From CBS:Pedestrians hit and injured by bicycle riders – it’s a statistic that no one kept. However, after CBS 2 exposed the gap in record-keeping, New York City is moving to fill in the blanks.
In a city where pedestrians and bike riders are clashing, some advocates say something is missing in the debate – reliable injury data.
As CBS 2 revealed in our “Bike Bedlam” reports, New York City hasn’t been collecting data on the number of pedestrians injured by bike riders.
...the state has agreed to use motor vehicle accident forms to finally document accidents between bike riders and pedestrians.
The data collection won’t begin until next April, and the numbers won’t be crunched for months after that, even as the city moves forward with plans to build miles of additional dedicated bike lanes.
While the city and state work to start collecting the injury data, bike safety advocates are working with hospitals to document the problem using emergency room reports.
I was under the impression that motor vehicle accident reports were already filled out by police in the event of a collision between a cyclist and a pedestrian. Is this not the case?
16 comments:
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to a bicyclist? Not me. They ride the wrong way in the bicycle lanes, don't have the proper lights at night, and never stop for the traffic lights.
George is onto something. If so much money is being built for new bicycle lanes, the state should exploit the possibilities for revenue. Operating licenses, helmet law, yearly registration and inspections.
Two groups that can do no wrong. Cyclists & Pedestrians. Both groups refuse accountability for their actions. I believe registration of cyclists is the only answer. Wait until we here the cyclists howl about this.
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to a bicyclist? No
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to day laborers standing at major intersections? or crazy day laborer delivery guys?
No they give summonses to children in parks and illegally search weed smokers.
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to a bicyclist? No
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to day laborers standing at major intersections? or crazy day laborer delivery guys?
No they give summonses to children in parks and illegally search weed smokers.
The first rule the operator of a vehicle (bicycle,car, truck, even skateboard) should learn is the pedestrian always has the right of way.
I wonder what is the cost of building the lanes for every person who uses it. It probably costs more per person compared to increasing the number of trains per hour. I just don't see it being more efficient at moving people than the subway or even a bus.
1. If a pedestrian is in the wrong place at the wrong time, most sober, awake motor vehicle operators attempt to slow and stop their vehicle. Bicyclists are content to maintain speed and merely "go around" the pedestrian, and if the bicyclist misjudges the situation, they are content to collide with the pedestrian, and blame the pedestrian as so many bicyclist bloggers testify and rationalize putting pedestrians into ER's. But somehow when it comes to situations of yielding to cars, buses, and trucks, bicyclists are quicker to yield to them, because the misjudgment there puts the bicyclist into the ER.
2. I have never seen motor vehicles weave in and out of pedestrians on a busy sidewalk when there's a perfectly good road next to the said sidewalk.
BTW I have four - count'em - four bicycles in my garage: a small-wheeled collapsible number, 2 knobby tires, and a Frejus racing bike with Campy gearing. I don't do much city cycling these days [I'm into swimming] but when I did, I rode the wrong way against traffic, never had lights on (except a red reflector), and laughed at the red light. ("Helmets? We don't need no stinking helmets!"). When I came over the Queensboro Bridge at night from Manhattan, I used to ride on the - for the most part - empty sidewalks all along Northern Boulevard, up and down the for-the- handicapped street curb cuts ("How convenient!"). I'm being frankly honest here: I didn't give a SHIT about regulations. I just wanted to get to where I was going. My arms were sore and my ass was hurting. And cops were not there.
That's the nature of the Cycling Beast.
Hey Archie Bunker contingent - you do not live in Hayseed, Missouri where you need to drive five miles to get to the local school, post office or shopping mail. This is a city, we have mass transit and can ride bicycles locally. Why should I have to plunk down $5000 for a car, plus $10000 more in payments and $10000 in the interest on those payments, plus gas, plus repairs, plus insurance, plus parking and toll fees? I don't own a car, don't need it. The two times in the past ten years when I needed a car, I rented one.
Well congratulations, asshole. YOU don't need a car. But a lot of us do. Your stupid comment about it not being 5 miles to the local school shows you don't have kids. Because these days, kids are being sent farther and farther away for school because the local one is overcrowded. And it could very well be more than 5 miles to the closest shopping mall, even here in NYC. You going to drag all your bags of crap onto the bus during rush hour? Besides, this post isn't about car drivers, but you folks who bitch about them constantly can't bear to let an opportunity pass by without passing judgment on people who own cars, can you?
Try saving some money instead of overpaying for a 'luxury' apartment, and maybe you wont have to spend 10k on interest. Whatever happened to saving money and then buying something? Why does everything have to be financed?
You ever -ever- see a cop give a summons to a pedestrian? Not me. They walk the wrong way on the sidewalks, ignore the boundaries of crosswalks, don't wear reflective gear at night, pay more attention to their cellphones than what's going on around them, and jaywalk every chance they get.
I believe registration of pedestrians is the only answer. Wait until we here [sic] the pedestrians howl about this!
The first rule the operator of a vehicle (bicycle,car, truck, even skateboard) should learn is the pedestrian always has the right of way.
So it's ok for people to walk into the street against a red light, totally oblivious, while they are wearing earphones, talking on a cell phone or pushing a baby carriage?
The same goes for a cyclist going againsta red light.
No it is not ok. No they do not have the right.
Im rather annoyed by the pedestrians just obliviously walking out into to traffic and I am a pedestrian too. How completely dumb especially when people take right turns at 80 on red lights like the cabs do.
The delivery bikers are the worst when it comes to biking on the wrong side of the street, running lights, and never having lights but sometimes they have a helmet. Maybe 1 out 20 delivery bikers have helmets.
The cops are really something else with giving tickets which must be not much at all and now theres more scooters being sold in Jackson Heights to all the Chinese restaurant delivery guys all over Queens that would make a hell of a accident. Doubt the tiny restaurants can afford the hospital bills from those scooters mowing down people.
When I occasionally bike I wear a helmet, lights, and stop at lights.
I'll bet few people that are hit know enough to have a report filed. People can be killed by bicyclists especially food deliverers.
Ahhhh, some of you guys are killing me!
Pedestrians, bikers, drivers, cops, lawyers, Muslims, immigrants, etc. etc. They're either all right or all wrong. No distinctions necessary.
Ya see, in the real world, these are your neighbors. From individuals who always do the right thing to those who are just pieces of shit.
So, in this case (brace yourselves), you have asshole drivers, bikers, and pedestrians, and you have their opposites.
And this is really gonna blow your fuckin minds - there are people who do all three! And take mass transit. Can you imagine that? Get this - I bike, I drive, I walk, AND I take subways and buses!
The only thing that we can say with any sense of objectivity is that asshole drivers, generally, are a much bigger threat to their surroundings than bikers and pedestrians.
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