With the advent of beautiful Fall weather, large numbers of cyclists take to the streets of New York City. In fact the number of bikes on the streets more than doubled between the years 2005 and 2010 and will triple by 2017.  And with this increase comes an increase in bike accidents involving cars, pedestrians, and poor street conditions. A major reason for the increase in bike traffic is the popular Citi Bike Program. Even with the over 500 miles of bike lanes in the City, the streets were still designed for cars. About 10% of these bike lanes are actually protected by a barrier like the Greenway along the Hudson River. And studies show that on these bike paths accidents are reduced by 90%. However none of the miles of on-street bike lanes are protected.
Doug Gordon, founder of Brooklyn Spoke (a popular NYC bike advocacy blog), says of accidents involving bikes, “The cyclist’s decision is rarely the problem. Bikers bite the dust in New York because the system puts them in places where the ‘holy shit’ is just waiting to happen.”
Most of these accidents happen because motorists disregard the markings and use the bike lanes; or they park on the side of these lanes and open their doors right into oncoming cyclists; or pedestrians walk out into the bike lanes so that they can better hail a taxi. Cyclists complain that police vehicles are most often blocking the bike lanes as they use the space for a sort of emergency parking/stopping area. And if not police vehicles, it’s construction crews and garbage trucks.
The Department of Transportation is committed to getting more Citi bikes on the streets, and they are proposing to add an additional 50 miles of bike lanes a year. But only 10 miles of those 50 are designated protected, which only raises the likelihood of more accidents.
If you or a loved one has been involved in a Citi bike accident in New York City it is important to be proactive which will help you so much in the strength of your case.

What To Do If You Have Been Injured In A Citi-Bike Accident In NYC:

  1. It is hard to find a city street where there are not bystanders. It is important to get their contact information if you are able.
  2. If you are able, make sure you capture your surroundings (meaning where the vehicles are at the time of the accident before anything gets moved) on your smart phone camera.
  3. Make sure the police are called so that you can participate in the accident report.
  4. Also make sure that you go to the hospital to be checked out. There are so many times when you don’t even realize how injured you are right away.
  5. Contact a responsible and experienced attorney who has had years of hands on experience bringing cases against the City of New York and knows how to handle all the minutia of filing and doctors examinations to make sure your case is as strong as it possibly can be.

If you find that you or a loved one has been involved in a bicycle accident in New York City, make sure to follow the steps we’ve listed above the best you can, and call an experienced bike accident attorney. You will want to talk to an attorney who has had years of experience bringing accident cases in the City of New York.

The Ashley Law Firm, specializes in NYC Citi Bike accidents. Mitchel Ashley will fight for you to be fairly compensated for everything involved in this ordeal including medical expenses, pain and suffering and lost wages.

If you need a bicycle accident lawyer in New York City,
call (212) 513-1300 today for a free consultation.

You don’t pay us unless we get you money!

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