Monday Open Thread November 10

how is the guy doing? anybody know?

Riding two close to the line is probably a technical term for riding a bike in spandex is gay and you deserve it.

Ahhhh. Cops are some of the smartest people I know.

On the NYCC message board, the police are saying the cyclists was riding on the shoulder, but near the road and because he was "near the road" are assigning some blame to the cyclist. They also claim the driver did not see him on a bright clear day.

It is unbelievable to me that a cyclist riding appropriately can be mowed down from behind and in each and every case, the magic words "I didn't see him/her" is all that's needed to avoid consequences.

those little rear view mirrors that some people wear attached to their helmets are sounding like a better and better idea all the time. I see too many drivers talking on their cells and texting. I'll never forget once driving down the highway and seeing the driver next to me eating popcorn with a book propped on her steering wheel. Now that everyone has a device in their hands, watch out.

That's it! Of course I wish a speedy recovery to anyone involved in an accident, but I am getting a tandem and putting my wife on as stoker...

I was struck from behind last year by a car that drifted out of the lane and crossed the white line. The driver was preoccupied and never saw me. One of my teammates was struck this spring in a very similiar situation. You can't go foward always looking back but these accidents are becoming way too common.

yes, on for randall's cx practice tuesday night. bring head lamp if you have one, last week there was plenty of ambient light though.

Open Invite Ride:

I have a nice loop in the north end if anyone wants to meet, email me directly.

Meet at fountain/path halfway up Harlem Hill...

(I also have a great loop in Riverside Park in the 100's...)

Next 3 weekends should have great racing:
NJ USGP
LI NACT
NJ Champs
SI Bragging Rights and local Grand Finalee!

David Jordan
djcoaching at gee mail dot com

Is there one of those Randall's Island CX practices going on tomorrow (11/11)? I seem to recall that the organizers said there would be another session tomorrow night, but I haven't seen anything in the last day or so. Just wondering.

if the police were treating the accident site like a crime scene and not moving anything from where it was when they arrived, then it certainly appeared that the accident happened well off of the road (meaning, several feet to the right of the white line). i suppose someone might have moved the bike off the road before then, though. anyway i hope the guy is ok.

Bias against cyclists from both law enforcement and some of the media is pretty well documented (http://velonews.com/article/81471), although, in this case, it seems as though law enforcement has been pretty forth-coming. However, it's important for all of our safety to not get hot-headed when dealing with a motorist who buzzes you. Give respect, even if you don't get it. Hopefully, someday we'll get what's coming around.

In the mean time, it wouldn't be a bad idea to call some local new affiliates and see if anyone wants to pick up the story. As a reporter at an upstate newspaper, I can tell you that a lot of accidents happen, and newroom staff don't always get the significance of an incident while listening to crackly reports over the police scanner.
AB

http://benepesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2008/11/cyclist-hit-by-car-in-critic...

Say your prayers for this dude. Seeing the aftermath live was sobering. I really hope he pulls through...

no matter what, it's always the driver's fault. that's like saying... AW DOOD it was raining out, so my brakes didn't work, so i rear-ended the guy but STILL wasn't really my fault.

if you see a rider in the road, slow down and give him some room

... room for error, on his behalf.

it was the driver's fault, no matter what the circumstance.

We need to ride towing a trailer with anti-missile technology.

If the rider really was hit from behind in the bike lane, Im gonna get seriously defensive and ride my bike backwards in a crouch position with my arms out, ready for any sudden movements by other vehicles.

you cant ride defensively enough.

There was a posting on NYCC msg board about this:

"One of the policemen on the scene told me the cyclist was in the bike lane when he was struck."

no one really knows what happened yet do they? I agree that joggers tend to get more press/sympathy, but lets not rush to judgement about it being drivers negligence. We would like to be treated more fairly by the press, yes. But that won't happen if we start a battle before we know the facts. Hey, if the details are known and it was simple driver negligence, then lets hang the guy. But if the rider slipped on the wet leaves and slid into traffic, you can't really blame the driver, can you?

All that one needs to know about how the public views cyclists versus joggers was evident over the past few days. A jogger hit and killed by a driver on Long Island gets major local television news coverage (and is held with 1 million dollar bail). Not a peep on local television news about this accident or the many cyclists killed each year locally at the hands of negligent drivers.

It's not 2007. That post was about a different accident a year ago.

different accident.....

http://benepesbikeblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/9w-struck-cyclist-okay-seeki...

Good post Ray. I agree.

I like the new NYV site. Nice job guys.

To the both accident victims. It was a very scary sight and that was from only witnessing the aftermath.

I hope they get well and have full recoveries.

Ray