car owner. Never drive IN the City, only to get out of it…for example to visit, run errands, and take to her appointments my 92 year old mother in law who lives 50 out on The Island. Or to enjoy an inexpensive day or multi day getaway.
Trans Alt does all it can to take away my car — and the cars of other retirees, workers who reverse commute, and families that truly need personal cars.
Alt Trans vision of a city populated mainly by young, healthy, bike-riding denizens is delusional.
Ps I’m 77, and my City Bike app shows I’ve taken over 850 City Bike trips covering close to 2,000 miles.
Hi fellow UWS dad! Completely disagree with you here though, the biggest safety risk to adults and kids in our neighborhood are reckless drivers, see the WSR article from a few weeks back on the taxi that hit the stroller which had stats on injuries from bicyclists vs drivers.
There are NO stats on bikes or e-bikes in accidents or violating rules of the road incidents, so stats are meaningless. Completely meaningless. There has never been any police check off paperwork for it, so you are kidding yourself when you mention stats. NO STATS HAVE BEEN KEPT ON BIKES.
There is absolutely NO question that one can see a car coming, but one cannot see where the e-bikes come from because they violate ALL rules of the road, not just running red lights. While cars run red lights, they don’t drive on the sidewalks and they generally do not drive the wrong way up one way streets. The BIGGEST THREAT TO PUBLIC SAFETY is unregistered, unlicensed, and uninsured e-vehicles and mopeds. Go outside for two minutes and see for yourself. Leave the stats are the door.
Yes! This post is 100%!
Good luck Renee. Wow…when will we take the e bike situation seriously? I walk and every time, almost get nailed several times..WHEN I AM FOLLOWING ROAD SIGNS AND SIGNALS!!
In January 2007, I was hit by an SUV going through a red light. From that day to this, I see traffic get worse & worse. Now with all kinds of e-vehicles, there is no sound, only the crunch of a vehicle hitting a human body. Who is letting this happen? I too had PTSD & am still afraid of crossing streets or going out alone. I have to use a cane – the only protection I have. Thanks NYC for nothing.
I am sorry to hear about your injury. I have witnessed and almost been injured by vehicles running red lights more than ever in my 30+ years in NYC. It is an epidemic… I was almost hit by a tractor trailer on Broadway. If I wasn’t looking, while I had the green, I wouldn’t be typing this right now. Just this month an unlicensed car almost ran me down while I had the green light. They never even slowed down through the red light. I was hit by a car 3 years ago, turning right on red in Manhattan, while I was in the crosswalk (I had the green). Another… Fake temp license plate blowing a red and turning left through a crosswalk… You get the idea.
Aggressive vehicle drivers and bike going the wrong way or riding right through the red lights… Have made NYC an unenjoyable place to walk around in, and this was always a pedestrian city. That was one of the best parts. I know people who ride bikes in NYC for years that don’t feel safe because of the lawlessness.
I agree with just about everyone’s comments, and it appears there is total agreement on the lack of enforcement by our city and state officials, on the “despicable lobbying group” that Transportation Alternatives has become, and the dangers of e-bikes riding roughshod through our parks and streets. As for the one comment that said the e-bike driver perhaps wasn’t wrong because Renee didn’t know which direction he came from, then how do you explain that she was walking with the traffic light, not against it. tThanks for writing such a good job with this update, Carol. Renee, we all wish you well, and hope your horrific injuries are soon in the past.
She was jaywalking, not walking with the traffic light. And pedestrians should pay attention to the Walk/Don’t Walk signals, not the traffic lights which are for vehicles. When it says Don’t Walk, that’s when cars should get the opportunity to make a turn. If pedestrians just keep crossing, expect that vehicles will push the limits.
Someone shoved me on WEA and 97 st a few weeks ago. I was taken to Mt Sinai West, which is hell on earth. I fractured my elbow, had surgery and still in a lot of pain. How one second could change your life. Stay alert
I too am baffled by the lack of motorcycle and bicycle enforcement. Did you know that to do something as innocuous as fishing, such as in Riverside Park Hudson River or Central Park Harlem Meer, you need a NYS fishing license, and you better believe that some official seeing you with a pole in the water will verify that you have that license. It is unconscionable that fishing is held to a higher standard than are vehicles zooming 20+ mph in all directions and on all surfaces.
Traffic laws should be for bicycles. They zoom in and out of traffic. They ride thru pedestrian lanes, on sidewalks, and go in wrong directions anyway they want. I and others have almost hit and some I know have been hit. PROTECT PEDESTRIANS NOW!!
