Cluster$@#% on Adams Street. Again.
It’s a good thing cops are going out of their way to ticket bicyclists who don’t stay in bike lanes instead of making sure that bike lines—like this one on Adams Street this morning—stay open for bicyclists. Of course, this is not a new problem.
It’s a good thing cops are going out of their way to ticket bicyclists who don’t stay in bike lanes instead of making sure that bike lines—like this one on Adams Street this morning—stay open for bicyclists. Of course, this is not a new problem.
Morralkan –
Yes, I’d say the Adams and Jay street rush hour traffic is pretty hairy.
I’ve gotten a ticket on this street for not riding in the bike lane (I got it at the intersection of Tillary). Another bicyclist actually came up to intervene – pointing at the cars parked in the bike lane (how can you ride in a lane that is blocked?).
I have read the laws, and told the officer that, yes, if a bike lane is provided, I am supposed to ride in it. However, the law states that if the bike lane is blocked or unsafe, I am allowed to ride in the street.
Her response: Take it up with the city.
Which, of course, is not worth the trouble so I just paid the ticket.
I’m guessing there’s a quota the police are trying to hit.
Come on! Is the vehicular traffic on the Brooklyn Heights side streets soooooooo heavy on Sunday mornings that you take your life in your hands by riding in one of the traffic lanes at this time? Is this the only Heights street available to ride on?
GKW,
It’s not righteousness to expect the police to do their job.
NYC isn’t some special place where the the law has any less meaning than any other large city in the country. How about LA? The cops ticket drivers there. Chicago? Ditto. Miami? Yep. San Francisco? Definitely. NYC? Nope, it’s OK to ignore traffic laws and drive like a maniac here. I regularly see drivers run red lights and stop signs, ignore marked lane markings (including bike lanes), drive INSANELY FAST on narrow city streets – and do the cops do anything about it? Of course not.
It also makes no sense that this is the case when the administration is claiming the city is broke and cutting essential services like education, while simultaneously sponsoring nonessential projects and neglecting a major source of revenue which would have the added benefit of improving public safety, traffic flow, and pollution.
Isn’t that available parking on the other side? Something must have been up. Admittedly I don’t ride here. It’s a much better place to die than it is to bike. That path is often marked with piles of flowers left for the dead. Anyone know where the city keeps stats on pedestrian accidents? This would be an interesting street to look at. I’m not sure this design has worked much better than the previous. Seems like people have complained for several years on all sides.
Hey Minard,
There’s this thing called the subway.
BrooklynGreene, I don’t have an issue with anything you said. Cyclists should also not be able to flagrantly disobey the rules of the road.
I have nothing against churchgoers, Minard. I guess what really gets me about the church parking situation is that there is a double annoying whammy…blocked bike lanes AND the sidewalks being blocked and damaged by the cars.
Zinka, EXACTLY!
I think that both the Henry Street situation and the Adams Street scenario reflect the fact that SOME of the bike lane planning was poorly executed. I would offer that planners should have taken into account how commercial buildings without loading docks or access to local parking would received deliveries as well as current usage patterns for street parking before the bike lanes were placed.
Instead you have businesses that encourage the delivery men to park in the bike lanes because there is no alternative local parking or loading and unloading zone for them to use and churches that continue to double park because no local street parking alternatives exist. At the same time, bikers are understandably upset with the lack of respect for lanes which they are entitled access to.
This is neither the fault of the bikers, nor of the businesses or delivery people but it is clear evidence of a lack of thought that went into the placement of some of these lanes. It almost seems as if some lane placements were chosen to create friction between bikers and drivers where none had existed in the past.
What is “Cluster$@#%”?
Anyway, I’ve seen many cyclists on sidewalks lately going full speed or nearly full speed. NOT great!
But I feel bad for them considering many of our streets have been dug up for repaving recently.
I saw a young man with a baby seat on the back going down the sidewalk on Lafayette today (against the direction of traffic). I didn’t really appreciate that one (he could have gone to Fulton or Dekalb frankly) and didn’t appreciate the gal who almost hit me on the sidewalk over the weekend.
I also absolutely detest the behavior of a man who barrels through the redlight at Seven Corners most mornings. He’s often in a professional biker regalia (like it’s the Tour de France—maybe he’s a messenger?) and invariably shoots through the redlight coming down Fulton. He and one of his sidekicks have nearly hit me a number of times as I step out onto the crosswalk when I have the right of way.
It’s very startling, you’re heart is in your throat and then you get really angry watching him continue to fly down Fulton. My daughter’s friends (all women) have been ticketed for going through redlights on very quiet streets on weekend mornings when there is no traffic in any direction. They’re easy prey and learn the hard way since the fines are shockingly high and double on the second occurrence!
I see that churchgoers are getting no slack from this crowd.