Today’s Headlines

  • Fox News Writer Rams SUV Into Cyclist in Central Park (Gawker, Gothamist)
  • Albany Turmoil May Keep MTA Under Temporary Leadership for a Long Time (News)
  • Gas Prices Back to Nearly $3/Gal in NYC; Oil’s at $71/Barrel (News, Takeaway)
  • Why Denver Decided to Invest in Transit and Urbanism (Takeaway)
  • Here’s What Other Countries Are Doing to Reduce Car Speeds (World Streets via Streetsblog.net)
  • Redeveloping a Defunct Bowling Alley Stokes Traffic Fears in Glendale (News)
  • The Post Is Loving the High Line and Hating Car-Free Times Square
  • There’s a New Name for Neighborhood Car-Free Events: "Weekend Walks" (WNYC)
  • UPS Has a Bike Lane Policy: It’s OK for a Driver to Block One, Just Not for Too Long (Cyclosity)
  • How to Nab a Cyclist (Marie Claire)

  • Here’s a good quote re: “Fox News Writer…”

    “Both men agree that the altercation started because Dooda was riding his bike in the left-hand lane at roughly 25 m.p.h., which caused a line of ten or so cars to back up behind him.”

    This is exhibit A for why cars shouldn’t be allowed in the park. If cars need to go faster than 25 m.p.h. in the park, then it’s too dangerous for them to be in there.

    This Fox reporter should go to jail. His response was completely disproportionate and could have killed the rider. He used his car as a weapon, plain and simple.

    A proper response from the cycling community would be for a group of riders to ride in the traffic lanes in the park to keep cars from going fast.

  • That Marie Claire article almost made me lose my breakfast. I’ll put air in my own damn tires, thanks, and no I’m not going to ask the speeding spandex man to help me while I bat my mascara-laden lashes.

  • So the state legislature won’t confirm a new MTA chair for months? Bring back Lee Sander.

  • Glenn

    2010 should be an interesting year politically in NY State. We need to recruit some candidates to run against these jokers in the Senate. When exactly does redistricting happen in NY State? I guess after the 2010 elections, but i’m not sure.

  • Dear Pete, the Marie Claire blogger’s mechanic,

    I fixed two strangers’ flat tires in May, and no surprise! both of them had punctured tubes. No big deal. Patches cost next to nothing, and I’ve learned that it’s not necessary to remove the wheel from the bike to patch and reinflate. I just have to find the hole, apply the patch, and remove the debris.

    If there’s no puncture because YOUR PATRON had let the air out through the valve, without puncturing the tube, then I’m wasting my time looking for a puncture or debris. Even if it’s Chloe Sevigny doing it, she’s a tool for leading me on.

    What’s wrong with a simple “I love your bike. How long have you been riding?”

  • Gothamist: “Broderick [the Fox guy who assaulted a biker with his car] says the NYPD never contacted him after Dooda [the victim] filed his report.” (With amendments.)

    At least that part of what the Fox guy said is believable.

    Since no one else has mentioned it, Howard Thompson of WPIX ran a TV news report last night about a cyclist whose bike was stolen while a store surveillance camera was running. She brought the video to the police. They did nothing. Can you imagine that kind of inaction with a car theft? See blog and video.

  • The Fox News Writer SUV vs Cyclist story is a little confusing because cyclists routinely ride in the left lane, in Central Park, particularly when sharing the road with joggers and pedestrians. 25 mph is the park speed limit except in certain areas like the Great Hill where the speed limit is 20 mph. Any cyclist going that fast rightfully belongs in the left lane.

    Central Park has just become far to popular with joggers, cyclists, and tourists to have these angry drivers using it as a shortcut through midtown. If we can have a traffic-free Broadway then why not a traffic-free Central Park?

  • If the police do visit Broderick, and see any evidence at all that there was someone on his hood, would that–evidence he’d been in a crash–combined with the fact that he never reported a crash, be enough to arrest him?