In this case the bike was riding on the street when a pedestrian stepped out mid-block. How can we protect pedestrians sho won’t protect themselves?
I agree that many cyclists don’t obey the laws but lets not use an incident of a jay walker being hit as proof of anything.
To all those saying there is no accountability, what do you think this deliverista was responsible for? He may have tried to flee the scene but didn’t because people stopped him. There is no indication that he was breaking any law while riding down 72nd St. Yes, drivers are supposed to yield to pedestrians but that isn’t always possible. If someone steps out from between 2 parked cars right in front of a car or bike it may not be possible to avoid them.
That’s what happened to me when someone walked out from between 2 cars. There was no way to stop in time and I hit the jaywalker. Stuck around long enough to tell him that he endangered me since he was fine.
Did the delivery person stop by themselves, or were they forced to stay at the scene by others? Fleeing the scene of an accident is illegal, and yes, they are responsible for that.
I’m not sure that matters legally
They didn’t flee. They were questioned by the police.
I am deeply disappointed but not surprised by Ms. Brewer’s postiin on this matter.
BTW there are some places where police will enforce and ticket “jaywalkers” – for example in Austria.
In Austria, pedestrians wait for a green light to cross – even if there are no vehicles on the street.
Jaywalking is also illegal in Singapore
Are those places overrun by non citizen ‘deliveristas’? The same people clamoring for licensing and enforcement are the same ones who get upset when the NYPD enforces the law. Then we get sob stories about some poor ‘undocumented resident’ trying to earn a living and how enforcement is racist. Either laws are enforced or they aren’t. Make a choice.
As far back as the last century, okay late 90s, I remember a friend coming back from a trip to Berlin where his group of “tourists” were given tickets for lingering on a bike path and taking pictures. So yes, the no accountability here in the U.S. goes for pedestrian also. Though I know of no incidents where a car driver was killed bc someone jaywalked. An ebike rider was killed in CP drive/72nd transverse after colliding with someone on foot couple of years ago.
The data by the numbers (even including ebikes) is still averaging 200 ped fatalities caused by vehicles (4 wheels or more) vs less than 1/yr (2 wheels or less) in NYC for the last 20 years. Yes, lack of accountability is an issue, but often misplaced.
There is just about zero recording at present done for e-vehicle injuries or even deaths. The police don’t write reports for e-vehicle injuries. Even serious ones. Right now some are trying to change that. But your statistics lack accuracy for this reason. There have been thousands of serious injuries that end up in the ER without police reports written this year.
I agree that all injuries from minor to catastrophic are underreported for all types of vehicles large and small. The actual death count is not something that the NYPD or DoT can fudge the numbers when there is the deceaseds’ body as evidence.
https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/12/16/kenny-deforest-death-makes-2023-second-deadliest-for-nyc-cyclists/
It is a new problem for all major world class cities. But if you leave out suicides by firearms, vehicular violence remains the leading cause of traumatic deaths globally and in the U.S. Over 1 million deaths every year, way more than gun violence AND ALL Wars combined. The fact that we’ve long since normalized driver (of all kinds) violence doesn’t change those numbers.
I cannot stand the lack of enforcement regarding e-bikes and scooters- I’ve been hit twice on sidewalks by delivery drivers on e-bikes (at full speed). We stopped ordering delivery 2 years ago for this reason- it’s silly but it’s the only thing I feel like I can do to show my utter frustration with the lack of regulation and the overflow of drivers going the wrong way, on sidewalks, paths, etc.
Thanks for the update. I’m wondering if the speculation that the e-bike rider didn’t face consequences for hitting Ms. Baruch is accurate. Given that she wasn’t contacted for a statement or anything, it’s likely that he didn’t. But I hope West Side Rag can find out more.
I was recently walking west on West 100th Street in front of the 24th precinct. A cyclist on an e-bike flew past me on the sidewalk almost hitting me and another pedestrian….on the sidewalk. A police office standing in front of the 24th precinct laughed and said something to the effect of “sidewalks aren’t safe anymore” but did nothing to stop the cyclist. No enforcement – even in front of a police precinct. I realize there are no consequences but this isn’t the first time I’ve seen dangerous e-bike behavior in front of law enforcement and nothing is done. No wonder these e-bikers and e-scooter drivers have no fear.
It is noteworthy that police incident reporting forms have no area where they can note if the incident was caused by any vehicle other than a one with 4 wheels. Thus every statistic is meaningless.
