Today’s Headlines

With regard to the Tappen Zee, I’m not as opposed to its replacement and an happy that it is progressing so fast with a reasonable budget.

But the fact that this is possible just shows that a large share of the cost of mass transit construction and maintenance is income distribution. Upward.

And that is something no one wants to change.

As for the injured pedestrian, the cyclist must have been moving quite quickly if they were unable to avoid him, and hit hard enough to send him to the hospital. But if that pedestrian had been hit by a motor vehicle, it would have been far worse for him. Those on bicycles have to expect drivers and pedestrians to do just about anything at just about any time and place in Midtown.

I would like to wait for the facts to come in before coming to any conclusions on the Seventh Ave crash. We know the ped was crossing mid-block (not legal), and it’s likely he was listening, not watching, for traffic. The bike was probably at the end of the traffic cycle (legal), or running reds (not legal). I’m sure someone will find video footage that will elucidate the situation. In the end, insurance companies or a jury will have to sort this one out.

I am concerned, of course, about the way this has been reported. When did we last see the headline of “Driver Slams Into Pedestrian in Midtown Wednesday, Witnesses Say”

Gotta love a fake parking scandal, especially one not started by a nefarious transportaiton department but a councilmember who can’t connect the dots on a whopping TWO emails.

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In the case of the new Bay Ridge muni-meters, however, Gentile admitted on Thursday that DOT had contacted him to advise him about the installations months ago.

“This morning I spoke with Brooklyn DOT Commissioner Keith Bray, and DOT had in fact emailed our office two notices about the prospective installation of muni-meters in this area: one in March of this year and one in May. The full scope of the new meter plan wasn’t evident unless the two communiqués from three months apart were put together. We agreed that there should be more efficient means of communication from all parties regarding the roll-out of muni-meters so that the information does not get lost in the shuffle,” Gentile said.

what?

it’s hard to tell but it looks like it might not have brakes. Plus no bell… the bell definitely would have prevented this.

This a very reasoned response to this crash. Sort of a ‘here’s what the facts point to, but let’s withhold judgement until the whole story is known.’

A lot of the time as a motorcyclist I have a problem with pedestrians seeing right through me as they cross mid block (especially in the outer boros), causing me to grab a hand full of brake. Times like that I wish my bike had ABS.

I was kidding about the bell. But brakes are important for sure.

I almost had something similar happen to me once. I was riding on Union Turnpike eastbound during the evening rush hour in winter. I had a bright headlight which can easily be seen a few blocks away. In case you’re unfamiliar, the parking lane on Union Turnpike really isn’t wide enough for a cyclist to ride there, so I usually take the right lane. Late nights this is no problem since there’s seldom much motor traffic. That night, motor traffic was heavy since I was riding much earlier than usual that evening. I therefore needed to keep pace with it, or risk being run off the road. This isn’t hard since rush hour motor traffic on Union Turnpike typically moves at 20 to 30 mph. Usually catching the draft off the vehicle in front is enough to keep pace without killing myself (note I don’t need to ride their bumper for this—20 or 30 feet behind works fine). Right after I passed the intersection with Utopia Parkway a woman suddenly comes out from behind a parked truck when I was nearly on top of her. I don’t know why she deemed it was safe to cross. She was well in the middle of the block, and there were vehicles in front of and behind me. Perhaps she thought I was further away and/or going a lot more slowly. In any case, all I had time to do was jerk my handlebars. Fortunately I choose left and she jumped back. I probably missed her by a few inches. At my speed of 33 mph on the slight downgrade, which was simply prevailing traffic speed, it would have been ugly for both of us had I hit her. I can’t say there was anything I should or could have done differently in this situation. Even if I had anticipated this potential blind spot, slowing down when the following car was perhaps 20 feet off my rear wheel wasn’t an option at all. Neither was moving to the left lane, which is what I usually do in similar situations.

Ah. I missed the joke. Sorry..
Agreed!

As a frequent user of that stretch of 7th Ave, I can say two things from experience: 1) it is slightly downhill, so it’s easy to ride fast; 2) there is often relatively little motor vehicle traffic, especially when Central Park is closed to cars, which emboldens pedestrians to jaywalk across the avenue anytime, anyplace.

The police let the cyclist go. Most likely he’s not being charged with anything. I doubt there will be any civil proceedings, either, at least from the person who was hit. He was crossing midblock, didn’t look, and was therefore legally responsible for what happened. The cyclist could sue the person he hit for injuries or damage to his bike, but both look to be OK. On top of that, one or both parties may not even had any kind of insurance. I can assure you this is one case which accident lawyers aren’t lining up for.

Practice modulating your front brake to the point where your rear wheel is just lifting off the ground. It takes time, but if you’re reasonably competent you can eventually do it. Once you can, you’re stopping the bike as fast as physics will allow. Another tip is to drop down to lower your center of gravity. This allows greater deceleration rates before your rear wheel will lift. I’ve managed ~0.7g with this technique. This allows me to stop from 25 mph in about 60 feet. The way cyclists typically brake takes about a full block to stop from the same speed.

