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Can Prospect Park Cyclists AND Pedestrians Just Act A Little Less Like Jerks?
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 28, 2011
Modified Nov 28, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Nov 28, 2011
Modified Nov 28, 2011
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In keeping with the tabloids' "fresh" narrative concerning the battle in public parks between heartless cyclists vs. vulnerable pedestrians, the Daily News visited Prospect Park with a radar gun last weekend and "clocked bikers going as fast as 31 mph—even through a red light at a crosswalk." And like the NYPD, they have no respect for journalism: " 'Move from here! Move from here!' one cyclist clad in racing gear yelled at a reporter who was not even in a bike-only lane."
The story notes that while "nearly all" the cyclists traveling in the Prospect Park loop ran red lights, "eight out of about 50 bikers spotted by The News surpassed the higher speed limit" of 25 mph in a four-hour period. That works out to be 16%, around the amount of people who lack enough shame to wear full-body spandex.
The husband of Dana Jacks, the actress who was struck by a Prospect Park cyclist in June and was severely injured, says that the "culture of racing" jeopardizes public safety just as much as cars. "The cars are stopping at stoplights," Forrest Cicogni says, "The cyclists are not." Jacks is now embroiled in litigation with the cyclist, who countersued Jacks after she charged that the cyclist broke the law.
A friend of Linda Cohen, the 55 year-old woman who was hit by a cyclist in Prospect Park on November 3 and just recently was taken out of a medically-induced coma, says that Cohen would walk 5 miles in the park every day. "She knew it intimately," Nancy Moccaldi says. "She knows when to be safe, when to cross, how to take care of herself. That's what makes it so shocking."
Clearly cyclists need to obey the speed limit and bike defensively, especially when biking inside the park itself, where the two aforementioned accidents occurred. But if it's also axiomatic that pedestrians should be aware of their surroundings and the rules of the road, it's certainly not as sexy a story. Buried at the very end of the piece is the concession that some pedestrians in fact break the law with an equally douchey bravado:
Indeed, last weekend, some runners and walkers veered from their designated lane, apparently thinking that when the drive is closed to cars, they can go free-range.
Ronald Goode, 32, strolling with his wife and 6-year-old, admitted he did not know bicyclists were allowed on the main road.
"They still don't have the right to run into you," he said, shooting nasty looks at passing cyclists. "Pedestrians have the right of way, even with cars."
Increased enforcement of the rules spread evenly between cars, cyclists, and pedestrians would likely make things safer for everyone, but the story only notes that the NYPD ticketed 22 cyclists in the park all year. There's no mention of citations for vehicles or (however unlikely) pedestrians walking in the road.
And bizarrely, the paper found signs indicating the speed limit is 15 mph, when in fact it is 25 mph. The DOT noted that the signs will be replaced, but how can the law be enforced properly if people, and possibly police officers, are being misled?
Tagged
bike lanes
bikes
cycling
parks
pedestrians
prospect park
racing culture
safety
spandex
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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