Originally Posted by Gothamist

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, 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 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 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 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, as he usually biked across the Brooklyn Bridge. Transportation Alternatives' 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."

Originally Posted by Gothamist

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, 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 reported that the entrance to the bike pathway may have been blocked by construction and The New York Times 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 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, NYC, by sissnitz at flickr)

Originally Posted by Not the Slowest

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

Originally Posted by Not the Slowest

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

Originally Posted by sukram

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!"

Originally Posted by sukram

It's like some brain damaged half-wit signed off on them.