The speed limit on Union Turnpike at the time was either 30 or 35 mph. I don’t remember which. Worst case I was marginally over the speed limit but I was just keeping up with traffic flow.

Oh, that stretch is quite a bit downhill, and traffic moves in platoons. If you’re out of the car platoon, you can find yourself confronted with a platoon of pedestrians crossing en masse after having just exited the 50th Street 1 station, 53rd Street B/D/E station, or 49th Street N/R. The pedestrians, although nominally crossing against the “don’t walk” phase, feel entitled to be walking where they are, aren’t always looking closely, and are easily, very surprised to see a cyclist.

NEWS
Neighbors oppose idea to narrow already congested stretch of East Tremont Ave.

http://bronx.news12.com/news/neighbors-oppose-idea-to-narrow-already-congested-stretch-of-east-tremont-ave-1.12129023

“I hit someone that way on Broadway once (he was looking SOUTH as he stepped out into traffic, and as I attempted to brake and turn to avoid him he turned, say me and moved in the same direction I did to try to avoid him).”

I haven’t hit anyone, but someone steps out into traffic in front of me without looking anywhere — especially into a bike lane — almost every day I ride.

yeah, this was the one time I didn’t avoid the in-front-of-stepper.

I’m not talking about slowing down when you approach a pedestrian whom you can already see. I’m talking about slowing down in general when near the curb so that you will be able to stop for a suddenly-appearing pedestrian. At any more than 15 miles per hour, you’re getting into reckless territory.

I wouldn’t suggest – and I don’t think I suggested – that we are morally entitled to do everything that is legally permitted. I would say, instead, that we have an overriding moral obligation to conduct ourselves on the roads with due care, and what that means depends on the circumstances. I agree that it is generally reckless to ride at high speed near to where pedestrians regularly step into traffic in order to look for oncoming traffic – a practice that in my experience seems unique to New York and likely a consequence of our lack of daylighting at intersections. I would go further and say that we have greater duties to slow down and be ready to stop when near actively-used parks, street fairs, and the like.

All that I reject is that I must always be at fault for hitting a pedestrian, or that the only reasonable way to ride with “due care” is so that I can stop at a moment’s notice for a suddenly-appearing pedestrian, no matter where or how unusual or reckless their behavior is. I should expect pedestrians to try to cross against the light at intersections; I should expect them to weave through stopped traffic mid-block; I should expect them to meander across bike lanes. I should, correspondingly, ride so that they’re aware of my presence and so that I can avoid them if necessary. But I cannot anticipate when and where a pedestrian might try to cross mid-block on a Manhattan avenue. In my experience, that kind of jaywalking is rare and, in my view, generally inadvisable (in contrast, jaywalking across the narrower cross streets involves shorter crossing distances across fewer lanes of traffic moving at slower speeds).

How is the TZ project different in regards to income distribution from other transportation projects?

This is the guy who made it legal to park in front of curb cuts intended for pedestrians, including the disabled. Which I actually assumed was illegal under the ADA, but New York City is clearly the Greatest City In The World amirite

I use only my front brake when I _need_ to stop, but for the simple purpose of easier maintenance, I try to use both brakes equally (so favoring the rear brake when I simply want to reduce speed, for example). I’d rather the brakes wear evenly and only have to bother replacing brake pads (albeit two sets) half as often as I would if I used only the front brake.

“We don’t have a moral obligation to conduct ourselves so that we can’t possibly cause harm to others even when they behave in dangerously unpredictable and, indeed, legally proscribed ways.”

Kevin’s comment:
Are you aware that children live in this city? Yes, children do behave in unpredictable ways. This is generally called, “being a normal child.”

Those who are adults have a responsibility to avoid hurting children who are behaving in normal child ways. Particularly when operating a motor vehicle, which causes two orders of magnitude more harm to pedestrians, but also when cycling.

I would certainly agree that it is prudent and advisable to take extra care when operating vehicles in any space where children are likely to be present or where they can readily be seen, but I wouldn’t go so far as to agree that we have a moral obligation to take this extra degree of care just because we are adults and they are children. Dogs and other animals behave unpredictably, as well; does this fact, in itself, impose an additional duty of care?

Children are not entitled to a special status of moral consideration that they somehow lose when they reach a certain age. Insofar as they cannot appreciate all of the consequences of their actions, they are perhaps entitled to a certain exemption from personal responsibility. But a child who darts into traffic from between two cars is no less a threat to my safety than a full-grown adult, is no more foreseeable, is no more avoidable, etc. The primary moral obligation to look after them falls on their parents and guardians. As a stranger, my responsibilities to them are the same as they are to any other human.

Not sure what that has to do with the above, but income…as in personal income? I doubt there is any significant effect. It’s one crossing. When it fails or shuts down, people will adjust. People with the means might move if they can (I’m working on it). Probably doesn’t affect the MTA’s income much either, except maybe to move trips to other less efficient services.

Think we’re well past just hipsters on the L Train though. It’s yuppies and yupsters now too. Williamsburg is where the well off people pushed out of Manhattan by the plutocrats go.