Gail Brewer is , and always has been, asleep at the wheel. And sadly, nothing, including unnecessary accidents, seems to awaken her.
On a related topic….
Just saw a man with a child (about 4 or 5) on Citibike – the child was sitting in the basket.
Unbelievably dangerous.
In the good weather, frequently see teenagers on e Citibikes – with friends sitting in the basket.
Folks should just be taking the bus and subway…
Take the subway and bus if you like but don’t tell others what to do.
Cars and Drivers are licensed, and they never hurt pedestrians!!
But seriously, cars have licenses, and when they kill pedestrians drivers just get a “Failure to Yeild” ticket at worst. What do you think bike licenses will achieve?
Cars are REGISTERED, not licensed. Movement is to get e-bikes and mopeds, etc., REGISTERED. Licensing of those who ride them is a different issue. Gas-powered motorcycles are already required to be registered and their riders are required to be licensed, (not that that stops them from riding in bike lanes even on “open streets” for many consecutive blocks, which is just as illegal for a gas-powered motorcycle rider as it is for the driver of a car.)
I think I remember that in the last 2 or 3 years, two women have been killed by e-bikes or scooters in the streets in front of Lincoln Center. Could your reporters follow up on what happened to the one perpetrator who was caught? (Only one was caught. The other, of course, got away). Between the running people over and the starting of fires with the storage of these bikes (one never knows if they’re being stored in your basement), I absolutely despise these vehicles.
Thanks, West Side Rag – you’re laying out the various aspects of issues raised by e-bikes. What is needed is an in depth study. Deliverista employment is not a real job with benefits, healthcare, etc. We need less deliveries – do we want folks working at these dangerous jobs next summer and we have 100+ temps ? Let’s review the whole concept of deliveries, except for elderly or housebound – it shouldn’t be for Take out meals. Let’s get rid of e-bikes, fire hazards and street crossing dangers !
Ban take-out meals? It’s jaw-dropping that someone would suggest such a solution.
Ban e-bikes instead. Let deliveristas use pedal bikes like they did four years ago, or walk ten blocks, or travel by subway with the charge for mass transit on the tab. How tough is that?
Not only do e-bikes and scooters go in the wrong direction on a one way side street, they zoom up and down on sidewalks where one least expects to look both ways when stepping out of the apartment building for example.
I have warned parents with small children, spoke to supervisor/owners of food establishments, and suggested the 20th Precinct Community Affairs office to do the same about instructing delivery crews.
I started taking the drivers’ photos, and my block is safer, more “civilized” now.
Thank you.
Additionally – Citi Bike, and especially the tourists and the bike rental outfits catering to them eg. on w 56th st need to mandate safety protocols about not riding on sidewalks and/ or going the wrong way on the streets.
Regular bikes can be a hazard as well esp. to unsuspecting elders and small children.
Thank you.
Take a look at what Tran Alt is trying to do to your neighborhoods.
https://x.com/TransAlt/status/1737120805136273913?s=20
Having worked as an RN in a NYC ER, I came away with the following advice to NY’ers. Do not jaywalk, stay on the sidewalk at the corners, and do not wait in the street for the light to change. Always look both ways, even when you have the light or on a 1 way street. Have seen way too many, mostly those over 65, who have lost a leg or had severe injuries due to being hit by cars and bikes; mostly by vehicles making turns. Having ebikes registered or licensed does not make up for pedestrians who feel that jaywalking is okay. You can’t control who’s on the road, you can only control how you navigate around town.
Very honest perspective and advice. But people will either justify their own bad behavior by pointing to others’ bad behavior or simply ignore that they’re the victims of their own behavior.
Re: hit while jaywalking I am not commenting -but wish to add to my 2 previous comments:
I work with Personal Injury Attorneys as bilingual interpreter and have encountered very unfortunate cases re: bikes/e-bikes/scooter accidents:
Unless the driver has plates, wearing or showing their place of employment – as most of them don’t – accident victims cannot claim medical and other compensation.
It would be ideal for laws to be passed re: mandatory identification and insurance.
Till then I feel it is best to approach whoever is paying them eg. owners, supervisors.
I spoke to the supervisors of 2 deli/restaurants near me as I knew where they worked.
Also recommended the 20th Precinct Community Office to do the same, even volunteering to distribute advisories.
Thank you.
What a terrible story. There should be rules for all bikers to obey traffic laws. Too many ride against the traffic which can be deadly.
I hope she has a speedy recovery.