More from the Wall Street Journal online by Jennifer Weiss:

http://blogs.wsj.com/metropolis/2013/ ... led-in-hit-and-run-crash/

So sad for this victim and her family. Slow down people and obey the rules of the road. Saving 5 minutes is not worth someones life.

Driver found and charged:

http://www.nj.com/hudson/index.ssf/20 ... .it&utm_medium=twitter#/1

This is super sad - I've been to the Kraverie several times and she was always very nice.

So young.

So wrong!!!

Sadly, I have been purposely threatened by drivers while riding around JC on many occasions. For some reason, some drivers absolutely abhor cyclists, and operate under the misconception that we are somehow violating the law by (lawfully) riding on the streets.

During one such incident, as I was riding West on Grand, right before the Jersey Avenue intersection, a driver decided to pass me within inches (no more than 3 to 6 inches) and rolled down his window and told me to "get the f#@& off the street". Sadly, that has happened enough times that I no longer choose to "share" the lane. As many cycling advocates suggest, I now take over the entire lane. At least this way, drivers are forced to switch lanes in order to go around me (unless, of course, they feel like mowing me down.) While "sharing" the lane is the nice thing to do, it also makes it too tempting for aggressive drivers to attempt unsafe passing.

I really, truly hope they find the person who killed Natasha.

This is horrendous drivers in cars free to go as they please. The hit & run mentality is the new way to commit murder. Is there really any way to track down this driver ? I hope she did have a helmet on because when they determine the cause of death they may also try to determine if a helmet was worn. There is a long list of different types of enforcement that the public is looking for out there and the police force cannot be everywhere. Sadly riding a bike for commuting purposes in large cities is dangerous even when you are doing what's right.

I met her a couple times and thought she was a very nice person. So sad.

absolutely horrible story and completely predictable given the maniac driver culture that has been allowed to go unchecked in Jersey City. How many more lives will JC's busy streets claim before the city steps up and implements real traffic calming measures???

What did JC do after that awful crash near Taqueria? They put up that insulting you are driving XX MPH contraption for a month or so.

My thoughts are with her family...

Cars are always blazing by on Grand Street near the public school/hospital. I see this every morning. They need to increase police presence and enforce speed limits. So bloody dangerous. The only police presence i see are near the projects on Montgomery near Merseles trying to catch people who make illegal turns. They should be catching those who are speeding.

Such a lovely friendly lady.

Rest in peace,
Robin.

The article doesn't mention if she was or wasn't, but please, if you're going to ride a bike, WEAR A HELMET! The link to her memorial site mentions that she died of traumatic brain damage.

While biking, I was hit by a car when I was 13 - and suffered a skull fracture. I wasn't wearing a helmet, but thank God I didn't end up with any permanent damage.

Heck, the New York City DOT GIVES them away - there's no excuse!

http://www.nyc.gov/portal/site/nycgov/index.jsp

Friends of Natasha,

This is just so sad - such a beautiful woman. I know a memorial fundraiser has been established, but if anyone can reach out to her widower, please let him know that New Jersey has a special program in place to help the surviving family members of violent crime. Hit and run is included in this category.

They can help with the following:

Benefits Provided
? $25,000 Maximum

Mental Health Counseling
? Homicide Survivor- $12,500
? Injured Victim- $12,500
? Secondary Victim(s)- $7,000
? Group Counseling- $50 a Session Per Victim

Medical Bills
?Medical Bills not Covered by Other Sources
?Chiropractic/Physical Therapy
?Medical Supplies and/or Other Prescription Drugs
?Medical Related Transportation

Loss of Earnings or Financial Support
? Maximum Amount-$600/Week
? Loss of Support- 48 Months
? Loss of Earnings- Direct Victim-104 Weeks
? Permanent Disability- Direct Victim-60 Months
? Loss of Earnings- Secondary Victim-$7,000 to Care for
Primary Victim

Others
? Funeral Cost-$5000
?Transportation to Funeral-200/Person or $1,000 Total
?Relocation Expenses- $2,500
?Domestic Help- $6,500 Total
?Child Care/Day Care Services- $6,500
?Victims? Rights Attorney Fees (Criminal Matter)- $125/Hr with a $1,000 Maximum
? Attorney Fees for Representing Victims in VCCO Claim
(Up to 15% of the Award)

This is a free service offered by the NJ Victims Compensation Board. To apply:

What You Need to File
? Completed VCCO Application
http://www.nj.gov/oag/njvictims/application.html

?Police Report
?Copies of Bills and Receipts of all Related Losses
?Documentation

Time Requirements
?Report Crime to Police within 9 Months
?File Claim Application with VCCO within 3 Years

For more information:
http://www.nj.gov/oag/njvictims/benefits.html

My condolences and prayers to the family. I hope they catch the coward that ran away and took this vibrant woman's life way too soon.

This is horrible and beyond sad. I hope the police step up their efforts to catch the driver - and charge her with vehicular homicide.

Oh god that's tragic.

I'm saddened to learn that the victim of this hit and run was the woman who I knew for years working the Lucinda Creperie truck. Saddned further to learn that she was disconnected from life support by her family earlier this week.

RIP Natasha.

Natasha's Memorial Fund

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Very true and I apologize for not being a bigger person and ignoring those remarks.

Any word of the cyclist? I couldn't find anything.

How fast this degrades to the lowest common denominator complaint. C'mon JC list, get outside and enjoy the sunshine. I hope the cyclists family doesn't read JC list and I wish her a speedy recovery and hope they catch the irresponsible driver. Perhaps we can save the debate on bikers on sidewalks for another whiny thread and keep this one supporting the cyclist hit by a car.

