Carnage

SEE IT: Madison Lyden’s Family Marks One-Year Anniversary of Cyclist’s Death

Paige Lyden's sadness and frustration speaks volumes about the state of New York City's roadways.

By Gersh Kuntzman

1:04 AM EDT on August 12, 2019

SEE IT: Madison Lyden’s Family Marks One-Year Anniversary of Cyclist’s Death

The family of Madison Lyden added some personal touches to the cyclist's ghost bike on Sunday. Photo: Melodie Bryant

Last week, we invited Madison Lyden’s mother to share her thoughts as her family prepared to mark the one-year anniversary of the crash on Central Park West that ended the 23-year-old’s short but vibrant life. On Sunday, the family visited the crash site — and Friend of Streetsblog Melodie Bryant asked Lyden’s sister, Paige, to say a few words.

Paige Lyden didn’t hold back, mixing reminiscences about her “truly magnificent and divine” sister with bitterness about the “injustice that the streets aren’t safe.”

Like her mother, Amanda Berry, she blasted residents of Central Park West who are fighting the city’s effort to build a protected bike lane on the roadway.

“To think that there are people out there who are valuing car parking over a safer street, I can’t describe the pain that that brings our family,” she said.

Gersh Kuntzman

Tabloid legend Gersh Kuntzman has been with New York newspapers since 1989, including stints at the New York Daily News, the Post, the Brooklyn Paper and even a cup of coffee with the Times. He's also the writer and producer of "Murder at the Food Coop," which was a hit at the NYC Fringe Festival in 2016, and “SUV: The Musical” in 2007. He also writes the Cycle of Rage column, which is archived here.