Bike Path of Death

Injury, death, mayhem, drama, craven stupidity - that's riding on the Bike Path of Death (BPOD) along the Hudson River.

If aliens want to know how hard it is to take over New York, they should head on down to the Hudson River bike path at 54th Street. They will be  pleased. The stupidity and self annihilation is staggering. To avoid the carnage on 1st Ave, I ride to mid-town from the East Village via the BPOD and turn off at 54th St. In the period between stopping at 54th Street/West Side Hwy, waiting for the lights to change I have seen cyclists run into cyclists, cyclists run into runners, cyclists run into strollers and joggers run into signs (which is just funny). It is a festival of carnage by a bunch of desperados. I know that living in NY can make you crazy, but really...

The thing that really pisses me off is the general, everyday head up the ass stupidity of cyclists on the BPOD...and I ride a bike. Even runners on the BPOD are less random. Some are in the occasional habit of doing a U-turn without looking for traffic which results in spectacular accidents with cyclists (ambulance always required) but at least runners aren't moving quickly and they are sort of softer and squishier when you hit them. Bike riders on the other hand, are not.

Summer is the worst with every triathlete/road racing wanna-be/weekend warrior hammering up and down through the random commuters, joggers and strollers. The danger climbs with the temperature, peaks in July at the NY triathlon and diminishes as the weather gets cooler. After the NY Marathon in November, it's all good. The best time to ride is in the middle of Winter - the only traffic is the restaurant delivery guys and they are friendly, and slow (except when they are riding the wrong way up a one way street, but that is a different matter).

Beware the BPOD. You have been warned.

Update No.1 - riding up the BPOD last week, I saw a runner bolt across the bike path trying to make a light to cross the West Side Hwy. He didn't look left or right which caused the rider he nearly hit, to swerve to his left and nearly run into a women on a bike (with a child in a carrier on the back). She slammed on the brakes and nearly fell off, then gave the other rider a mouthful but ignored the runner.

Who was at fault? The runner was stupid and thoughtless. The bike rider that swerved around him should have been looking for runners etc because random acts of stupidity happen all the time on the BPOD. The women with the child should have maced the runner. It was his fault after all plus she should know better than taking innocent children onto the BPOD which is far more dangerous than the crap shoot that is getting into a NY taxi.

Roll on Winter. The only safe time to be on the BPOD.