It is amazing that you chose to concentrate on THAT part of my post. You say things (not just in this thread) without knowing the full context. I see no need to justify my actions to you or anyone, but since others have seen fit to comment on this, I will explain. In any event, I value my life more than getting scolded on jclist. It was only after several years that I decided on the sidewalk route and ONLY on Pacific and Grand near the Pacific/Grand intersection. It has to be one of the most dangerous areas in the city for riding a bike. Drivers speed and go through lights and the cops do little to enforce the law until there is a serious accident, and then the law seems to be enforced for a short period. There are few and often no pedestrians on the walk and I am very cautious. I obey the traffic laws everywhere else. However, if I see grovepath waddling along, I may become reckless, haha.

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Thanks Bike_Lane. It is only a matter of time untill we are reading an article about a poor pedestrian with bad head injuries -- I hope the police crack down on all bikes on sidewalks soon!

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I hope police talk to all the bars there -- the hit and run driver might have been a happy hour drunk. There are 2 or 3 bars right around there that she could have been leaving.

There are a number a mishaps that are not reported because it doesn't lead to anything serious like the accident in the paper. I wish the driver a speed recovery, but it doesn't change my mind about the narrow streets. The right on red law has made drivers in NJ more aggressive, but I have encountered some very aggressive bikers.

Cars, trucks, buses, motorbikes, horse drawn carts, horses and even bicycles are deemed to be a vehicle by legislation and must travel on the road - The only exemption is for minors on bikes that can cycle on the sidewalk.

This said, the motorists in general using JC roads as relatively good drivers, unfortunately we have a greater % of knuckle-heads then most and it reflects on how much we pay for car insurance - Your zipcode does have a huge bearing on how much we pay

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You don't see many of those about, it's only a matter of time before they catch this stupid woman.

Yvonne, not every street needs to have a dedicated bike lane. On some of the narrower streets, a simple "sharrow" can encourage motorized traffic to tend toward the left side of the lane and convey the idea that the limited street space is to be shared.

http://streetswiki.wikispaces.com/Sharrow

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I saw a kid riding a bike 15 mph on the sidewalk on Newark Ave try to screech to a halt before hitting a pedestrian right in front of the Downtown News Stand earlier today. Fortunately he was able to slow down enough that he didn't hit the pedestrian very hard and nobody was hurt. I'm not bringing this up to play blame-the-cyclist, but to point out that the "bikes should ride on the sidewalks" line doesn't make sense. Bikes moving at 15-25 mph don't mix with sidewalks full of pedestrians, children, dog poo, etc.

I've been riding my bike in Jersey City for 8 years. The problem isn't narrow streets (most traffic lanes in JC are 10-12 feet wide, and most cars are 6 feet wide). There's enough room to share the road on most streets in the city. And where there isn't, that's cause for patience and passing the cyclist at the first safe opportunity, not for running the cyclist over. The biggest problems are:

(1) too many aggressive drivers who try to "challenge," intimidate, or play chicken with cyclists;
(1-B) too many drivers who think bikes don't belong on the streets (do they have drivers ed anymore?), so they try to "send a message" by cutting cyclists off or making some other aggressive move;
(2) too many drivers who simply don't pay attention to what they're doing while operating a car; and
(3) too many cyclists who don't follow the rules of the road, running red lights, blowing through stop signs, going the wrong way on one-way streets, weaving from street to sidewalk and back again, being unpredictable and unsafe. Cyclists can't expect drivers to obey the rules and share the road if cyclists won't do the same.

I've been cycling in many parts of the country, and Hudson County, NJ is the most frightening place I've encountered, and it's entirely because of driver attitudes. I've never experienced the "I'm going to lay on my horn and then swerve to pin you against the parked cars" types of road rage encounters I've had with automobile drivers in JC, Hoboken, Union City, etc. anywhere else. It's one thing to not like cyclists, or to hold a belief that they don't belong on the streets, but Hudson County is the only place (I've been) where it seems some people will take actions to try to harm or kill you.

Hope they check Surf City or The Kilt... both places were very busy was Thursday night

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It was reported almost a year and a half ago that Jersey City plans on implementing 54 miles of bike lanes throughout the city. Again, that was a year and a half ago, so who knows what's the real deal. I would also like to see some bike lanes, but who knows when that's going to happen....probably about the same time the Port Authority decides it's time to open a bike lane through the Holland Tunnel.

I'm surprised that this has this thread has so many complaints about bikes on sidewalks when the OP was posting about a cyclist in the street that was the victim of a hit and run and possibly in critical condition. Maybe we should focus on the problem of hit and run and save the cyclist vilification for another thread.
The streets being unfriendly to the cyclist is the real problem. I would love to ride a bike to Liberty state park with my 10 month old but the ride there is way too crazy. Can't use a child seat and wouldn't think to use a child trailer being so wide in these streets.
Some bike lanes would be great Fulop! More importantly some enforcement!

I have said many times, our streets are too narrow to have both bikes and cars navigate safely. We compared ourselves to NY and other major cities but NY streets, with the exception of the Village, have wide streets. Let's be honest, there are too many cars on our narrow streets then there are plans to add more large developments which brings more car traffic. While I recognize the value of bike riding, it will just lead to more accidents. I also doesn't help the state of NJ has the "right on red law." I have also witnessed bikers bumping into pedestrians on more than one occasion.

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That's a first...