Traffic Justice

Yesterday we highlighted a Bob Mionske column that eloquently lays out inherent biases common in U.S. traffic codes and proposes measures we can take to start correcting them. One of them is strict liability, which generally assigns responsibility for a collision to the operator of the vehicle likely to do the most damage (just as motorists are expected to look out for cyclists, cyclists must look out for pedestrians).

In the second installment of his two-part "traffic injustice" series (here's part one), cycling attorney Bob Mionske covers a lot of ground. While much of it will lead Streetsblog readers to nod in knowing agreement, what struck us is the way Mionske exposes how a transportation system so dominated by multi-ton vehicles has basically absolved drivers of responsibility when it comes to interactions with actual people.

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance's office is beginning an inquiry into the collision that killed Karen Schmeer last Friday, and expects to review all circumstances leading up the crash, according to a spokesperson. Witnesses cited by the Daily News say cops pursued three men suspected of petty theft at an Upper West Side pharmacy before the getaway driver hit Schmeer at Broadway and 90th Street. The man suspected of driving the car that struck Schmeer has been charged with second degree murder.

Joseph Catrama, the 19-year-old driver whose out-of-control Hyundai struck and killed Nathan Pakow at a Staten Island bus stop last February, will serve no more than six months in jail.

The horrific death of a 44-year-old resident of South Miami has enraged cyclists across South Florida, igniting a debate over street safety in a region historically dominated by devil-may-care drivers.

The lawyer representing Andrew Kelly, the off-duty NYPD officer who last September killed pedestrian Vionique Valnord, then refused to submit to alcohol tests, has indicated that his line of defense will go something like this: The victim precipitated her own death by drinking at a wedding before my client ran her down on a Brooklyn street.

On December 13, Solange Raulston was struck and killed by a truck driver as she was biking on Nassau Avenue in Greenpoint. One month later, scarcely any details about the collision are available. The NYPD has shielded records of the investigation from public scrutiny, and attempts to learn precisely how this deadly crash happened, determine culpability, and glean lessons to prevent future deaths have so far been thwarted.

At a hearing in criminal court on Monday, Manhattan prosecutors offered a plea deal to Gus Gonzalez, the driver who assaulted cyclist Ray Bengen in the Ninth Avenue bike lane last May.

The office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance is looking into last Friday's Upper East Side hit-and-run involving former NYPD Commissioner Howard Safir and pedestrian Joanne Valarezo, as well as two recent incidents in which a pedestrian and cyclist were killed.