Bicycle Safety

The Manhattan DA's office is filing charges of criminal mischief against a cyclist, Ray Bengen, because he allegedly caused property damage to a multi-ton SUV in the process of getting doored by the driver. Too ridiculous to be true? Sadly, no. Here's how it happened.

Last week, DOT presented plans for short-term changes that should make Brooklyn's Park Circle more welcoming to those on foot, on bikes and on horseback. The proposal [PDF] comes after a February public workshop on the gateway to Prospect Park raised speeding drivers and inadequate facilities for other users as major concerns.

If you don't care for DOT's new bike safety ads, here's something you'll really hate.

For two days running, the Daily News has reported that recently appointed Health Commissioner Tom Farley feels, let's say, hesitant to ride his bike in Manhattan. Coming on the heels of this week's DOH report on child fatalities -- which downplayed the risks of traffic -- it got us wondering how the agency might influence street safety under the new boss.

DOT today announced a new slate of public service announcements for its "Look" cyclist safety campaign. As demonstrated in this TV ad, the spots are more graphic -- i.e. more realistic -- than the previous line-up (though those ads are currently running online as well), and are reminiscent of PSAs we've seen from abroad. Reads a DOT press release:

Yesterday the Department of Health released its yearly report on child fatalities [PDF], which focuses on deaths due to injury. This year's report goes into terrific detail about causes of death inside the home, but when it comes to the most widespread cause of unintentional injuries that kill kids -- traffic -- the document doesn't say much.

The disparity between the 13 percent of road fatalities suffered by non-drivers and the amount that the federal government spends on their safety -- less than one percent -- may come as a surprise to some Americans. But the situation is far worse in the developing world, according to a new World Health Organization report.

Back in February, Brooklyn CB7 hosted a public workshop where DOT and the Department of City Planning explored ways to make Brooklyn's Park Circle a more appealing gateway to Prospect Park -- and a less terrifying traffic vortex for everyone outside of a car to navigate. Participants floated a number of ideas to mark off more space for pedestrians, cyclists and horseback riders, and tonight you can help shape what comes next. From DOT's announcement:

Tuesday's post about the Fifth Avenue bike lane in Park Slope gave me the chance to talk to several retail merchants about how they receive their deliveries, and whether the Class 2 bike lane is causing them any trouble. According to Fifth Avenue BID director Irene LoRe, the bike lane makes it tougher for delivery drivers to do their job and adds to the cost of doing business. But based on my conversations with other restaurant owners and retailers, there is little support for this view among merchants on the strip.