Photo: Cyclist Struck On Ocean Ave, Shore Pkwy


by on Jan 17th, 2012

Erica Sherman passed by this scene moments ago. A bicyclist had just been struck on Ocean Avenue and Shore Parkway. Two drivers stopped to check on the cyclist, but it’s unclear if either one of them was involved in the incident. Emergency responders are en route to the scene.

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  • Another Guest

    Let the games begin.

  • Anonymous

    I hope the bicyclist is ok.

  • SUPERHERO

    Looks like its the bicylist fault.

    • Anonymous

      How can you tell?

      • Anonymous

        because it’s always the cyclist fault, they shouldn’t have been on a bike in nyc. The streets belong to cars. (being sarcastic, although it doesn’t matter because even if they kill him, and I really hope this person is ok, but no matter what the drivers won’t be held accountable.)

  • Isouma

    I hope that’s my neighbor…

  • nolastname

    Riding in the conditions we are experiencing today is not something I would do. I ride purely for pleasure not endurance.
    I hope he is OK but from the position I guess not. Speedy recovery.
    PS…TG there is a helmet.

    • Anonymous

      what weather? It’s not like there’s blinding rain or snow.

      • nolastname

        Conditions imply more than the rain and slick asphalt that was present. Conditions (not weather) are other vehicles and people with road attitudes. Give me a minute I can give you a few more conditions.

  • justlilolme

    This is so sad.  What it illustrates, so painfully and clearly, is that the conversation about bike lanes should accompany one about teaching bikers to obey traffic rules.  Somehow being on a two wheels with no licence plate makes people believe they are exempt from the rules of the road, when, in fact, they are not.  So, so sad…

    I think that’s why there is so much push-back against bikers in the city.  Those who disregard the law make driving that much scarier for drivers, especially when bikes pop out of no where, where they really should not be.  Then what happens is when you speak about this frustration, you are made out to be anti-biker and anti-environmental…

    • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

      ”
      when you speak about this frustration, you are made out to be anti-biker and anti-environmental” – I agree that this is sometimes the case. However, no one on this site has any idea what happened to cause the accident above, and neither the bicyclist nor the driver should be assumed to be at fault. For all we know the bicyclist was following the law to the t. Or the driver. Or perhaps both and this was just some unfortunate accident.

      • justlilolme

        True enough!

      • Another Commentator

        If you want to keep things fair, how about renaming the article to “Bicyclist Involved In Accident On Ocean Ave”.  The very title of the article you posted is framing the response that you are so quick to hang out to dry.

    • Pedestrian

      “where they really should not be.”

      Cyclists have the full rights of the road.  With the exception of highways, they are allowed on every NYC street.

      I’m not saying this cyclist is in the clear and did not do something he shouldn’t have done, but he’s allowed to ride on this particular stretch of roadway.

    • Anonymous

      That’s a mighty speedy conclusion with no facts stated whatsoever that it’s the cyclist who wasn’t following the laws. 

      • Guest

        OK Pal, There are no bike lanes on Ocean Avenue or on Shore Parkway over there.  But you are one of those anti-car people whom it just doesn’t pay to waste my breath on. I will leave you with the following from the article above which you obviously didn’t bother to read. You just saw a car and saw cyclist struck and in your world that just means it was the big bad drivers fault. Probably skipped right over the fact that DRIVERS of those big bad automobiles you hate so much STOPPED AND GOT OUT OF THEIR CARS to CHECK ON THE CYCLIST.

        • Pedestrian

          If you read the guy correctly, I believe he’s saying no one should rush to judgment on either side.  It’s also possible that a driver can a) break the law, even inadvertently, and b) get out of his car to check on a cyclist.

          Until the details emerge, however, keep shouting at cyclists!

        • LifelongBrooklynite

          “There are no bike lanes on Ocean Avenue or on Shore Parkway…”
          So what?  There don’t have to be bike lanes on any street for it to be bicycle legal.  Under state and city law, every street in NYC is legal for bicycling.  Only a small number of specified limited access highways are posted with signs that restrict bicycles and non-motorized traffic. 

