Brooklyn
Brooklyn resident and avid power-walker Linda Cohen was hit by a speeding bike on November 3rd at approximalty 2:50pm when she stepped onto the West Drive, according to sources.
The accident occurred near on the drive near the Vanderbilt St. Playground opposite the Well(house) drive junction with Lake Drive. The area is the steepest grade of the park drives that goes down for a 1/4 mile. A source said she was hit by bike racer.
The cyclist remained at the scene.
A number of bike accidents in the park have recenlty been reported. Park goers have long advocated for greater enforcement of speeding bicyclists.
Ms. Cohen remains sedated and in an induced coma. She is a long-time and beloved volunteer in the park.
The Prospect Park Road Sharing Task Force will convene a meeting at the Prospect Park picnic house, (just south of the Third Street entrance) on November 16, at 6 p.m. (646) 393-9031 - press # 2. - Geoffrey Croft
Read More:
Bicyclist mows down park volunteer
New York Daily News - November 10, 2011- By John Doyle
The Brooklyn Paper - November 10, 2011 - By Natalie O’Neill
gothamist - November 9, 2011 - By Garth Johnston
My heart comes out for Linda, I have known her for many years as she is a tenent in my parents house. I grew up with her being there, I have always known her to be an aunt. I really hope she gets better and makes a positive recovery. I also hope that the people who walk and cycle in the park go about their activity with more precaution.
ReplyDeletei was hit by a speeding bicycler a few years ago on the PPW side of the drive and the racing style biker slid onto the pavement. another biker that came up behind him started reeming me out for apparently, not looking WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. I was terribly injured and had to pay out of pocket for months for chiropractic care. I don't know if anyone can do anything about the out of control packs of bikers who act like they own the park drive BUT it would be nice if they did enforce the rules. If I hadn't had a cap with my hair sticking out the back in a ponytail I would be dead from head injury I think, as I hit my head but right on the cushion of the ponytail.
ReplyDeleteDressed in their fancy bike clothes, racing like no one else is permitted to be on the roadway but them, I find these bike racers to be a blight on the park. . . As one who has walked every inch of the park for over 30 years, these people I find are the most dangerous problems in the park. For years bicycle organizations such as Transportation Alternatives have complained about cars. But now who is doing the damage? Shame on them. I've seen children learning to ride their bikes, shakily steer all over the roadway. When one of them gets run down by a racing fanatic, then we may see some action. I for one will be pleased if they get banned from the park.
ReplyDeleteBikers should have insurance is easy to say. I WISH I could have insurance for my bike and I WISH I as an adult needed a license to ride it but that does not exist. There is no such thing as a speeding biker; bikes are made to go fast, and if someone is exercising in the park, how slow would you expect them/us to go? As a pedestrian and a biker, I say from experience that it is a lot easier for a pedestrian to stop and start up again than for a biker, especially a fast moving. This woman know the park, and how bikers ride, she knows that bikes are going fast, but what she may not know is that at top speed, it's challenging to stop short. So often I see people jut out into a bike lane and expect the biker to stop. It’s also faster for everyone if the pedestrians yield to bikers that are in designated bike lanes. I would rather hit and injure someone that is walking in a bike lane than to swerve and hurt myself and damage my bike. This is a sad story, but don't demonize a bicker that was riding in a designated bike area. This is just an accident.
ReplyDeleteAlso, to be fair, the bridle path is not very visible from the road, and to a cyclist, it would appear that someone was just stepping out of the forest and not on a path. She should have been more careful.
This is a horrible accident, and I am very sorry to hear about it, but...do we know if she looked before she stepped out into the street?
ReplyDeletePeople are always quick to demonize the cyclists. Quite often these unfortunate incidents happen when pedestrians are not aware of their surroundings, and walk into the bike's path.
I think we ALL need to be more aware of our surroundings, and instead of demanding certain groups be banned from the park, we should all work together to find the best solution for everyone to enjoy our parks safely.
A simple solution for the concern about high speed cyclists would be if the racing teams limited their training to early morning hours when there is little to no foot traffic. All other hours a speed limit could be in place. It is a plan that was put in place in Central Park this year, and it seems to be helping.