I don't know enough about Central Park, but I get the impression that it's probably not a good idea to be in full aero while riding around. There's not much of an excuse to hit someone in a crosswalk while on your bike. Perhaps if the pedestrian stepped right out in front of you, perhaps, but that's not the case in this situation. From the article, I sense that had the cyclist not been in aero, this would have been easier to avoid. Seems to me that the cyclist wasn't riding responsibly. Sad story and I shudder to think of the anti-cycling comments, such as “These guys think that they have entitlement and they don’t ride in the bike lanes,” one source said. I hope the women gets healed, hopefully quickly.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

On a bike we assume extra responsibility to take care of pedestrians.
When we are in cars we assume extra responsibility to take care of cyclists and pedestrians.

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Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team
Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge
Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter

First point - the cyclist in this incident clearly appears to be in the wrong. Let's be clear about that.

second point - the inflammatory language / verbiage in that "article" is shameful and only serves to further paint cyclists as the enemy.

Third point - the cyclist in this case will end up with a punishment far worse than if a motorist did the same thing to a cyclist.

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Chicago Cubs - 2016 WORLD SERIES Champions!!!!

"If ever the time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams

At that time of day, that side of the park is closed to traffic if I remember correctly. I'd guess she just walked out in front of him...that location is busy and a kind of hard to see. Really unfortunate accident.


Not sure if serious...

According to the article, the cyclist had time to see her and yell to get out of the way. Now, it's possible that she simply stepped out in front of the rider. But, based on the story, that seems unlikely.


I'm trying to be optimistic for the victim. I'm sure the chances of recovery in this type of incident are remote at best. But I sincerely hope that something miraculous happens and her brain will function again.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

Clearly, not the case here. Aerobars have no place in Central Park.

yeah, that sounds around right.
i was in Central Park this past summer. Pretty clear that with what's going on, some people are going to get hurt.
But I also compare this to the reaction to so many automobile drivers in NYC who face no punishment at all - NYPD goes out of their way to exonerate them. If this had been a car, the NYPD would have already declared "no criminality suspected" and certainly wouldn't be taping off the area.
The cyclist shoudl face a significant penalty for his actions. I just find it sad that automobile drivers, who kill and injure far more people, do not face those penalties there.

ETA: At the bottom of the article it says
Filed under Accidents, Central Park
And no, it was not an accident. It was a collision. It was an act of violence.

FYI, I wasn't being a dick. When I read "brain dead" and really just read dead. And in regard to the cyclist...and the woman...I'm not going to assign blame without a video, and instead will assume both played a role. That's all. Condolences to the family.

EDIT: Opinion is based on having lived in NYC, riding (recreationally, on my roadie) in CP, and running A LOT in CP. I know from experience that pedestrians are just as reckless as the cyclists...the law is just against the cyclist there and in this case.

I ride in Central Park 3 times a week. Sometimes it can be absolutely nuts. A few facts:

The traffic lane around the park is absolutely legal for bikes to ride in. The running lane is not. The statements about him "being in the wrong lane" shows a misunderstanding.

MOST cyclists biking in central park blow through crosswalks, even when they have a red light and there are pedestrians in the crosswalk. This is definitely a big problem. I try to ride only when the road is closed to car traffic. When there is a red light and pedestrians are waiting to cross or crossing, I stop. Once someone actually told me I was the most courteous cyclist in all of NY. Simply for not trying to run them down. That's a pretty low bar.

MOST pedestrians in central park step out into the road, in and out of crosswalks, whether or not they have a do-not-cross signal. They often just step out right in front of you and looked shocked and angry when you slam on your brakes and steer around them. This is also a big problem.

I have had several very near disasters. The worst was just after the "descent" leading up to "Harlem Hill" I was travelling at about 34mph. There was a group of teenagers standing on the right side of the road holding their skateboards. There is no crosswalk there. They appeared to see me. Then, one of them drops their skate board on the ground, steps on it and kicks off to cross the street and I think, "this is how I die". I slam on the brakes, lock up my back wheel and everything seems to go in slow-motion. My rear wheel starts to swing way out sideways and I am still approaching the skater at break-neck speeds. It looks like he is not going near fast enough to get through before we collide. Amazingly, he gets juuuuust in front of me and I miss him by maybe an inch. But I'm pretty sure I'm still going to die because I'm practically in a full-on side-ways slide. I release the brakes and somehow straighten up and do not crash. All his friends on the side of the road yell out an excited "OOOOOOHHHHHHHH!!!!!!" in unison and I let out a primal cave man expletive.

If one is going to ride in CP, you need to be ready for each and every one of the thousands of park users surrounding you to do whatever is the most dangerous thing they could possibly do at any time. Other bikers *will* swerve into you while you pass. A cab may swerve into you to avoid a horse carriage. Pedestrians will be stepping out right in front of you with no warning. A pack of dudes on long boards will descend the hill you are climbing, going the wrong way on a one-way road, making sweeping turns across the entire road leaving you with no safe path to continue riding.

