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Husband Of Woman Fatally Struck By Cyclist Calls Safety Measures "Too Little, Too Late"
By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 28, 2014
Modified Nov 28, 2014
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Nov 28, 2014
Modified Nov 28, 2014
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The husband of the woman who was fatally struck by a cyclist in Central Park this fall has spoken out about the city's latest safety measures in the park. "It’s too little, too late," Michael Wittman, the husband of 58-year-old Jill Tarlov, told the Post today about the city lowering the speed limit in Central Park from 25 to 20 mph.
Tarlov, a mother of two, was in the crosswalk at West Drive and 63rd Street in the park on Sept. 18th when she was fatally struck by cyclist Jason Marshall. Marshall, who was has denied speeding at the time, said that the incident "was an unavoidable accident." An NYPD spokesman told us Marshall was biking in the bike lane on West Drive moments before the collision, but had swerved out of the bike lane in an attempt to avoid some other pedestrians.
"His statement that he hit her at 8 or 9 mph is highly questionable to me,” Wittman said. “I just don’t see how that could’ve happened. He never applied the brakes." Wittman also criticized what he sees as a double standard on policing in the park: "I assume if he were driving a car, he’d be arrested on the spot...Doctors told me they’ve never seen an accident that bad from a bike."
Cops initially cracked down on speeding cyclists in the immediate wake of the incident; activists also put up 20 mph signs around the park before the city decided to enact the change.
"You can certainly ride your bike through Central Park—you just can’t weave in and out of mothers and strollers at 30 mph," Wittman, a CBS executive, added. "It’s pretty clear that these guys race each other through the park every day."
In addition to the lowering of the speed limit, the DOT also says that "four key crossings across the park will receive substantial enhancements, including highly prominent “Pedestrian Crossing” warning signs at the intersections, advisory 10 MPH speed signs, and advance pedestrian crossing signs before each intersection."
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central park
central park cyclists
cyclists
jason marshall
jill tarlov
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Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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