Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Eyes on the Street

Eyes on the Street: Cabbie on the Hudson River Greenway

5:08 PM EST on November 4, 2014

Photo: Shelly Mossey
Photo: Shelly Mossey
Photo: Shelly Mossey

The Hudson River Greenway is supposed to be a place where New Yorkers can walk and bike without fear of being hit by motorists. But this is not the case, as regular greenway users are well aware. Caught on camera today by Shelly Mossey, this cab driver was on the bikeway to the south of the NYPD tow pound.

A few yards away is the site where an NYPD truck driver fatally struck Carl Nacht in 2006, as Nacht rode on the greenway with his wife, Mary Beth Kelly. Six months later, a drunk driver traveling at highway speeds slammed into greenway cyclist Eric Ng a mile south of Chelsea Piers, killing him.

At the time, there was nothing to prevent drivers from turning onto the bikeway after exiting the tow pound. There is now a hard center-line bollard designed to deter drivers from making that turn. It's difficult to imagine someone maneuvering a car around the bollard without seeing it. It looks like this cab driver was determined to get in there.

Mossey wrote on Facebook that an NYPD officer stationed at the tow pound entrance "did not even notice" the cab. After seeing the photos, Mossey wrote, the officer said she "will file a complaint."

"I think that section of bikeway needs cameras," wrote Mossey. "I always see taxis on the bikeway in that section."

In addition to motorists who illegally drive on the path, cyclists and pedestrians must contend with conflict points where drivers cross the greenway. Last July a NY Waterways bus driver, apparently en route to the 39th Street ferry terminal, seriously injured a cyclist just north of the tow pound.

The Hudson River Park Trust, which gets revenue from commercial enterprises inside the park, intends to add more driveways and greenway conflict points for a new retail and food market with 75 parking spaces at Pier 57 in Chelsea.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Thursday’s Headlines: Congestion Pricing Will Be $15 Edition

The proposed congestion pricing toll is $15 for cars entering Manhattan below 60th Street, the TMRB said on Wednesday. Plus more news.

November 30, 2023

MTA Bus Lane Cameras Will Zap Motorists Who Double Park and Block Bus Stops

If you love blocking buses and bus stops, it's time to get a new hobby.

November 30, 2023

Eyes on the Street: Long Island City Bike Lanes Are a Good Start — But More Needed

The city unveiled three new protected bike lanes in Long Island City, but advocates want more to fill in a neighborhood-wide safe cycling network.

November 30, 2023

Eric Adams’s McGuinness Blvd. Capitulation Did ‘Nothing’ for Pedestrians, Greenpoint Pols Charge

Mayor Adams's watered down bike lane redesign of McGuinness Boulevard failed to improve pedestrian safety, elected officials charged.

November 29, 2023

Wednesday’s Headlines: We Beat the DOT Edition

We beat the DOT in court after it rejected our FOIL request. Plus more news.

November 29, 2023
See all posts