Northeast - Cyclist Killed on Manhattan Briidge

Several news sources are reporting that a cyclist was killed Friday night on the Manhattan Bridge after falling from the upper to the lower level. The Post is reporting that he was hit by a car.

http://www.1010wins.com/Freak-Accident-Kills-Cyclist-on-Manhattan-Bridge/1222759
http://www.nypost.com/seven/11172007/news/regionalnews/bicycle_rider_hit_on_bridge_216685.htm
http://www.ny1.com/ny1/content/index.jsp?stid=1&aid=75731

Bizarre :( I'm curious to see what happened as more details come out - isn't the bike path already next to the lower roadway?

According to the Daily News he, and a friend, were riding in traffic.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/17/2007-11-17_bicyclists_death_plunge_from_manhattan_b.html

Oh, that's awful. The press articles (which as we know aren't necessarily reliable) suggest the rider was drunk and on the incorrect part of the bridge. Presumably more formal confirmation will came later.

"A witness on the bridge said the victim may have been drunk."

I wonder where this witness was located at the time of "witnessing".

Whether he was or wasn't that's a pretty far line to step over in deciding to ride in traffic like that. However if it was the first time he went across it's possible he wound up going the wrong way. I wound up on the Hudson River Drive one time by accident that way - but there was a shoulder and I went back down quickly.

Sad :(

The New York Times is a bit more sympathetic. Bicyclist Killed in Fall on Bridge (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/nyregion/18bike.html?ex=1353042000&en=e7ca3c509dec6e3e&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink)

Maybe a month ago back when we still had daylight in the afternoon, I was taking the Clinton Street bike lane back to Manhattan when some guy on a fixie rolled up alongside me and asked where the Brooklyn Bridge was. I pointed to the protected bike lane, on Tillary Street, and said it was at the foot of the hill.

Then he rolled out ahead of me, bypassed the Brooklyn Bridge Pedestrian/Bike Path and took a sharp left onto the traffic ramp. By then he was too far ahead for me to warn him. I have no idea whether he actually intended to cross the bridge VC style or if he just didn't realize there was a safer way.

Whether they had a few beers or not it's still a tragedy.

The signs to get to most of the ramps for the bridges are cryptic at best. If you're coming from the north to the Manhattan bridge in Manhattan there's almost a full loop they make you do. What's the point? To get to the GWB from the path there are two highways you could find yourself on without any indication as to where you're supposed to go.

If something good happens from this hopefully they'll continue to improve the signage.

:(

A bit more (http://gothamist.com/2007/11/18/accidental_turn.php)


http://gothamist.com/attachments/jen/2007_11_samhindy.jpg
The bicyclist who died while riding on the Manhattan Bridge Friday night was identified as 27-year-old Brooklyn resident Sam Hindy. Hindy's father Stephen, a former Middle East correspondent for the AP and Newsday reporter who later co-founded the Brooklyn Brewery (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nybike1118b,0,5495953.story), said, "We're just devastated. This is the worst thing that could happen to any parent. It's any parent's worst nightmare."

Sam Hindy and a friend were riding back from Manhattan to Brooklyn on the upper roadway amongst cars. Steve Hindy told the NY Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/nyregion/18bike.html) that "the police told him that the two riders had taken the wrong ramp and found themselves on the roadway with trucks and cars." The Daily News also reports (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/18/2007-11-18_son_of_brooklyn_brewery_owner_27_killed_-1.html) that the police think the pair were riding on the upper roadway because the bike path was obstructed by construction. When Hindy and friend Benjamin Price turned around to head for the lower roadway, the Post explains (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11182007/news/regionalnews/cyclists_tragic_turn_963388.htm) that Hindy "struck a barrier, sending him flying [15 feet] down onto the lower roadway through a split in the bridge, landing next to a car."

