Bicyclist Run Over in Greenpoint
The North Brooklyn bicycle lane wars took a tragic turn this weekend. Just hours before biking activists staged their mock wake for the painted-over lane in South Williamsburg on Sunday, a popular DJ was run over by a truck on what newspapers are describing as a crowded stretch of Nassau Avenue (though it doesn’t look…
The North Brooklyn bicycle lane wars took a tragic turn this weekend. Just hours before biking activists staged their mock wake for the painted-over lane in South Williamsburg on Sunday, a popular DJ was run over by a truck on what newspapers are describing as a crowded stretch of Nassau Avenue (though it doesn’t look that crowded in this older image from Google Maps) that lacked a protected lane for cyclists. According to newspaper reports, 33-year-old Solange Raulston, who was known as DJ Reverend Soul, was riding west on Nassau Avenue near McGuinness Boulevard at around noon on Sunday when she was struck by a truck; she was taken to Bellevue Hospital where she died. The Post reported that the driver was not charged in the incident.
Soulful DJ Solange Raulston Killed After Being Struck [NY Daily News]
DJ killed on bike in Brooklyn [NY Post]
Cyclist killed by trucker in Greenpoint! [Brooklyn Paper]
DJ Killed In Greenpoint After Struck On Bike [Gothamist]
What utter rubbish car drivers talk (and I speak as one who loves to drive and has driven on tracks.)
‘it’s because cars are not aware of them on the road’
Yes, that’s because you’re not paying attention. How hard is to see a 5′ x 3′ high slowly (relatively) moving object in spandex (the only reason to wear that junk)?
Sorry, car drivers, it’s YOUR responsibility to watch out for everyone more vulnerable than you, kids, peds, cyclists, even if they’re jaywalking, running red lights or chasing a ball.
bike lane or no bike lane, my realization this week is that there are way to many idiot cyclists whos death is just darwinism at work.
a week ago a ‘hipster’ looking cyclist was riding in the rain, at night, with no lights. his light turned red but as he was 20 feet from the intersection, but he kept going (as i watched). sure enough he got hit (lightly) by a cab and went over the hood.
2 days ago i was driving, and a cyclist starts crossing the intersection through a red, in front of me. they see my car coming at them and just freeze in the middle of the intersection, and i miraculously managed to stop about a foot from them by slamming breaks as hard as possible. oh, and there was a bike lane they were using.
point is, most of these entitled pricks are just that, and no amount of lanes in the world will help.
TD, it’s a deal. Now, can you sign up all the other bikers to do the same?
“You want to be treated like a car? Behave like one.”
Alright… it’s a deal. I’ll stop at red lights while riding my bike, and patiently wait for it to turn green. In return you, and all other car drivers, will drive behind me while I take up my rightful lane of traffic and you won’t honk your horn, try to pass me, or push me to the side.
I will ride in a bike lane where one is available.
so sad. i think that everyone needs to be more careful – drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, et al. I think that people get so caught up in the moment, that they don’t really pay attention to their surroundings. Also, as someone who does all 3 (drives, cycles, walks), it is so true that people aren’t aware of how hard they are to see. The one that freaks me out the most is people popping out between cars to jaywalk mid-block. Everyone seems to do it, but honestly, for a driver or a cyclist that person comes out of nowhere in a flash. A lot of fatalities and tragic accidents have come from people coming into the street midblock. I wish there was more awareness about how dangerous that is. I think with other things, we are more aware but just careless. That said, cyclists need to be consistent with following the rules of the road. Until we do that, we don’t have a chance. At least if drivers know what to expect, there can be some hope of a balance between sharing the roads. Sad to say though there will always be tragic accidents but hopefully some day there will be a lot less of them.
“double park on major roads”
Absolutely, completely, and totally unavoidable in NYC.
northslope – I’ve always wondered why the government doesn’t make it mandatory to have that small insert mirror in the sideview mirrors which can let you see if someone is in your blind spot.
Very sad.
I do find it hard to see cyclists when driving. There are blind spots in cars where it can be hard to see a motor vehicle (specifically, on the side but close to the back left or back right of most cars), and a bicycle is much smaller.
It worries me — just like the thoughts of an 8 year old running between parked cars worries me.
I still don’t see painted bike lanes on roadways as the answer. The answer is (1) physically separated lanes or (2) fewer bikes on the road with riders who have the skill and understanding to ride in traffic.
“Don’t know what the stats are in Toyko, but people there actually wait for the light to change before crossing the street. How odd.”
I bet the drivers there also don’t drive drunk, roll through stops signs, double park on major roads and speed through yellow traffic lights