8th Street and Broadway, NYC. When I approached, the bike rider was writhing in pain on the ground. An accident not surprising, at least to me, given the surge of bike lanes and bikers traveling NYC streets, vying with cars and pedestrians for the right of way. The vehicle that hit him is out of sight to the left of the photo. I presume that the driver of the car began to make a left turn without looking over his shoulder to see if any bike riders were approaching in the bike lane. Meanwhile, the biker should have been more cautious going through the intersection even though he had the right of way. An ambulance was coming down the street, lights flashing, as I was leaving the scene. My first thought when taking the photo was that I felt a little like what WeeGee must have experienced.
Interesting picture. I don't do "street" so not sure I'd take one like this. But there's a lot going on here. Onlooker or driver? Cops, firefighters, a street lamp pole as art.
Many good things to note here. The car driver stayed on scene. The police and paramedics are already on scene, with an ambulance coming (as Steve said). That said, as a bicyclist myself (though in Westchester county), I believe in defensive riding and try to be as aware of my surroundings as conditions permit, and never take anything for granted. But from what I see during my visits to the city (both as a pedestrian and a car driver), these are bound to become more frequent and potentially more fatal, though not for the usual reasons. Cars are slowed down now-a-days (I believe that the speed limit is 25MPH in most of Manhattan), and the bicycles are becoming faster. It does not matter who was speeding. In a collision, the momentum has to be transferred and it's usually the unmoored bicyclist who bears the brunt of it.
@eeneryma, a nice capture of everyday life in the Big Apple. The concern from the FDNY medic/firefighter and the lady, the various tiles adding a splash of color, and the various valves and gauges of the fire engine in the background, all make this a riveting capture. So many things to dive into, in this photo.
Craig Gillette wrote:
Interesting picture. I don't do "street" so not sure I'd take one like this. But there's a lot going on here. Onlooker or driver? Cops, firefighters, a street lamp pole as art.
Thanks Craig. Fortunately, NYC public workers responded quickly, as usual, to emergency situations like this.
Sashi wrote:
Many good things to note here. The car driver stayed on scene. The police and paramedics are already on scene, with an ambulance coming (as Steve said). That said, as a bicyclist myself (though in Westchester county), I believe in defensive riding and try to be as aware of my surroundings as conditions permit, and never take anything for granted. But from what I see during my visits to the city (both as a pedestrian and a car driver), these are bound to become more frequent and potentially more fatal, though not for the usual reasons. Cars are slowed down now-a-days (I believe that the speed limit is 25MPH in most of Manhattan), and the bicycles are becoming faster. It does not matter who was speeding. In a collision, the momentum has to be transferred and it's usually the unmoored bicyclist who bears the brunt of it.
@eeneryma@, a nice capture of everyday life in the Big Apple. The concern from the FDNY medic/firefighter and the lady, the various tiles adding a splash of color, and the various valves and gauges of the fire engine in the background, all make this a riveting capture. So many things to dive into, in this photo....Show more →
Thanks Sashi. The car driver did stay on the scene, although he was standing on the sidelines next to his car which is out of the frame. I'm an avid biker myself, but not in the city. You have car drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists all vying to use the same streets to commute. It can be a chaotic situation, especially since many don't follow the "rules of the road." For instance, bikers rarely stop at red lights as they are supposed to, they ride on sidewalks against the rules, often travel against the flow of traffic, and some speed around in crazy directions. Many bikes being used are EV's which go faster and are heavier in weight, making potential injuries more serious. Much of the same is true for automobiles too, not following the rules of the road. Right now city officials do next to nothing to enforce law and order for bicyclists. In many cases it's a free for all. As a pedestrian walking around with my camera, I've almost been hit by bikes several times.
After having my own personal fast bike crash before, where the bike stopped and I didn't, landing on the forehead of my helmet and my thigh,I only got 6 stitches, above my eye, but I recommend only the crazy or the inexperienced ride on city streets. The crazy can because they know, the inexperienced so they can learn that if you don't know, don't.
RWNPhoto wrote:
After having my own personal fast bike crash before, where the bike stopped and I didn't, landing on the forehead of my helmet and my thigh,I only got 6 stitches, above my eye, but I recommend only the crazy or the inexperienced ride on city streets. The crazy can because they know, the inexperienced so they can learn that if you don't know, don't.
Glad you're ok RWN. My sentiments also about riding on city streets.
Here is my "take" on street photography..Street photography is a genre of photography that captures candid moments of everyday life in public spaces. It focuses on unmediated, spontaneous interactions and incidents, often without the subjects' awareness. While the name suggests streets, it can encompass any public area where people interact, like parks, markets, or public transport. Riding a bike or any other "wheeled vehicle" is dangerous at best. In big cities there is much to distract a driver s, pedeistrians and a rider. One has to be xtra cautious.
Back in the day if this happened to me, and there was just a bruised ego, I would get up and continue on and be po'd at the incident.
Nowadays.."law suit"!!!!!
