rydabent

Excellent point!!!!!

In that amount of time how many have died in auto and pedestrian accidents. Maybe cars and pedestrians should be banned.

Chris0516

May he rest in peace

Never try riding next to a bus in the same lane. Only behind.

vol

In this case, the cyclist didn't anticipate the bus. The bus came from behind. I'm not sure how he could have avoided the tragedy if the driver just wanted to pass him when the space didn't allow, if he didn't take the lane. But most cyclists don't take the lane in such streets.

Btw here is a related report:

Cyclist Fatalities Addressed: Route Adherence Stressed, Crosstown Bike Lanes Suggested

Chris0516

Looking at the picture on the front page of the article. He should have 'taken the lane'. Even though that was NYC.

mr_bill

OK, since this is your answer to life, the universe and everything, I know it's easy to forget that this is the THIRD time you've said this.

But W 26th St is 34 feet curb to curb. There was a white commercial van parked at the right curb, and a black SUV parked at the left curb. Subtract out 15 feet for parking, that leaves you with 19 feet.

HOW WIDE IS YOUR BICYCLE?

-mr. bill

Chris0516

Yes, It is the third time I said it. He was too close to the parked/stopped vehicles.

mr_bill

In astonishing news, trucks *finally* ticketed for driving on no truck streets.

-mr. bill

vol

One of the scariest moment is when a big vehicle suddenly gains momentum near you, let alone if it's making a turn. When a driver suddenly speed up he's not prepared to stop immediately in case he suddenly spotted a danger, such as a pedestrian or cyclist that he didn't see before.

mr_bill

Bus operator arrested, charged with misdemeanor and traffic violation

-mr. bill

mr_bill

Bus Driver Says He Honked At Citi Biker Before Fatally Running Him Over

-mr. bill

vol

So why did he proceed to pass the cyclist?

vol

In case anyone has trouble viewing the online NY Times report about the trial this week, here is the same article (I believe):

First Fatal Citi Bike Crash: Was the Bus Driver to Blame?

Does that give the driver the right to squeeze past him giving him no place to go? Couldn't the same happen if he didn't wear the headphones?

Teamprovicycle

Citi bikes are trash , and you dont know who is making the money off these scams . they just show up one day in your city , and over night you have hundreds of peole using bikes that probably should not be allowed to walk down the sidewalk, but honestly they should ban all cars in the hearts of major cities and promote enclosed quad bikes and such , im so tired of cars ..

indyfabz

No, which suggests that is the best the defense has. Paint a picture of an irresponsible cyclist. "No responsible, law-abiding cyclist would wear headphones covering his ears. He was just asking to get hit." (Riding a bike in NYC with headphones in both ears is illegal.) Sometimes you have to throw what you have against the wall and hope that something sticks.

MMACH 5

This also implies that deaf people can't ride safely.

vol

The surveillance videos of the moment when Hanegby was hit and run over have been released. Some may not want to see the second part.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...Citi-Bike.html

vol

This one doesn't include the disturbing run-over part:

noglider 

I like the idea of banning cars or at least severely restricting them and charging for passage through the city, but I don't know why you don't like Citi Bike. We know which company is making money, it's Motivate, and last I heard, they were barely profitable. I'm sure it's improved since they took over the operation, because they're doing a better job than the previous company. Citi Bike has problems, and they are all related to the unexpected level of success, i.e. heavy usage it has had at every level and at every stage of improvement. The big failure of Citi Bike is its failure to fail.

I'm a member, and I don't use it much, as I usually ride my own bike. The bikes are uncomfortable and super heavy, but they are the right bike for the job, when the bike has to work for everyone who rents it.

Citi Bike can be used for one-way trips. I can't use my bike for that. For example, my wife and I meet a friend at a movie. The friend lives near us but will meet us from another direction. The friend doesn't cycle, so we all walk back home together instead of riding. You can't do that in a car, either. And one-way trips are great, because you're traveling light.

