GamblerGORD53

What I think happened, is the cyclist headed for the left lane just where it widens to 2 lanes, after the little bridge overpass. This is at the west end of the park.
He must have slipped cutting across in front of the bus following maybe 40 or 50 feet behind when he made his move. Likely preparing for a LH turn at the light.

livedarklions

I think it was Colonel Mustard in the library with a school bus.

GamblerGORD53

So, you haven't a CLUE then?? LOL hahahaha

mr_bill

Wild speculation deleted. Only to be topped with wilder speculation.

5th Ave is one way downtown, so interesting to think he would choose to salmon there. BTW, he was heading to Park Ave and 96th, which is straight ahead. But you could be right I suppose.

-mr. bill

vol

Not clear whether he hit the ice or the curb:

https://abc7ny.com/cyclist-dead-run-...verse/5765696/
https://nypost.com/2019/12/18/cyclis...tural-history/


The irony is he was a pediatrician run over by a school bus carrying 14 children who could have been his patients, and was rushed to the hospital where he worked.

noglider 

There are four transverse roads that cross Central Park, and they are all treacherous. There are not many alternatives, as the park is much longer than its width. There is a road that crosses 72nd St. (The park goes from 59th St to 110th St.) There are pedestrian paths that cross the park, but we are not allowed to ride bikes on them. I have needed to cross the park daily since late September. I was taking the 66th St transverse road, despite my trepidation. I take the lane and watch my rearview mirror frequently. A couple of weeks ago, I decided this road is too dangerous, so I started taking the 72nd St Rd. It's not far out of my way. And now this happened, confirming my decision.

Something similar happened to me on the 66th St transverse road many years ago, except I didn't get hit. I hit a patch of ice! Ahead of me was a bike-tire-eating sewer grate, and I couldn't ride over it. Behind me was a city bus. My rear wheel fishtailed on the ice. I figured I was about to die. Somehow I didn't. Maybe the bus driver saw me and moved to the left.

Advocates here in the city are saying we need to remediate these transverse roads or have some other way to cross the park. It's two and a half miles long, south to north, so we are not going around it.

Digger Goreman

I swear NYC eats its own .

MaxKatt

Icy shoulder, narrow passage. That's a "Take the Lane" situation in my book. I'd probably hold it all the way through the park.

Leisesturm

O man, I've never heard it put quite like that but have you ever nailed it!
H (escaped NY'er)

Leisesturm

I wonder if you really know just what kind of road rage doing such a thing would elicit. Personally if things were cold enough to result in ice ANYWHERE on the road I would not be out and about on a bike unless it had studded tires. Wouldn't it SUCK to be controlling that lane and WHAM you go down right in front of the F-150 who has been riding your six for the last several minutes who has cursed your entire family tree all the way back to the Mayflower. The same ice that dropped you caused his already slow reaction to your fall ... ... nope ... Icy shoulder (i.e. road), narrow passage, that's a "take the sidewalk (on foot) situation in my book.

OldTryGuy

YOUR REPLY overflows with common sense!!! From my experience a "sense" that is in very short supply in today's world.

noglider 

If taking the lane isn't safe for you, don't do it, but I do it all the time in NYC and, as I said, on these very transverse roads. I watch drivers behind me and get a sense when they are outraged. When they are, I move aside. It wasn't that cold on Thursday. I can believe there were small patches of ice, but if there was one, it came without warning.

vol

I was going to say the same. I rode on the 79th st. transverse a couple times. Once I thought it too risky, so I rode on the very narrow curb, but almost had a flat because of all the garbage on the ground.

We really need some safe bike paths across the park east<->west, if two-way loop is not possible. This tragedy was something waiting to happen even without the weather factor--it could happen on a fine spring day.

MaxKatt

I stand by comment and recommendation.

I don't let "road rage" fluster me. I'll hustle hard out front and ignore occaisional horn as I do it. People aren't stupid. They see what you're trying to do and recognize it as the smart play. As long as you're doing your part to clear the sitationa asap, most drivers are tollerant.

