By Margaret Gordy

Newsday, February 22, 1986
 

A city bus driver yesterday was suspended without pay and tested foralcohol and drug use after police charged him with hitting a bicycle messengerand leaving the scene of the accident.

Harry Nelson, 42, of Teaneck, N.J. denied hitting the messenger, butpolice said his passengers support the version of events given by the cyclistwho was hit, Lionel Greene, 19, a messenger for World Courier Services.

Nelson, who has been a Transit Authority driver for 16 years  - the last 12 without an accident  -  will remain suspended untilan investigation is completed, said Lee Sandler, TA general manager forManhattan buses.

The incident occurred against a backdrop of ill will between cyclistsin midtown Manhattan and motorists and pedestrians.

"A goodly number of cyclists in the city don't think they have to obeytraffic laws, and that is simply not true," said Larry Reilly,
bicycle coordinator for the city Department of Transportation.

But Robert Lucier, office manager for Cycle Messenger Service, saidbus drivers often pick on bikers, especially messengers. "Here's a guysecure in the driver seat of this big humongous vehicle, and he thinkshe owns the road. If a litte bicycle is in front, he expects it to jumpout of the way, or too bad."

"People can get pretty nasty in traffic, especially the cab drivers.Some of them will actually go after you," said Chamberlain Robinson, whobikes for Cycle Messenger Service.

In 1984, the latest year for which figures are available, 4,112 bikeriders were hit by motorists, 12 of them fatally. Cyclists struck 668 pedestrians,and "at least a half-dozen" were killed by the impact of a bike over thepast five years, Reilly said. [Reilly forgot to say that "at least 1000pedestrians" were killed by the impact of a motor vehicle over the sameperiod. - M] There are 5,000 commercial cyclists in the city.

In the latest incident, police charged Nelson with leaving the sceneof an accident at 1:22 p.m. Thursday after his eastbound M-27 bus struckGreene. A spokesman at New York Hospital said Greene had lost consciousnessbecause of the injury and received six stitches over his right eye. "He'llbe released soon," the spokesman said.
 

Update:

On Feb. 20, a bicycle messenger was injured by a city bus on 50th Streetat Third Avenue in Manhattan. Police alleged that the driver, Harry M.Nelson of Teaneck, N.J., left the scene. Cunningham said disciplinary proceedingswere under way in Nelson's case. The Transit Authority has moved to dismissthe 16-year TA veteran.