The clunkiness of the bike makes it unpleasant for me when the trip is over about three miles, but I can make a lot of three-mile trips, as the city is so dense.

I occasionally ride between home and work, which is 6-1/2 miles. That's a chore, but I still like it better than riding the subway, another flexible way to travel.

vol

I don't wear earphones, have mirrors on my handlebar, and often choose to ride to the left of the vehicles (when possible or appropirate) so that the drivers can see me easily and estimate how close I am to them better, but I get similar close passes from Express Buses many times, and they are often speeding while squeezing past me, as if wanting to get me out of their way. It seems to me (given the fact that the driver honked at Hanegby) that the driver was angry that the cyclist didn't move to the side, so he went on as if the cyclist didn't exist. In fact the bus was headed slightly to the right as if it's going to driver the cyclist to a dead corner like many bus drivers do when they are heading to a stop sign.

Rollfast

Probably all I need to see of it, point made but the cyclist could have seen that bus in his peripheral vision...no sin in hitting a parked cargo van at that point.

Headphones are killers like that.

mr_bill

Streetsblog - SEE IT: Video Shows Bus Driver Killing Citi Bike Rider Dan Hanegby

A year ago Emma Whitford broke the story while working at Gothamist. What an NYPD spokesperson said at the time:

-mr. bill

CliffordK

Anybody know the actual width of the bus? Width of the handlebars?

My watching the video from the rear, it appears to me as if the front fender is sticking out 3 or 4 inches beyond the edge of the bus, and the front fender clipped the handlebars sending the rider down. Although, it could have also been the side of the door + fender. An image of the bus should be able to verify the actual point of impact.

The story says the rider "lost his balance and fell over", but the clipping the handlebars twisted the front wheel and knocked the rider over.

fender.jpg

The wide handlebars may have been a detriment.

Cars are parked at about one or two car length intervals, and too close to duck between cars to allow vehicles behind to pass.

If the bus blew its horn, then it means the driver actually saw the bike and should have reacted himself. He got off very very light.

However, the one delivery van is also parked about a foot from the curb. The black vehicle is also parked, maybe 2 feet from the curb (is there a maximum legal distance to park from the curb)? The combination of the two vehicles being poorly parked narrowed the space for the bus + bike.

Converting parking to bike lanes would help, although not always popular with drivers. At the time the videos were taken, the number of cars beside the road could have been distributed to one side or the other, with tighter, but generally adequate parking.

Of course, it all boils down to... if it is not safe to pass, then don't pass.

The victim appeared to live for at least a period, and no sense of urgency in the bystanders to render first aid. Hard to say what aid a bystander could give, but certainly any bleeding would need to be stopped immediately. Swelling of extremities? And, of course, dialing emergency (I presume the woman in the dress called 911). Massive crush injuries are BAD!!!

csport

When I commuted to work by bike the route included four blocks of the Fifth Avenue. I rode on the left side next to the parked cars. Most of the time the traffic is stopped at the red light, so I was able to squeeze past it. When the light turns green everyone starts moving, and Bx express buses passing by made me very nervous.
This is a clear sociopathic behavior from the bus driver. I think the second video was rightly shown to the jury to stress this. There was no need to publish it. Anyway, only tabloids like NY Post and Daily Mail did it.
Specs for a similar bus: MCI J4500 | Motor Coach Industries
Overall Width: 102.00 in - 2.59 m

raria

Take a look at this parallel situation https://www.apnews.com/84d7b658d1874878a9de7063c9d94486

This time its an e-scooter rider not a bicyclist and the driver gets charged with homicide. At the time he was charged they were not sure about alcohol playing a role.

Is there a double standard on charging people depending on what/how is struck (cyclist, e-scooter, pedestrian, vehicle)?

vol

Fifth Avenue and BxM(?) express buses, exactly what I was talking about! So I know exactly what you are talking about. Once I even sent an email to the company with the bus number and time, location of the close pass; after weeks or maybe months got a general reply saying they'd talk to the driver. That was a few years ago. I highly doubt they took it seriously as things remain the same.