A fatal bicycle accident in New York City two years ago spurred the city in constructing a protected bike lane along a stretch of Central Park West. Now, after many delays, the city is set to wrap up work and complete the Columbus Circle to Frederick Douglass Circle Lane later this year. There are already painted markings and crosswalks in the designated area but the protective barriers have yet to be installed. Hopefully, once the lane is in full operation, it will prevent future accidents and save lives.
The construction was spurred by the death of Madison Lyden who was killed while riding her bike along this stretch of street in 2018. The Australian tourist was struck by a garbage truck after she was forced to veer around illegally parked taxis which were blocking the implicit bike lane. Public outcry led to the city re-examining the danger zone and deciding that a protected lane was indeed in order.
However, the work has not gone smoothly. Several groups fought against the protected bike lane—including residents of a condo tower in the area who argued that the city didn’t have the right to make such changes to roadways without an in-depth environmental study of the impact such augmentation would create. Their court case was thrown out and that action cleared the way tor NYC to finish the project.
While protected bike lanes are great and do have a definite impact on the number and severity of bicycle accidents in urban areas like New York City, they won’t stop every accident from happening. Distracted, careless, or reckless drivers are a cyclist’s worst enemies and until drivers live up to their legally-mandated duty of care to protect pedestrians and bicyclists, people will still be unnecessarily injured and killed.
If you’ve been hurt by a careless driver while riding, contact an experienced New York City bicycle accident attorney. For the compensation you deserve for your injuries, unpaid medical expenses and lost time from work, call the Law Offices of Nussin S. Fogel at 800-734-9338 or 212-385-1122 without any further delay.