Bicycle Accidents

Published on: November 4, 2014

A man who suffered traumatic brain injury after he fell from a Citi Bike is believed to be the first person to sue the bike share program

Citi%20Bike.jpg 73 year old Ronald Corvin is suing Citi Bike for the traumatic brain injury he suffered after a bicycle accident during which he fell from one of the Citi Bikes he was riding. The Citi Bike lawyer is arguing that the man should have worn an helmet. However Citi Bike stations in New York do not provide the option to rent helmets at their docking station. This option exists in Canada and in Australia where Alta, the Citi Bike operator, has installed helmet rental kiosks for their clients. Read more in the NY Daily News

It will be interesting to follow the evolution of this case as the Citi Bike program doesn’t have any insurance on their bikes. The cyclists using the share program are responsible for the damages incurred while they are using the bike. (read more here)

Published on: October 16, 2014

Since the beginning of the year the total number of traffic fatalities in NYC is down by 5.6% with pedestrian deaths down by 16.6% compared to 2013 however the number of cyclists dying in accidents has more than doubled during the same period of time

By GGCRBHS&M

167 people, including 80 pedestrians, 15 cyclists, 17 vehicle passengers and 55 motorists died in traffic accidents in New York City between the beginning of January and the end of August 2013 compared to a total of 177 including 96 pedestrians, 7 cyclists, 18 vehicle passengers and 56 motorists for the same period of time in 2013. The number of motorists and passengers vehicle deaths is stable while pedestrian deaths have been declining following some intense Zero Vision campaigning. However not everything looks good in this picture: the number of cyclists dying in traffic accidents more than doubled during that time.

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Published on: October 13, 2014

A Swedish model suffered severe brain injury in an accident during which she was hit by a bus while riding her bike on Roosevelt Island in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

Anna%20Maria%20Mostrom%20FB.jpg 29 year old Anna Maria Mostrom, a Swedish model, was riding her bicycle on Main St., Roosevelt Island, NYC, when she was struck by a New York City bus making a left turn. The woman fell on the ground and sustained severe brain injuries. She was transported to the hospital where she already has undergone two surgeries. According to the NY Daily News, the young woman is brain dead and her prognosis is bleak.
Picture: Facebook

Published on: October 6, 2014

NYPD cop injured in another case of a pedestrian being struck by a bicyclist in New York City

By GGCRBHS&M

A few weeks after a woman died after being struck by a bike in Central Park, NYC, a NYPD officer was struck by a bicyclist yesterday on the Brooklyn Bridge pedestrian footpath. The officer suffered personal injury and appeared to haver a broken arm. The accident happened yesterday afternoon on a crowded path. According to the New York police, the cyclist was not arrested.

Read more in the NY Daily News

Picture: courtesy of Wikipedia Every day more than 4000 pedestrians and 3100 cyclists cross the Brooklyn Bridge

Published on: September 24, 2014

In a campaign to prevent bicycle accidents, Right of Way installs “20 is plenty” speed signals in Central Park

By GGCRBHS&M

Four days after Jill Tarlov was struck by a reckless cyclist and died in Central Park (see our previous post), activists from “Right of Way” took action last night by installing “20 is Plenty” signs along the Central Park Drives. (Read more about the Central Park Campaign here)

The actual speed limit in New York parks is 25 MPH but activists believe it should be reduced. Mark Levine, the City Council’s park committee chairman also shares this point of view. Yesterday he called for a reduction of the speed limit in all New York Parks for both motor vehicles and bicycles. Mr. Levine also believes that Central Park and Prospect Park should be completely car free as cars are a much bigger threat to pedestrians than bicycles. (Read more here)

Published on: September 22, 2014

A pedestrian died from severe head injury after being hit by a reckless cyclist who crashed into her in Central Park, New York

By GGCRBHS&M

59 year old Jill Tarlov was struck by a cyclist as she was in a crosswalk in Central Park last Thursday.She suffered severe head trauma and was on life support before she passed away this week-end.

According to witnesses the cyclist was riding his bike recklessly and was most probably above the 25 miles-per-hour speed limit. He swerved to avoid a group of pedestrians and hit the woman.