  • Just for fun…

    Please don’t let air out of your tyres, since it will either annoy Jonathan or leave you stranded. Yes, I know you bought a mini-pump along, but apparently you don’t know how to use it.

    And don’t bother challenging cyclists to a race. Unlike you, most cyclists are out there for a reason, not to just swan about looking all cute and trendy. We don’t have time to wait for you at the coffee shop. After all, how long is it going to take you with your high heels and flat tyres?

    And telling a guy his ass looks good?? Come on people, is that what passes for an acceptable chat-up line these days?? Maybe I should be complimenting women I see on the street with “Cor what a luvverly pair of knockers!”

  • Unfair and imbalanced.

    If Don Broderick doesn’t go to jail for assault with a deadly weapon, there is no justice.

  • Shemp

    Gawker update says PD is investigating the Broderick attempted mow-down

  • Along this line, let’s not forget CNN anchor Jack Caffety’s infamous 2003 knockdown of a Manhattan cyclist and multi-block dragging of the bicycle. For which he got, uh, nothing.

  • Larry Littlefield

    “2010 should be an interesting year politically in NY State.”

    2010 will be the year taxes soar and services collapse in New York, unless they find a way to pay for it all with borrowing, delaying it until November. We are facing absolute disaster.

    And no, lower wages and benefits FOR NEW HIRES in government will do nothing to stop it.

  • someone

    gee, andy, you make it sound like an ass-compliment for a guy is such a terrible thing. while you may not do it, many men do actually have the unfortunate tendency to focus on women’s body parts needlessly and often as part of a power game, so the comparison is unmerited.

    besides, many men in spandex are actually swanning around & they just tend to do it fast or at the end of their ride.

  • ddartley:
    I suspect the account from an independent witness and her call to 911 should go a long way towards bringing charges.

    From http://www.nycc.org/mb/thread.aspx?b=1&t=15210&tp=1&c=(40)

    Date: Friday, June 05, 2009 8:20:42 PM
    Author: Carol K.
    207.237.50.140 Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.0.4506
    Subject: Psycho CP driver/ cyclist altercation

    Witnessed an incident last night in Central Park (it was just shy of 5 p.m.) between a driver and cyclist. I was running with my friend. We were heading south on East Drive. We had just made the right turn onto East Dr. from the 102 St. Transverse. As we were running, we saw an SUV ahead, coming north. It was a bizarre sight … a cyclist was on the hood, shouting at the driver, to please please stop the car. That cyclist kept shouting to the guy to stop, he was saying/shouting, “You could have killed me. Stop, Please stop. This is my life.” something like that. We saw his bike in the road, left behind, as the SUV drove on, with the cyclist on his hood.
    The guy kept driving, they drove past where we stood with our jaws wide open. The cyclist was still on the hood, pleading with the driver to stop. He rode on the hood for like 3, 4 blocks….. I think when we first saw him, he was at like 98th, 99th St., but he rode on the hood until at least 101st, 102nd St. or so. He kept shouting at the driver to stop, and the driver didn’t stop or slow down at all. It was scary.
    I saw the license plate. NYP in vertical letters on a NY license plate. I noted the plate number. FInally, I saw him come off the hood/ fall off? And the car drove off. My friend and I were both shocked and a bit horrified by the whole incident. I couldn’t believe the guy didn’t stop.
    Also, I called 911 and they had my phone number and I gave them the plate number, so there’s a whole record in 911 calls from me saying I witnessed a hit-and-run…… that was how I described it. Actually , the NYPD and the FDNY both rang me back on my cell after i left the scene to confirm my account. I told them what I knew, essentially what I just described here.
    After the fact, I gave the cyclist, whose name is Brian, my email address and told him I’d testify as to what I’d seen. Thankfully, he was standing upright and seemed to be okay. I hope he’s really alright, but it was totally horrifying to watch and I’m even more dismayed that someone with NY Press plates behaved so awfully. I am a member of the media myself; it’s a-holes like that who give us a bad name! Anyway, am posting here to say be careful out there, but also to ask if anyone else was in the park last night and happened to witness it.