wheeldeal

I posted this in the regional forums.....but thought I'd share here as well.

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The three of us decided to take a ride into the city for the sake of it. We started at 7pm in Forest Hills and took Queens Blvd until we hit the 59th Street Bridge. Headed south on 2nd Avenue and made a right turn on 9th Street to head west.

There's a bike lane on 9th street.

I was leading. I had a Cateye blinky up front, PBSF in the rear. #2 rode a black K2 mountain bike with slick tires (his commuter). He doesn't have lights....no helmet. He's been riding this way for over 2 years now. He seems to be doing fine.

#3 is my "big friend". He's on a 2005 Rockhopper with a Cateye blinky up front and a regular red Cateye blinky in the rear. #3 is about 5'10" and weighs about 190lbs. He's a sanitation employee for NYC....built like a truck. He had a BMX helmet on.

So....we're heading west on 9th Street (a one way street going from 5th Ave towards 6th Ave). Tons of traffic moving alongside us.

I admit....I may have been daydreaming a bit since I had the safety of the bike lane. We were pedaling along around 12-15mph. I was caught off guard when I saw a bike approaching us. He just appeared from the darkness. No lights......nothing. He was going at around 8-10mph (if I had to guess). I didn't even have time to alert my buddies.

When I saw him, he was hugging the parked cars....forcing me to move into traffic. I had to swerve a little & get out of the bike lane to avoid him.

#2 did the same. But #3 had no idea and BAM!!!!! They collided pretty hard. Both went down.

Long story short: the guy had a bloody nose and it seemed as if he bit his lips as well. It took a little him while to get up.

Once everyone got up, everyone apologized and we went our way.

When we reached Battery Park City, we talked about what happened. #3 said he had no idea someone was coming at us. He said he saw #2 swerve and when he looked up, the guy was almost in his face already. He said he put his head down to brace for the impact and he has no idea what happened afterwards.

My guess is that his helmet slammed into the guys head/face when they collided. But we couldn't find any blood on the helmet.

I felt bad because it was partially my fault not being fully alert.

#2 said that when he passed the guy, he barely made it w/o knocking handlebars with the guy.

No damage to #3's bike. Slight scruff on the saddle & bar end.

wheel

I call the cops and give that bike salmon a ticket. I detest wrong way riders.

Digital_Cowboy

Other then the bloody nose and split lip any other damage to the wrong way rider" Any damage to his bike?

Hopefully he's learned not to ride the wrong way anymore. But sadly odds are that he hasn't.

Digital_Cowboy

I second that.

dougmc

I hate salmon riding (maybe not salmon riders because they're almost always newbies who just don't know better, but salmon riding) too, but I'm not sure I'd want to give one a ticket if it's not needed.

I mean, one's salmon nature just caused him and my friend to get hurt. If people aren't hurt bad enough that you're going to call the police or an ambulance, I'd lecture the guy about why he can't do that --

-- he makes things very dangerous for other cyclists
-- he makes it very dangerous for himself, both with other cyclists and with cars. (Cars don't usually look for traffic coming the wrong way when they turn onto the road, for example.)
-- it's illegal.

and at that point (with an accident, clearly his fault) he ought to see it your way and agree to ride where he belongs. If he's belligerent about it, then I'd consider calling the cops and reporting the accident, though I doubt he'd stick around for them.

mcgreivey

I think salmon should be ticketed, but they never are (as far as I know) in NYC. And no lights: sometimes the cops do give out tickets for that, but probably not enough. So, the cops owe him two tickets.

And your #2 should have had lights, as well--though that probably didn't contribute to this particular accident, admittedly.

Old Town

Gut the salmon. Had to laugh for I'd never heard a wrong way rider refered to as a salmon. Very appropriate. Does that make the 3 guys going the proper direction the grizzly bears at the falls?

mandovoodoo

Head on for me from one of these fellows. Folded up a nice British steel frame, torn up shoulder, skull fracture, twisted back. Has bothered me a bit every day since 1974. Dangerous. Night, no lights, drunk. Me: fast and lit, moving at high speed. My feet never came unclipped - double straps.

Got the idiot's name? Call the cops.