The car, a 1995 Toyota, then hit him. The 62-year-old driver Joachim Romage said, "A bicycle hit the right side of my car. I didn't see the guy. I thought it was garbage bags. He didn't hit my car, he hit the street. I was so shocked. How can someone riding on the upper level flip over?" Charges were not filed against Romage and Hindy, who was born and raised in Brooklyn and had been working at Double Click, was pronounced dead at New York Downtown Hospital. Price was uninjured.

There is some question about whether Hindy was intoxicated, as the pair had been drinking before biking over the bridge, but there is no substantiation at this point. Further, Hindy was apparently not familiar with the Manhattan Bridge (http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nybike1118b,0,5495953.story), as he usually biked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Transportation Alternatives (http://transalt.org)' Noah Budnick criticized the Manhattan Bridge's bike-friendliness, telling the Post, "The traffic is so thick around the bridge and the street grids are so confused that without a map or experience, it's understandable how someone could be misled and end up on the roadway."

The Manhattan bridge is a nightmare at night even in a car.
Poorly lit and narrow lanes.
This poor young man had no way out once he accidently commited to riding in a traffic lane.

Although the city is trying to become more bike friendly, they aren't even 1% of the way there.
Unless you're a cyclist familiar with riding through different parts of the city, it's a harrowing experience.

They probably would have been better riding side by side and dealing with the honks till they got across. Really sad :(

Sad. That's a crazy bridge to ride at night in traffic.

Unfortunate it takes someone to die for things to change (http://gothamist.com/2007/11/24/poor_signage_bl.php).


http://gothamist.com/attachments/nyc_daveh/bridgesign.jpg
A New York state legislator stood at the entrance to the Manhattan Bridge yesterday and blamed confusing signage and roadways for the death of Sam Hindy (http://gothamist.com/2007/11/18/accidental_turn.php), who was killed last week. Hindy was killed when he struck a barrier and plunged to the lower roadway of the Manhattan Bridge and struck by a car. The 27-year-old was riding from Manhattan to Brooklyn with a friend, Benjamin Price last Friday evening when they found themselves on the roadway traveling with cars and trucks. Hindy and Price attempted to turn around to get back to the bike pathway across the bridge, which is when he struck the barrier and fell through a split in the bridge to the lower roadway.

Last week, the Daily News (http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2007/11/18/2007-11-18_son_of_brooklyn_brewery_owner_27_killed_-1.html) reported that the entrance to the bike pathway may have been blocked by construction and The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/18/nyregion/18bike.html[/url) said police told Hindy's father the pair had taken the wrong ramp, which led them to the car and truck roadway. Yesterday, however, state senator Eric Adams representing Brooklyn placed the blame squarely at the foot of poor signage on the Manhattan Bridge. Adams is quoted in the New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/seven/11242007/news/regionalnews/bridge_death_sign_slap_186645.htm) saying "A young 27-year-old should not have lost his life because he couldn't distinguish what roadway to use from what roadway not to use."

(12 - Manhattan Bridge sign (http://www.flickr.com/photos/sissnitz/1519241505), NYC, by sissnitz at flickr)

I was riding on the 59th St Bridge towards Queens this am. There is still construction going on so
it takes a little concentration to define the safety vests of cyclists from the workers in the distance. In any case as I was going up the climb I saw a cyclist with a yellow jacket turn towards the roadway but blocked from my view by a beam. I had thought maybe he had a flat, needed to use his celll or maybe it was a construction worker on a bike, why not.

Well as I passed the beam I saw that there was an opening to the roadway (part of the original design of the bridge) and that cyclist decided to use this as a shortcut from the bike lane. Now why would he do THATTT. The bridege is crowded with cars, he wanted to save a block or two by taking this short cut, but maybe that's what happened to those guys on the Manhattan Bridge. Just a moment of poor thinking in a sport that requires concentration 24/7.

Just my 2 cents

Rob

That is a bit different - I really think he didn't know where the entrance is. I've almost done it once or two - not there but took me a long time to find it the first time in the daylight.

