I am upset that someone was killed, but I am not surprised that the accident occurred. Commercial vehicles, car services and yes regular cars drive like nuts. Some of the crazy driving can be blamed on the fact that successive strings of lights are not synchronized in Brooklyn as they are on avenues in Manhattan. This can lead to people rushing through lights when they can, to make up for ‘time lost’ sitting at red lights. Unfortunately, we are shaken into community awareness of traffic problems only after an accident. (Remember 9th st./3rd ave.)
I wonder why we don’t see more of the police on regular ‘beats.’ Maybe I have too many images of cops in old NYC-set movies or ‘Keystone Kops,’ but I would like to see cops out on the street, not just swarms of cops when there is a political or labor protest or a terrible incident like the one this morning.

Brutal, dude. I guess I'm glad you were there to capture the scene - immortalize it so that maybe another death can be prevented.

Problem is, it makes me want to think twice about riding my bike in the neighborhood - and the more of us who retreat, the more we surrender our roads to the trucks and suvs.

I suppose bike lanes just make too much sense in a country desperate to differentiate itself from Europe. Maybe now that Europe United Under Fredonia looks more distant than ever, we won't feel so paranoid about adopting just a few of their better ideas - like curb-delineated bike paths.

I'll donate Sundays to help build them. You work out the details, okay?

I know. This is a serious problem. Publicizing bike deaths makes you not want to ride a bike. And yet the only reliable way to make cycling safe in NYC is to get more people out in the street doing it. It's a big catch-22. When Giuliani came in to City Hall in the early 90's, one of the things he did was simply stop releasing news of petty crimes and small-time murders to the media in time for their TV news deadlines. His administration theorized that these news stories made NYC feel less safe. And if the city felt less safe than less people would be likely to be out on the street. And if the streets were more empty then, in fact, they'd be less safe.

As someone pointed out to me today, there were only between 10 and 17 cyclist fatalities in NYC over the last 6 to 7 years or so. In fact, that's not a huge number. If it's correct.

this number is in fact incorrect. there have been between 17 and 30 bike fatalities per year for the last ten or so years. Transportation alternatives estimates that more than 100,000 people ride a bike per day on average. That makes the chance of dying due to a bike/car accident in the city about 1:1.2million per year.

That being said I don't have numbers on serious and disabling injuries from these kinds of accidents. If there are 20-30 deaths a year I have to wonder how many people suffer brain damage, paralysis and the like.

As a year round, 20 mile a day NYC commuter for three years I feel pretty certain of myself in saying that this is all getting worse over time. Drivers are getting worse, auto drivers but especially truck and van drivers in my experience. Reckless speeding also seems to be becoming the norm rather than the exception.

I live around the corner from this intersection and was pondering this woman's death on the way to work today when the woman directly in front of my on the 6th ave bike path was doored by a cab. She was lucky to have 'only' a two footlong bruise and a bump on the head.

Sometimes I think about my baby daughter and think about how foolish it is for me to ride the streets. It seems incredibly unjust that I must fear for me life to ride my bike to work.

Thanks for the stats. Where did you get them? I had the feeling that those numbers were low. And, yeah, I also get the sense that it's getting more dangerous to ride a bike in NYC, not less. I get the feeling that motorists have become more agressive and careless in recent years.... I have no data to back this up though.

The only way anything positive will come out of this is if people begin a campaign and take it to the local precincts, the City Council, the Mayor's Office, and Albany. At each level, police and politicians should feel the weight of the electorate. Any idea that gets on their radar screen has to do with grassroots organizing, mass protests, and heavy lobbying.

Frankly, I've found most bike protests thus far to be pretty ineffective.

Nearly 3 years ago I went to a Transportation Alternatives "rally" at Union Temple and never heard from the group again. When people's lives are at stake, it seems there are better ways to work for change.

Mr. Anonymous,

I'm curious: What do you mean "there are better ways to work for change." Better than TA's 2002 Car-Free Prospect Park initiative? To my mind that was a great example of successful grassroots organizing, mass protest and heavy lobbying.

I did a lot of work on that one. And though we were unable to win the three-month car-free trial period that we were calling for, we did win a major expansion of car-free hours in the park.

Today, traffic is only allowed in the park during the AM and PM rush hours during weekdays -- something like 7 to 9 am and 5 to 7 pm. The rest of the day is car-free. It used to be that traffic was allowed in the park 24-7 during weekdays from September to May. So, over the course of the year we created hundreds more car-free hours in Prospect Park. It wasn't all of what we wanted, but it was incredibly hard work to get what we got.

I think the next incremental changes in the park will be either:

1. Closing the West Drive during the AM rush and the East Drive during the PM rush.

2. Permanently closing the 3rd Street entrance and other entrances to cars.

3. Getting rid of "Holiday Hours" which allow cars to use the park still 24-7 during December weekdays.

Cyclists are still, essentially, an opressed minority in this city. So, putting the big grassroots pressure on the electeds is a huge challenge. Most of outer borough NYC could give a shit about bikeability. They're motorheads. It's a real chicken and egg problem too because we're not going to get bigger numbers of cyclists until the streets are made safer for biking.

I agree with your comments about how to make the change happen, but I guess I'm not understanding what your critique is or what you would have TA do differently. If you've got some ideas, out with 'em....

One of my close friends knew Elizabeth (her name WAS Elizabeth) very well. They were close friends. Elizabeth Padilla, 28, worked to fight against injustice - a lawyer who went to Cornell and chose to take a $38,000 a year job to do what she thought was right. Everyone needs to be more careful. The driver who swung his door open without looking is equally to blame as is the driver who cut too close to her while passing. Cabs and trucks are so impatient with cyclists that they don't realize what can happen in a split second.

Elizabeth and her husband wed just 1 1/2 years ago. They had no children. She was 28. This is a sad day.

Aaron, I'm sorry about your injury and saddened (to tears) about Elizabeth, yet another NYC cyclist slaughtered.

I've had a long-held practice of making a contribution for every anti-cyclist incident I learn about or experience (bad media=$5, harrassment on road=10, injury=18, I didn't want to consider death.) As I'm in between jobs, I'm pledging 18 in Elizabeth's memory and 18 in your honor (choose your cause,) payable when I'm fully re-employed (IT Project Manager/Business Analyst.)

I dread my skittish wife hearing about all of this carnage, even explaining to her all these multiples of 18...

Nice, Isaace. I say give it to Transportation Alternatives then. Thanks. Hope you find a job soon. Safe riding too.
--A

hi, im sorry for elizabeths death its not right. i didnt know her personaly but i know her mother. Her mother is an amazing person so i can see where elizabeth would get her great personality from. again i didnt know Elizabeth personally but she seemed like a wonderful person and still is no matter what. God Bless