Essex

I'm sure most of you are aware: Bono Endured 5 Hours of Surgery After Biking Accident | Billboard

I am not surprised he got injured at Central Park. I feel it's one of the most diciest areas in town to ride a bike. Ouch. Glad he had a surgeon from Hospital for Special Surgery.

02Giant 

Yea...but was he wearing a helmet?


It must have been a pretty nasty dump.

keyven

I imagine a superstar like him probably wouldn't be. Just sayin'.

mconlonx

Riding too fast in Central Park? Bike/bike incident...

It is reported he was not wearing a helmet.

FBinNY 

I can't see how a helmet would have protected his hand, arm and shoulder. It might have protected his face, but might not. The helmet is irrelevant, the fact is he crashed, and the issue (if any) is how and why.

Unfortunately we have no details on the crash itself (AFAIK) and don't know if he collided with a rider in his circle or a stranger. We also don't know how fast he was going and whether he was passing close, or a rider turned across his path. What we do know is that he crashed hard enough to cause serious injury, and like so many others, a helmet didn't save his life. (not failed, just wasn't a factor)

I used to ride in Central Park on a regular basis back in the dark ages. I stopped in the late sixties or early seventies, when Mayor Lindsay opened the roadway for bicyclists by banning cars (first on weekends, and years later expanded to full time). I'm used to auto traffic, but bicyclists are too unpredictable, especially on wider roadways which give them more lateral room to maneuver.

mconlonx

I was just answering a perhaps facetious query by 02Giant in post 2. Probably if we don't want this thread locked, Helmet Thread might be a better place for a discussion of whether or not a helmet would have helped. The link embedded in my reply goes straight to helmet thread, a post with another link to an article claiming that he'd have certainly been better off if wearing a helmet. Again, this particular thread is not the place to instigate a helmet discussion, even pertaining to this accident, without risk of shutting it down.

I will quote Caretaker from a P&R thread of the same nature: Perhaps he was riding too close to The Edge...

Keith99

Been decades since my one time in New York.

That said I've been riding in San Francisco where they would close certain roads in Golden Gate park to cars for most of the day.

I thought it was quite enjoyable to ride in htat situation.

BUT if I felt like stretching my legs it was back out to one of the roads that still allowed cars. It was not the place for anything even close to speed.

From what little I remember of Central park if enough roads are closed it could easily result in the situation where one thought they had hte space for speed, but really did not.

mconlonx

Didn't a cyclist just recently kill a pedestrian in Central Park...?

FBinNY 

The Central Park roadway is 3 (car) lanes, which is plenty of room for fast riding --- if there's some lane discipline. Over the years they've tried to impose some basic "slower traffic keep right" (or left) rules, but few riders consider themselves to be "slower traffic".

The reality is that trying to impose lane discipline (for bicycles, skaters, and skateboarders) on closed-to-cars roadways is about as practical as herding cats.

BTW- saying that a helmet was NOT in use or a factor either way, shouldn't be a reason to call this a helmet issue. Quite the opposite.

kickstart

That's rather ironic if you think about it.
Special interest user groups that often complain about a lack of respect or not being treated like a "vehicle" turning roads into fluster clucks when given exclusive use.

FBinNY 

It is and at the same time it isn't. This is one area where I part company with many bicycle advocates (and anti-bike advocates). The world of people who ride bicycles encompasses a tremendously wide spectrum. Probably wider in most respects than that of motor traffic.

The ONLY thing that bicyclists have in common is that they happen to ride on two-wheeled human powered vehicles (and even that isn't always true if you count tricycles, and electric-assist bicycles).

So, while I'm not in agreement with much (most) of the VC agenda, I feel I have more in common with motorists than I do with a great many (probably most) bicyclists, and find sharing the road with motorists safer.

Keith99

Less practical.

My hell hounds could herd cats.

Essex

Bono got injured this past Sunday. I remember the day was somewhat nice. And that means there are throngs of people at Central Park doing all manner of things. Horse carriages, joggers, pedicabs and all manner of tourists wandering over the roadways disregarding, or unaware of moving traffic. Especially bicycles.

I only live two blocks from Central Park and these days I got out of my way to avoid Central Park because it's not worth the hassle of constantly wending my way around all the human obstructions. Central Park is also the site of my one and only severe bike accident. I feel bad for Bono because Central Park on the weekend is just a mess unless you are going 8 mph. Or, get injured avoiding a weekend warrior on their carbon bike.

Chicago Al 

So it was on Sunday, bloody Sunday? How long, how long must we sing this song?

Essex

JoeyBike

I'll bet a paycheck he was wearing shades.

squirtdad

Bono wears a helmet at least some of the time (and shades...) from a post in C&V

keyven

Whoa... I would have thought it was someone's granddad pootling around. Good advert for Giro.

Essex

He does look very old and he is in need of a tan. But in Ireland I could stay out hours and not get a tan.

spare_wheel

Twice in 2 months I believe.

zacster

Let me clarify the lane situation in CP. There are 3 lanes, leftmost is reserved for runners/pedestrians, middle lane is for cyclists AT ALL TIMES, right lane is for cars when they are allowed into the park, otherwise it is for emergency vehicles, but it is also allowable for cyclists when clear. The middle lane has markings for faster cyclists to keep right in a narrow band and slower cyclists to keep left, but this isn't as clear.

The reality is this, pedestrians are crossing everywhere in the park. Cyclists are expected to stop at the lights, but the few pedestrians that cross at those points ignore them. Most cyclists are out for a leisurely ride around the loop, but there are also the weekend warriors in full kit that think everyone should move out of the way for them, the guys in the long baggy shorts that will stop for nobody (this seems to be a constant in CP), the occasional rider on a carbon bike that knows it is futile to even try to ride fast and is just looking to get the hell out (I fit into that category). The leisurely cyclists are all over the road, paying no attention to the lanes except that the joggers always make themselves known so they stay out of that lane. It is just a mess.

Chris516

https://www.google.com/webhp?tab=ww&...ark+by+cyclist

Essex

Good reads. I did not know about the other fellow. I took the MTB out to Central Park at 10 AM...and it was still crowded, enough joggers cutting lanes and tourists riding rent-a-bikes all over the roads. No fun. Not safe. I will stay will my alternate route which goes to Randall's Island and there are very FEW cyclists there. However, you need some bullet-proof tires + a good cyclocross frame never hurts when riding this alternate route. BTW - I gave up on the West Side MUP too.

mr_bill

Bono blog post.

(TLDNR - He may never play guitar again, and he's a closeted MAMIL.)

-mr. bill

daihard 

Just read the BBC article about it. It would be gravely sad if Bono in fact won't be able to play the guitar again. I pray that he will be able to, if not right away.