Cyclist has right to be safe. One in 10mm drivers will actually knowingly plow straight ahead into a cyclist squre in front of them, as that's an express pass to long prison sentence.

It's counter intuitive, but at times the safest place is in the middle of the road.

Leisesturm

I wouldn't know about CP's transverse roads. I don't remember them. Back in the day, the main loops of both CP and PP (in Brooklyn) were open to traffic only until after the morning rush. You could skate, ride, or walk the main loop all day long until around 3:00 pm. No authority would bother a cyclist using the numerous transverse walking paths across the parks. Different times I guess. But there is this: Mayor DeBlasio is an extremely Liberal and citizen minded individual. NOW is the time to advocate hard for dedicated use of the transverse roads for cyclists and other vulnerable road users. Let the cars take the long way around! I also stand by my earlier comments. That doctor had years of good work left in him. For all we know he was "taking the lane", it doesn't sound like there is any other way to do it. That did him how much good? Treacherous is treacherous, and if the transverse cuts are as bad as I am hearing, the cure for that is remediation. Or avoidance.

csport

vol's quote from the Post explains it: probably he was taking the lane. He entered the Transverse Rd at 96th street from CPW (maybe at the red light to get some odds against the traffic coming from the back), and he was going as fast as possible to avoid holding back the traffic behind him. The east and west bound lanes merge near the bridge that carries the West Dr. across the Transverse, and that is where the east bound lane curves. If he hit a patch of ice that came without warning at that curve, he would be thrown into the left west bound lane. The bus was keeping left preparing for the left turn, which is consistent with it going to the Museum of the Natural History. Then he was ran over by the left front wheel of the bus. There was nothing the bus driver could do.
Or at least allow two way traffic in the East/West Dr. from 96th to the 102nd/104th. This would make a small detour compared to going down to the 72nd. The other transverse roads would need a different solution.

GamblerGORD53

What was wrong with my theory, is it was going the wrong way west bound. Ooops.
What is wrong with the MUPs there anyway? They do wander some I see.

mr_bill

Again, massive quantities of speculation deleted.

The bus in the photograph is heading EAST.

The crash took place on the EAST side of the park.

Just leave it at this. If you think you know what happened, think again. And again. And again. Think.

-mr. bill

rumrunn6

looks like the road narrows under the overpasses. this is the 96th St Rd.



from a 2007 death on the 66th St Rd. - An eyewitness driving behind the car that hit the cyclist reports: "The bike and the car came together where the road narrowed

https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2007/08/...rse-is-unsafe/

vol

As can be seen in the video, if not taking the lane, the cyclist would have to ride extremely close to the curb, so it's possible he hit the curb and not ice. I read a lot of online comments blaming the cyclist for riding in the winter icy conditions; I think it's much more about the road condition.

In addition to the ice and the curb... when I rode on the 79th st transverse one day, there was a broken bottle in the middle of the road with broken glass all over, so I had to go around it.

noglider 

I can't blame the cyclist for riding in those conditions. There wasn't a lot of ice. I rode that day. I checked before heading out, checking explicitly to see if there was much ice. There wasn't. If he hit ice, it might have been the first ice he saw.

noglider 

Are you looking at the pedestrian paths in the park? They are not MUPs. You are not allowed to cycle on the pedestrian paths in Central Park. You are in other parks. So as I see it, one solution is to designate SOME of them as MUPs.

mr_bill

Other than tabloids, who says ice?

Damn, other than tabloids, who says driver’s side tire?

Frankly, other than tabloids, who says AMNH?

Everything you “know” you may not.


-mr. bill

GamblerGORD53

The wide sidewalk only in the tunnels looks evil alright. It looks like I would want to get on it.
Plus it definitely needs a slow no passing bikes zone. Those cars look like they are going faster than 25 of course.
Some of that side rock needs trimming too, IMO.

vol

Agree. Also the dark bridge tunnels and the curves of the road affect visibility a lot. Vehicles don't slow down for that.

Good point! The parks should be more for pedestrians and cyclists than for vehicles.