          The legal issue of bike lanes is that they are there to keep cars out and not to keep bikes in.  The city traffic bike lane law specifically allows cyclists to be riding outside the bike lane to make left turns (right turns in the case of bike lanes on the left side of one way avenues) and turns into driveways, leave the lane if it is blocked by a parking car, a standing pedestrian or has dangerous pavement or other dangerous condition – and it’s the cyclist that has to determine what is an unsafe condition; and allows the cyclist to leave the lane to stay out of the “Door Zone” which is the area that a car door can swing open and hit a cyclist.  The older NYC bike lanes were installed at a known substandard 4 feet wide, right against the parked car doors.  It’s only safe to be riding at least four feet from the doors, so cyclists safely have to ride to the left edge and even outside of the bike lane to stay safely outside the Door Zone.

          I don’t think anyone missed that someone – possibly a driver – was checking on the cyclists’ status, and we all appreciate that they did.

          But both of those street are legal for bike riding, even without any designated bike lane.

        • Anonymous

          I know, I’m so anti-car that I punch myself in the face when I’m driving around the city. It’s crazy!!

    • Anonymous

      There are exemptions to the rules of the road for bikes ALL OVER THE CITY.

      Bikes are not cars and pretending they are is completely ignorant of the issues a cyclist faces everyday.

      Does this mean cyclists are never at fault? NO!

    • Eric McClure

      No, it’s when you speak about this frustration in a comment appended to a story about an injured cyclist with a picture of the poor person lying face down in the road, with no clue as to who was at fault — that you are made out to be anti-biker and anti-environmental, and a callous, self-centered idiot, to boot.

      • Chill Out Eric

        environment, callous, idiot????????  The picture actually tells a lot about what happened.  Chill out.

        • Eric McClure

          You’re joking, right?  That picture tells nothing other than that a cyclist got injured.

          • Chill Out Eric

            Obviously you didn’t spend much time studying the physical sciences.

        • Andrew

          It tells me that a bicyclist was hit, presumably by a motor vehicle.  I can’t tell whether the bicyclist was breaking the law and I can’t tell whether the driver was breaking the law.  Can you?

          • LifelongBrooklynite

            From the photo, it’s not even clear that the cyclist was even struck by a car!  Occasionally, a bike will skid out from under a cyclist, particularly if the road is wet and/or slippery.  I have had the honor of doing this a few times during 60 years of riding.  Mine were more embarrassing than painful, but it still took a few seconds to get back up off the street.
            This crash may or may not have been with a car, and may or may not have involved any improper operation by cyclist or a driver. 
            Don’t read more into the picture than we can know, we just don’t have enough facts to go further.

          • Andrew

            You’re right, it’s possible that no car was involved.  We don’t know.

  • Guest

    Hopefully the cyclist is ok. What this should show however for the extremist on the cycling side is that not all drivers are evil and heartless which at times seems to be the widely held assessment.

    • Andrew

      Really?  Where did you find that assessment?

  • Local Broker

    Hope everyone is ok. We should take a lane of traffic away on each side of Ocean Ave. and have bike lanes so bikers are safe from being hit by cars.

    • http://www.nedberke.com Ned Berke

      Ocean Avenue… that’s the one with two lanes of parking in each direction, right? Let’s get rid of the sidewalk and make another parking lane, and then build an elevated expressway for bikes! 

      • Local Broker

        Thats not a bad idea. 

      • http://twitter.com/bkjenka Jennifer K-Milo

        lol Ned I dont think your sarcasm was picked up

        • Anonymous

          oh shit!

        • Anonymous

          Disqus is Bugged!

        • Anonymous

          Bugged disqus!

        • http://www.bigapplesewer.com/ Master Plumber

          I’m not a tweeter but I just checked out your profile.  Was the first picture of the sign on the FDR Drive by where the big merge is?  

        • Anonymous

          I don’t think you picked up on the sarcasm of the replies : )

        • Local Broker

          I dont think my sarcasm was picked up

      • http://twitter.com/bkjenka Jennifer K-Milo

        lol Ned I dont think your sarcasm was picked up

      • http://twitter.com/bkjenka Jennifer K-Milo

        lol Ned I dont think your sarcasm was picked up

      • http://twitter.com/bkjenka Jennifer K-Milo

        lol Ned I dont think your sarcasm was picked up

    • Somebody

      oh god, do that enough and you’re fresh direct trucks won’t be able to get through anymore.

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