Originally Posted by
Essex
I'm very sorry for the mom and her family.
Central Park (and especially that section downhill) is rife with tourists and all sorts of collision dangers. People walking in the bike lane, pedicabs guys hawking/harassing tourists for business, folks crossing the entire width of the roadway, kids crossing over from the zoo and the occasional squirrel/rat make it a place where riding a bike at speed is not advisable. I tend to go 12-20 mph in this section. I ride the faster speed when I can ascertain it is all clear...and it rarely is. Central Park my least preferred area to ride a road bike. As mentioned in a NY Post article - it is the "Wild West."
As per evidence - I am sure the biker has been contacted and advised by the lawyers. Correspondence (previous/present) , metrics and other info. related to the crash aren't to be tampered with. Right now - its got to be pure hell for the family and the cyclist.
The walkway on the Brooklyn Bridge is even worse. Lots of tourists doing tourist things....photos, selfies. stepping out of the pedestrian lane into the bike lane. Then I see the Lance Wannabes trying to bomb their way through that. It's only a matter of time. I've been cycling for decades, but too many of the carbon fiber, Tour de France dreamers are out of control. There is no place in Manhattan for this kind of BS. If you're in NYC and you want to ride fast, head over the GWB and ride up 9W.