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WESTCHESTER COUNTY, N.Y. – More and more bicyclists are hitting the road now that summer is in full swing. But with more riders come more safety issues and more potential accidents.
Bino Cummings, bike shop manager at Hickory and Tweed in Armonk, spends plenty of time on his bicycle. The most pressing issue, he said, is for cyclists and drivers to pay attention when they are pedaling and driving out on the streets.
"As a rider, when I'm out on the road, at least once a ride, a car, truck or bus comes within a few inches of me. If they hit me, I'm dead," Cummings said. "And they may not even know I was there. So that's kind of terrifying to have that level of consequence."
Many drivers are not conscious of the consequences of a collision between a car and a bicycle, Cummings said. A steel car is safe for the driver, but the bicyclist has no such protection, he said.
"I'm basically stripped down to my underwear, riding along at 25 mph," Cummings said.
Stan Avedon has ridden a bicycle for more than 35 years and is general manager at Hastings Velo. As a rider, Avedon said the fear of a crash or injury is ever present.
"The thought of having an accident with a vehicle is always in your mind," Avedon said. "Some people, it's more prevalent than others. Some people are a little more cautious about riding in traffic."
Cyclists and drivers need to respect each other, Avedon said. He leads weekly group rides and focuses on positioning during rides to advocate safety.
"We're vehicles on the road just like cars. We're entitled to the road and have rights to the road just like any other vehicle on the road," Avedon said. "We must abide by both vehicular code and the rules of the road."
Cyclists should ride single file as much as possible and should never ride more than two abreast, Cummings said. In fact, riding more than two abreast is illegal, according to Section 1234 of the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws.
That same section details that cyclists must ride in a usable bicycle lane or, if there is no such lane, near the right curb unless preparing to make a left turn or if they are unable to stay near the curb.
The most prevalent issue for bicyclists is adherence to the New York State Vehicle and Traffic Laws when pedaling on the streets, said Lt. Patrick McCormack, public information officer for the Yonkers Police Department.
"A bicycle is commonly thought to be a recreational toy, but there are responsibilities that go with operating a bicycle," McCormack said via email.
Officers recommend the use of "designated bicycle routes and common sense" when bicycling, he said.
Cummings encouraged respect between cyclists and drivers. When a group of 20 cyclists rides three wide, he said, it is not only illegal but it frustrates drivers, which can lead to problems.
"Be respectful to the other people out there ... and everybody's going to be OK," Cummings said.
Comments (11)
In an age where texting, second-hand smoke and supersized sodas are regulated it is more than ironic that the "thought police" give a free pass to bicyclists.
Unlike motorcyclists, who obey the rules, travel on a straight line and at the same speed as traffic, and know that it is illegal to ride tandem, bicyclists seem to think they own the road. Not only does their lack of respect for the danger they create threaten themselves, it is a major source of danger to motorists and their families.
In congested locations they are often a threat to pedestrians. Yet, they are not required to take a test to ride on State highways and do not carry minumum insurance.
It is time to evaluate this risk like all the risks and take some steps to make things safer for everybody.
To halmarc45, are you serious with this statement? [But, let's own up, the real reason these laws exist is to satisfy the persuasions of helmet manufacturing lobbyists -- not to protect the average bike rider. If a rider is hit by a moving vehicle, the resulting injury or death is rarely avoided from the wearing of a helmet.] Head injuries are the most serious injuries. A helmet may not totally eliminate an injury but it does greatly reduce the injury. If it is TOO much of an inconvenience to wear one when you are going to go shopping, take a car. What a lame excuse. Don't a want to wear a helmet, you can bicycle in one of the states that don't require you wear one.
Bicyclists DON'T own the road even though, at times, they think they do. What is the problem with riding SINGLE file? It would make it easier for motor vehicles to pass you.
You ever try driving down Purchase Street between the airport and Westchester Ave. on a Sunday? These guys travel in groups from 50 to 100, and take up the whole road!! They refuse to travel two bikes wide, and harrass you when you try to pass!
Last time I tried to pass them, they all banged on the side of my car as I drove by!
I have yet seen a bicyclist stop at a red light or stop sign. I feel cyclist should have registration and vehicle insurance. I also feel tickets should be issued when they do not follow the traffic laws. In Armonk on Rte.22, these riders will block the whole road riding side by side by side not concerned at all with sharing the road with registered automobiles. I just don't understsnd why they ride where there are bike lanes or when specific roads are closed for their enjoyment.
Hal,
If you want to reach online management, you are always welcome to email me. dwest@dailyvoice.com
Debra West
I agree with most of the article: Both bike riders AND car drivers need to improve their awareness and manners on the roads. Bikes do have a right to use the roads (and that does not mean they have to ride in the gutters to avoid the 'true' owners of the road). At the same time, they have to respect the rules and not unnecessarily obstruct traffic.
That said, I don't agree with everything in the article: The title is inflammatory and, in spite of words to the contrary later on, implies that the problem is solely with the cyclists and not in part to the car drivers. It's also implied by Lt. McCormack's email that bikes are seen as toys. Note -this is NOT the case and I re-emphasize the point made in the article that bikes have equal rights on the roads and should be respected.