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i caught the aftermath of the accident. first, it's unclear whether or not the pedestrian was in the crosswalk. the pool of blood was not in the crosswalk but there was a crosswalk nearby. it's also not clear what color the light was at that nearby crosswalk. cars are never allowed onto that part of the park. what is clear is that (1) the woman wasn't paying any attention (pedestrians walking across the road without looking happens all the time in nyc) and (2) the cyclist was very reckless riding aero at 4:30pm in that part of the park all the way on the right hand side of the road (and next to the curb where people constantly step out from). i also think the guy was on a hot bike because i can't imagine why a guy who has never done a tri was riding a tri bike.

the net result will be that CP will be unrideable for awhile as cops massively crack down on speeding/running reds. the ridiculous thing is that cars still are allowed in the park and speed well beyond the 25mph limit and constantly ride in the bike lane. my guess is that cops won't do anything to a car going past at 40mph but will ticket the bike going 30mph.

i've never done a tri, and i have a tri bike. should i turn myself in?

yep, you got that right. There was a gentlemen's agreement that cyclists would be allowed to train before 8am and after 8pm and would not need to stop at lights. Unfortunately, that agreement will go the way of the legalized drug market "Hamsterdam" that appeared in season 3 of the Wire as it'd no longer by politically feasible. Too bad, really.

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"What's your claim?" - Ben Gravy
"Your best work is the work you're excited about" - Rick Rubin

Very sad. I run the park everytime I'm in NYC on business. If you want to see how fast some people ride just look up the Strava segments. Some don't seem possible given the congestion and I can only imagine the risks they take going through some of those crosswalks.

from March to September, there are organized bike races at the ass-crack of dawn. There surely are a ton of idiots riding foolishly fast, but get your facts straight before you cast aspersions.

He's on Strava. Wonder if he was trying to get a segment?

http://www.strava.com/athletes/3168825




Very sad news.

The fact that I live 700 miles from New York City and know of several people who have been run down by cyclists in Central Park points to the fact there is a problem there.

And the problem is not the walkers.

If a similar location had the same reputation from cars hitting cyclists, there would be outrage too.

yes, go ahead and turn yourself in. nyc is full of stolen tri bikes being ridden by random delivery guys and other people who stole them or bought them from someone who did. they usually paint them over or wrap them in tape though. i find it very unlikely that this guy bought that tri bike legitimately.

A tri bike in Central Park?! Trying way too hard for validation. Dude, find a more suitable venue. And lose the cap.

the problem is a lot more complex than just saying it's not the walkers. random walkers CONSTANTLY walk into the road without looking. it's a combination of reckless cyclists riding fast when the park is crowded and walkers/runners/dog walkers paying absolutely no attention. when you have cyclists riding aero in the middle of the day and blasting through every red light without even slowing down with many non cyclists paying little to no attention, you are guaranteed to get a lot of crashes. i wish the cops would start ticketing the cyclists riding the WRONG WAY. talk about being arrogant and reckless. while that woman was being carted off yesterday, there was some guy from achilles riding a hand crank bike that was towing probably 5 other hand crank bikes the wrong way in the bike lane behind the Met with cars in the car lane. it was beyond dangerous and reckless. i yelled at him and he gave me attitude back and continued cranking into bike traffic..

or you can be intellectually honest and say that you bull shitted your initial supposition. I don't doubt there are a lot of stolen bikes out there, but you said that you find it hard that he's on a tri bike despite not doing tris; ergo, a hot bike.

No, everyone is the problem. It's Central Freaking Park. The whole world comes here to check it out. Walkers are also the problem, they just happen to be the ones with the least amount of protection.

RowToTri stated it best. Read what he wrote, it's dead on.

I have done a few duathlons there and its scary as hell. Even at an organized race there are people EVERYWHERE.

Everyone feels entitled. Everyone seems to have forgotten that there are rules of "Man" (pedestrians have the right of way) and there are rules of nature (pedestrians will get dead quick if a 2 ton car hits you whether you are right or wrong).

Runners runnign3 or 4 across in the wrong lanes in the wrong directions. Cyclists going way too fast. Pedestrians walking anywhere at anytime without looking up from their iPhones. Skateboarders. rollerbladers, dogs, horses, squirrels. Noise, distractions, type A personalities. IT's the perfect storm for accidents.

As a cyclist and runner and resident of NYC, I'd be OK with a 10mph speed limit in the park for bikes after 8am. You look silly doing fast loops of the park anyhow. Go do River Road.

The one thing I remember about Central Park on my visit there was the pedestrians not looking when they crossed and fast cyclists. I'm not sure I'd ride there with all the foot traffic.

At the core of this issue is that the public sees cycling as a safe and harmless activity. It's not. Bike trails have been rendered mostly useless in many parts because they become inundated with pedestrians and it ends up being a danger to both parties. Bicycles can be just as dangerous as cars, and that is something the cyclist and the pedestrian need to realize.