Transportation Alternative, a bicycling and walking advocay group, released a statement asking the NYPD to “investigate the accident including the cyclist’s speed as he approached Ms. Tarlov”.

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Published on: September 10, 2014

Senator Schumer secures $25 million in federal funding for NYC Vision Zero Initiatives to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries

By GGCRBHS&M

13 projects to prevent pedestrian and bicycle accidents in New York City are going to be funded by a $25 million federal grant secured by Senator Schumer. Previous Vision Zero Crash analysis and input from communities were used to select the13 project locations. Projects will include an extension of the Brooklyn Waterfront Greenway; street safety improvements near schools in Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island; and pedestrian safety measures along dangerous corridors like Fourth Avenue in Sunset Park.

15 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents in New York City in July compared to 7 in June; this is the highest number of monthly pedestrian fatalities since the beginning of the year

By GGCRBHS&M

The NYPD Motor Vehicle Collision Data report for the month of July is a blow to the various Vision Zero Initiatives that have been deployed since the beginning of the year to reduce traffic deaths. The initiatives that have been mainly focusing on pedestrian fatalities didn’t seem to have been very effective this summer with the number of pedestrian fatalities more than doubling from 7 to 15 between June and July. 11 cyclists also died since the beginning of the year, almost twice more than in 2013 when 6 cyclists lost their lives during the first 7 months of the year.

Even though the total number of vehicle crashes in NYC was lower last July (17,361) compared to the same month in 2013 (17,548) and compared to the previous month (18,321), the total number of vehicle accidents since the beginning of the year is slightly higher than last year with a total of 118,195 crashes compared to 117,022 for the first seven months of 2013.

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4591 people suffered personal injuries during a vehicle collision in NYC during the month of July, a decrease compared to 4950 in June and 5077 in July 2013. Personal injuries related to vehicle crashes are also down by 7% for the first 7 months of 2014 compared to the first 7 months of 2013 with motorists injuries down by 9%, passengers injuries down by 6%, cyclist injuries down by 3.5% and pedestrian injuries down by 7%.

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Published on: September 2, 2014

What can New York Bicyclists expect from de Blasio?

By GGCRBHS&M

As bicycling in New York became more and more popular and was recognized as a serious mode of transportation, the Bloomberg administration focused on preventing bicycle accidents and increasing cyclist safety by developing a bigger bike network and safer street designs. Bicycling was also encouraged with the development of the Citi Bike program. What bicyclists are seeing in the streets of New York now are all the results of the projects developed when Janette Sadki-Khan was at the head of the DOT during the Bloomberg administration. The projects developed by the de Blasio administration will start to be implemented this fall but the final results will be seen next spring. In a series of 5 articles that started to be published Today in Street Blog, former New York City Department of Transportation Policy Director, Jon Orcutt provides an overview of what New York cyclists can expect under the de Blasio administration.

Read the first article here

Published on: August 28, 2014

City breaks ground on the second part of a project aimed at reducing pedestrian and bicycle accidents at Fordham Plaza, one of the busiest and most dangerous transit hubs in NYC

By GGCRBHS&M

The number of pedestrian and bicycle accidents at Fordham Plaza should decrease significantly by next fall as Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and Department of Transportation Commissioner Polly Trottenberg joined community leaders yesterday to break ground on a plan to completely redesign Fordham Plaza.

Fordham Plaza is one of the busiest transit hubs in the city with the third busiest Metro North Station, 12 bus lines and two schools serving thousands of students. According to the DOT the foot traffic at Fordham Plaza is equivalent to the foot traffic at Herald Square or Penn Station with approximately 80,000 pedestrians over 12 hours. The actual configuration of the Plaza has caused hundreds of pedestrians and cyclists to be injured in traffic accidents over the years. The intersection between Fordham Road and Webster Ave is considered the third most dangerous intersection in the city.

To transform Fordham Plaza into a safe and vibrant place, the NYCDOT and the Economic Development Coprporation have developed plans (see pdf) for a major redesign that includes large public spaces, numerous safety improvements for pedestrians and a bike only street.

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