Probably the most important take-away is that in bicycle versus car accidents the bicycle is almost always the loser. Both parties need to increase awareness and respect on the road, and please keep in mind that vigilance while driving, as well as a dose of patience and respect might avoid catastrophic injury or death. Nobody wants to have blood on their hands as a result of inattention or (worse) an aggressive insistence on their 'right' to the road. Too many such episodes have occurred already, with devastating consequences to the cyclist and to their loved ones.
Look if you want to ride a bike fine, I have no objection, but on an early Saturday or Sunday morning when I'm leaving for a dog trial and you have over 40-50 bikers, who at that time in the morning think they own it all, well that just pisses me off. I am a motorcycle rider since I was 24yo, I respect the road only because of my motoring skills. But regular bike riders, they block both lanes, rarely stop for the traffic light, and have seen them make lefts or rights without a hand single, also had them cut right in front of me up by the four corners. Next 5-6am trip I will stop and take a photo, it's along Central Avenue way.
And then you have the regular riders driving back and forth to work, guess they don't value their lives, have seen some pretty stupid moves on their part along Central Avenue to.
While I fully support the new bike laws bikers need to be more considerate as they ride the backroads of this county. Far too often I come across bikers riding in the middle of the road forcing cars to have to slowly trail behind them or move all the way over into the other lane putting themselves at risk. Courtesy and safety goes both ways when it comes to riding the roads yet it seems to be one sided right now.
Still more of the cost-cutting cookie cutter approach being used by the "new" Daily Voice.
Inserting the local community's name in front of an otherwise generic feature story as though that was sufficient to tailor it to the named community.
The last three months have seen this practice multiply as well as the general dumbing down of the this once interesting and trend-setting medium.
Unique when compared to The Journal News and its online kin, lohud.com, the Gannett child ignored Greenburgh hard news in favor of births, school sports score and Feiner press releases.
Given the emergence of The Daily Voice as the alternative, this became a source of hard news and a place to read the other side of the story -- and to comment.
In less than a year's time, The Daily Voice evidenced the onset of an early mid-life crisis as it got cocky and assumed it had the field to itself; thus it could reduce the overhead by providing one size fits all feature stories merely by altering the headline.
With the nearing arrival of a powerful competitor to the marketplace, we'll see how long it takes before The Daily wherever switches back to its original formula. Right now, it is knee-deep in its pursuit of being The Greenburgh Daily People Magazine.
Instead or reporting news, note the number of stories which are appear from the perspective of:
"may", "could" "possibly"...
And should a reader want to contact online management, let me count the ways: "0".
Hal Samis
Nobody in govt. or bike lobbys are talking about certain important issues.
Cyclists need rear blinking LED lights. It should be a law. Also the new bike lanes should be marked with a different color, so motorists and cyclists can see, such as neon green (other countries have other colors ). Also Police need to enforce the HELMET LAWS. When I see this happening I will believe that there will be safer co-existings. Until then, everything is an accident waiting to happen.
Steve Morton
Specific to this comment on this story, there is a fundamental difference in "safety first" between riders in bike clubs and those riders who use their bikes as a means of local transportation. Lugging a helmet around when shopping or performing errands is using one arm for a narrow purpose, leaving but one arm free for all other purposes. Car drivers have no such responsibility to wear helmets and thus, upon arriving at their destination, do so unencumbered. Even though they could leave their helmets behind in their locked vehicles. sem123 sees the BIG problem as one caused by a lack of enforcement of statutes addressing the wearing of helmets when riding a bicycle.
But, wait drivers and vehicle occupants are protected by their vehicles so of course they should be similarly required to wear helmets -- if they are all they are cracked up to be.
So with all that protection provided by the vehicle, why are there so many vehicle accident fatalities?
Vehicles have seat belts, air bags AND steel around their occupants while a bike rider has only a helmet.
If helmet laws are truly intended to lessen injury, they should be limited to those wearing the biker gear and riding at high speed in packs on heavily trafficked roads. But, let's own up, the real reason these laws exist is to satisfy the persuasions of helmet manufacturing lobbyists -- not to protect the average bike rider. If a rider is hit by a moving vehicle, the resulting injury or death is rarely avoided from the wearing of a helmet.
Indeed, wearing the helmet is a punishment exacted against all riders because of the reckless endangerment posed by the few errant riders who pedal "fearlessly" and are clear and present dangers to others (cyclists, pedestrians, moving vehicles and, themselves).
The wearing of a helmet is an annoyance, uncomfortable, unfashionable and an intrusion. Enforcement of these laws is not the best use of Police Officers and will result in citations being issued mostly to children while counter-productive to the popularization of getting around by leaving a low carbon footprint.
On Tarrytown Road, in Greenburgh, there is a memorial to the "ghost rider", a cyclist hit by a bus.
The "ghost rider" was wearing a helmet at the time.
If you need a fall guy to blame gaps in safety upon, blame it on the bossa nova; not the absence of helmets.