Struck Cyclist Is OK

This must be why the road was blocked off last night.

I always wonder in stories like this what exactly is meant by the bike "running a red light." Did the cyclist just cruise through it without stopping or looking for oncoming traffic, or did they come to a stop, look both ways, and proceed through the red light? If the former, well duh, don't do that. If the latter, that's a practice I regularly engage in on my bike, because it seems safer to get a head start on traffic than to wait for the light to turn green and proceed through the intersection with a bunch of cars flooring it a foot to my left (again, if I know there's no oncoming traffic).

It's called the Idaho Stop, and I wish more places would adopt it as law:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Idaho_stop

Rentkowicz, a shift commander on duty Saturday night, said the cyclist, who he said is in his 40s or 50s, ran a red light at the intersection of Whalley Avenue and Ellsworth. He sideswiped one car traveling through the intersection, then crashed into a second, Rentkowicz said.

Now where are all the pro cyclist people Who are always puting blame on the Car Drivers for this.Where is looney,Take back New Haven Doug Hausladen and Roland Lemar who call to fine drivers under the The Vulnerable User Law. Are you now going to fine cyclist, under The Vulnerable User Law.Are you going to pass a law now that will make cyclist be required to have insurance.

3/5ths, I and other NHI commentators have acknowledged that cyclists often violate traffic laws. I have no problem with the NHPD ticketing a cyclist who injures a pedestrian or otherwise acts irresponsibly. But I've lived here almost 30 years and can recall no case where a cyclist seriouslyninjured a pedestrian (e.g., sent the pedestrian to the hospital) - can you? You have cited the case where a cyclist killed a pedestrian in New York's Central Park. I would thought appropriate to charge the cyclist with negligent homicide. But in the vast majority of cases, a cyclist only jeopardizes him or herself when running a red light. The same is not true for a driver.

I for one should like to see every adult cyclist who rides on the sidewalk get a $175 fine every time. Exactly how is it objectionable to fine motorists for striking a pedestrian in a cross walk? Insurance for bikes? No, and no to insurance for walkers for the same reason. I'm not the only one who can cut and paste quote: watch this, "Already this spring Whalley has seen at least four or five collisions between cars and either pedestrians or cyclists, said top Edgewood cop Lt. Makiem Miller…. "cars are going through red lights." Miller said his cops plan to crack down on the problem through the summer."

BRADLEY,

As I've previously written in this forum, I really don't want to be the person who runs into and seriously harms or kills a cyclist who blows a red light. Although liability is an issue, a bigger issue for me is my conscience; whether or not I have the right of way I'd regret this kind of incident for the rest of my life.

PS

I agree with the idea that an irresponsibly driven motor vehicle is far more dangerous than an irresponsibly ridden bicycle. That's why I think drivers test in CT should be 10X as hard as they are now with instant fail questions (no redo for 6-12 months) regarding right of way at lights, crosswalks, etc.

Cyclist compliance is the issue in this case - and many - yet NHI tries to divert the focus by including a quote about motor vehicle compliance, showing a long-standing bias about this topic. Just last week, a young woman on a bike almost became a statistic when she zoomed through two red lights on Orange Street downtown, almost colliding with my vehicle the second time. It is an illness that, along with the lack of helmets and proper lighting at nights, must be cured for a generation of 20-somethings that seem far more interested in style than personal safety and responsible use of the road.

@HHE If you say no insurance,Then who pays my hospital Bill if I am hit by the cyclist or the cyclist does damage to my vehicle? In fact I had a cyclist do damage to my vehicle and had to pay out on my pocket.Also cyclist should be charge under the The Vulnerable User Law if at fault.

@Bradley You say But I've lived here almost 30 years and can recall no case where a cyclist seriouslyninjured a pedestrian (e.g., sent the pedestrian to the hospital) - can you? There is always the first time.


My bad I forgot.Do cyclist come under the texting laws.

Robn, I entirely agree with you. A cyclist who runs a red light with traffic approaching is acting irresponsibly.

Ok. Who else showed up just to watch 3/5 lose his cool <i>*raised hand</i>

posted by: HewNaven on May 11, 2015 1:19pm

Ok. Who else showed up just to watch 3/5 lose his cool *raised hand

Are you saying that cyclist are above the law.

Hey HewNaven, watch this…

Bicycles are cool.

Unions can be problematic.