I was riding on the 59th St Bridge towards Queens this am. There is still construction going on so
it takes a little concentration to define the safety vests of cyclists from the workers in the distance. In any case as I was going up the climb I saw a cyclist with a yellow jacket turn towards the roadway but blocked from my view by a beam. I had thought maybe he had a flat, needed to use his celll or maybe it was a construction worker on a bike, why not.

Well as I passed the beam I saw that there was an opening to the roadway (part of the original design of the bridge) and that cyclist decided to use this as a shortcut from the bike lane. Now why would he do THATTT. The bridege is crowded with cars, he wanted to save a block or two by taking this short cut, but maybe that's what happened to those guys on the Manhattan Bridge. Just a moment of poor thinking in a sport that requires concentration 24/7.

Just my 2 cents

Rob


Rob-
Don't get me wrong...I do see where you're coming from, however the City really needs to work harder at supporting cyclists, which includes building safer bike paths and clearly defining (for bikers and autos) bike lanes. I don't think this is a case of someone clearly ignoring the obvious (e.g., a coffee cup containing coffee is probably hot....don't sit it in your lap when you're driving....). It's not rocket science (and I know rocket science.....) to see that bikers are crossing this bridge on a daily basis, and just maybe, caution needs to be taken to clearly delineate and ensure safe passage ways are maintained.

The entrance to the Manhattan bridge if one follows the signs from above the bridge in Manhattan makes a rider do a spiral into the bridge: down, over, under, over, down, then over again. If one didn't know this it's really easy to see the sign for the bike path pointing to the bridge, see the roadway and go for it without realizing how dangerous that is.

The only time I took the Manhattan Bridge I think I pretty much had to cross one of the exit ramps to get on the bike path. TA was holding a news conference on the other side handing out medals to every cyclist who successfully completed the crossing!

Hey Keith,
I'm with you 1000%, okay maybe 999.975%.
Many roadways can be made safer and if done more people will ride their bikes.

The designs on many of the bridge entarnces can be made safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Queensboro bridege on both sides is just asking for trouble once you leave the bridge.
GWB, has that crazy turn on the NYC side come on, takes 200 Grand to fix.
Triboro, is getting a bit better, but I'm a big bo and prefer to avoid isolated Randal's Island at Nite.
THrogs Neck, WHitestone? Come on, Make a shuttle, like the Ferry and people will be able to get over the bridges.
Actually the Whitestone had a MTA bus with a rack, long gone now.

I beleive that with time cycling will be seen as a greater option.
Perhaps when gas is $10 a gallon as in Europe..

Rob

Hey Keith,
The designs on many of the bridge entarnces can be made safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
Queensboro bridege on both sides is just asking for trouble once you leave the bridge.
GWB, has that crazy turn on the NYC side come on, takes 200 Grand to fix.
Triboro, is getting a bit better, but I'm a big bo and prefer to avoid isolated Randal's Island at Nite.

Rob

I'm with you on this one. It's like some brain damaged half-wit signed off on them.

Mr. Burns: "A greenway on the bridge, what a splendid idea!"
Smithers: "But sir, it doesn't connect to anything useful."
Mr. Burns: "What does that matter, it's one more mile of greenway to add to my popularity portfolio!"

I'm with you on this one. It's like some brain damaged half-wit signed off on them.

Mr. Burns: "A greenway on the bridge, what a splendid idea!"
Smithers: "But sir, it doesn't connect to anything useful."
Mr. Burns: "What does that matter, it's one more mile of greenway to add to my popularity portfolio!"

Ahhhhh, Excellent, Sukram.....excellent......;)

It's like some brain damaged half-wit signed off on them.
I think that's unfair - they are routes that were tacked on to the back of pre-existing bridges. The entrance and exit ramps are sometimes pretty poor, but I think that's probably more a result of a lack of space and budget - and obviously an unwillingness to install signals that would delay cagers.

(Actually, I don't think signals would be very useful on either end of the 59th St Bridge, for example).