RWNPhoto wrote:
After having my own personal fast bike crash before, where the bike stopped and I didn't, landing on the forehead of my helmet and my thigh,I only got 6 stitches, above my eye, but I recommend only the crazy or the inexperienced ride on city streets. The crazy can because they know, the inexperienced so they can learn that if you don't know, don't.
And hopefully the inexperienced survive the baptism by fire . Jokes apart, I feel you. I used to work in the city and have biked to work many times from Westchester to Times Square and it does take all of your senses and awareness to bike in NYC.
I think its a very good 'street capture' Steve. A very compelling story told in your image.
The only motorcycle accident I was ever in, in almost 1,000,000 miles of riding, was on a city street. Stopped at a stop light and a driver popped me from the rear.
Danpbphoto wrote:
Here is my "take" on street photography..Street photography is a genre of photography that captures candid moments of everyday life in public spaces. It focuses on unmediated, spontaneous interactions and incidents, often without the subjects' awareness. While the name suggests streets, it can encompass any public area where people interact, like parks, markets, or public transport. Riding a bike or any other "wheeled vehicle" is dangerous at best. In big cities there is much to distract a driver s, pedeistrians and a rider. One has to be xtra cautious.
Back in the day if this happened to me, and there was just a bruised ego, I would get up and continue on and be po'd at the incident.
Nowadays.."law suit"!!!!!
Sashi wrote:
And hopefully the inexperienced survive the baptism by fire . Jokes apart, I feel you. I used to work in the city and have biked to work many times from Westchester to Times Square and it does take all of your senses and awareness to bike in NYC.
That's quite a bike ride from Weschester to NYC. Bike riding can put you in excellent shape. But as you've mentioned, exterme care is required.
ctgoldwing wrote:
I think its a very good 'street capture' Steve. A very compelling story told in your image.
The only motorcycle accident I was ever in, in almost 1,000,000 miles of riding, was on a city street. Stopped at a stop light and a driver popped me from the rear.
Thanks CT. Unfortunately, you can be totally in the right, but on a bike you are so exposed and vulnerable.
Yes, it was a nice ride. I used to be in White Plains at that time and biked to the South County trailway and ride it all the way down to Van Cortlandt Park. Had to do a bit of gravel riding through the park (thanks to the Empire State trail work, it's fully paved now) and then get on the Greenway all the way down to 45th. The company I used to work for had bike lockers and showers set up (thanks to our CTO and Chief Strategy Officer who were very avid bikers, Brits both of them). Same route back. Good old days.
Moved to one of the Rivertowns now and still bike down with the family to the Dinosaur BBQ down in the city or go to Arthur Ave/Little Italy in the Bronx. Most of my biking is now to the northern parts of Westchester. Pretty decent drivers who are aware of bicyclists on the road, and once you get past Elmsford, Route 100 has a 6'-8' shoulder all the way to Somers/Mahopac. We are lucky to be in Westchester, it's good biking country.
Yes, it was a nice ride. I used to be in White Plains at that time and biked to the South County trailway and ride it all the way down to Van Cortlandt Park. Had to do a bit of gravel riding through the park (thanks to the Empire State trail work, it's fully paved now) and then get on the Greenway all the way down to 45th. The company I used to work for had bike lockers and showers set up (thanks to our CTO and Chief Strategy Officer who were very avid bikers, Brits both of them). Same route back. Good old days.
Moved to one of the Rivertowns now and still bike down with the family to the Dinosaur BBQ down in the city or go to Arthur Ave/Little Italy in the Bronx. Most of my biking is now to the northern parts of Westchester. Pretty decent drivers who are aware of bicyclists on the road, and once you get past Elmsford, Route 100 has a 6'-8' shoulder all the way to Somers/Mahopac. We are lucky to be in Westchester, it's good biking country.
Hey Sashi, have you ever biked on the Harlem Valley Bike Trail north of the city? It's a former rail line that was paved over making it perfect for biking. It starts around the town of Amenia and goes north quite a distance, eventually all the way to Albany. The country side is beautiful, the bike path mostly flat and easy to navigate.
eeneryma wrote:
Hey Sashi, have you ever biked on the Harlem Valley Bike Trail north of the city? It's a former rail line that was paved over making it perfect for biking. It starts around the town of Amenia and goes north quite a distance, eventually all the way to Albany. The country side is beautiful, the bike path mostly flat and easy to navigate.
Steve
@eeneryma Yup, we catch the trail at Wappinger Falls (park at the Metro North station) and then do the round trip to Millerton. We also do the Roe Jan Ramble and in the past when they had it, the Harlem Valley Rail Ride bike rides. We also almost always do the HVRR trail from the Taconic State Park in Copake down to Millerton in July when we go strawberry picking.
. Jokes apart, I feel you. I used to work in the city and have biked to work many times from Westchester to Times Square and it does take all of your senses and awareness to bike in NYC. 
lawsuit. A sign of the times. Thanks Dan.