Not all politicians are liars, and not all black politicians are sellouts.

<i>Are you saying that cyclist are above the law.</i>

Yes, precisely. when I say, "Ok. Who else showed up just to watch 3/5 lose his cool," I fully expected you to say something like that! :)

<i>Hey HewNaven, watch this…

Bicycles are cool.

Unions can be problematic.

Not all politicians are liars, and not all black politicians are sellouts.</i>

Hhe,

Are you trying to start a riot? Be careful with such bold statements!

"Cyclist compliance is the issue in this case - and many - yet NHI tries to divert the focus by including a quote about motor vehicle compliance, showing a long-standing bias about this topic. "

I'm not sure how reporting what the Lieutenant said indicates a bias on the part of the <i>NHI</i>. The real bias, long-standing and well-documented, is on the part of the police, courts, and media in favor of motorists who injure or kill more vulnerable users.

Threefifths,

Insurance is based on the likelihood and severity of potential harm. Motorists have a much greater likelihood of causing much greater harm to each other and to more vulnerable users. That's why there are extra regulations imposed on people when they operate motor vehicles and extra financial burdens in the form of insurance, registration, and so on. If the facts of your crash are as clear as you say they are, it seems that you would have been will within your rights to bring a suit against the person on a bike who damaged your car and let the court sort it out. I believe insurance companies sometimes attempt to recover those costs, if they pay out under an uninsured motorist or comprehensive policy. Whether the rider had insurance or not has no bearing on whether a court would order him to pay damages should he be found negligent.

Did Lt. Miller, miss the part where this cyclist ran the red light? Maybe the better statement would be "everyone is running red lights".

If we look at what the NHI reported the police as saying, we have 1) "the cyclist, … ran a red light" 2) "People are not crossing at the right time," 3) "cars are going through red lights." So how Nathan gets to, "yet NHI tries to divert the focus by including a quote about motor vehicle compliance, showing a long-standing bias about this topic." Is beyond me.

Wikus van de Merwe, the statement "everyone is running red lights." Is a universal, and thus is demonstrably false if even just one person does not run red lights. I opine that people running red lights is a serious problem in New Haven, as Whalley Ave alone has seen "at least four or five collisions between cars and either pedestrians or cyclists" this spring, and when I say "people," I mean drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians – in order of the relative threat they pose to others.

C'mon everyone. There's only about 3 people who can't differentiate between cars running ted lights vs. bikes. Just ignore the trolls!

If only I could, HewNaven, if only I could. Just call me HhE The Troll Hunter, "Aye, there be good hunting in the NHI."

Imagine the trolling if someone rode their bike through a red light to protest police brutality!

@ HewNaven You need to read the post.Cyclist compliance is the issue in this case.In fact Cyclist come under the Traffic laws.

Connecticut Bicycle Laws:
Bicyclist's Status
–
Traffic laws apply to persons riding bicycles. Bicyclists riding
on a highway are granted all of the rights and are subject to all of the duties
applicable to the driver of a vehicle, with certain exceptions. (14-286a

Bottom line if the run Red Lights like cars they should be give a ticket.Do you have a problem with equal enforcement of the law? The same thing for pedestrians who jay walk,Give them a ticket.


posted by: William Kurtz on May 12, 2015 10:56am

Insurance is based on the likelihood and severity of potential harm.

Correct and that is why Bicyclists should have Insurance.


Whether the rider had insurance or not has no bearing on whether a court would order him to pay damages should he be found negligent.

And I found out it would cost money out of my pocket to go after him which I did and this is why I had to pay for my own damages.


posted by: HewNaven on May 12, 2015 12:49pm

C'mon everyone. There's only about 3 people who can't differentiate between cars running ted lights vs. bikes. Just ignore the trolls!

Are you saying it is alright for bicyclists and pedestrians to break the law?

I hope this is next here in this state.


Texting while walking -- it's a killer


More pedestrians are getting killed and hurt now than 10 and 20 years ago.

In Los Angeles, nearly half of all car-related deaths now are pedestrians. (Yes, we have them here, as the Venice tragedy reminded us.)

http://articles.latimes.com/2013/aug/06/news/la-ol-texting-while-walking-its-a-killer-20130806

CUNNINGHAM,

Only if that red light you roll though is a price scanner at a grocery store you just looted.

@robn

Case in point.

C,

Truthiness hurts.

Less Fox and RT, more BBC.