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July 13, 2007
The Sanctity of Bike Lanes?
This police van's complete disregard for the bicycle lane on Ashland Place last week got us wondering about what the law says about the sanctity of bike lanes. Anyone know?
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All I know is that it seems to be another (brilliant) way the Bloomberg adminstration figured out how get out of an unofficial community/government solution & make more money simultaneously. Despite years of tolerating double-parking during alternate side periods, the new lanes now give Traffic Officers the empowerment to write $115 tickets when the double-parking is on the bike lane side. I know, I know, cars are evil. I'll start walking to Fairway now. I'll be there on tomorrow.
Posted by: anonymous at July 13, 2007 10:45 AM
I really wish this city would build bike lanes like Amsterdam & Copenhagen. The painted lanes are a joke and cars ignore them when the police don't enforce them. If there were separate bike lanes with a curb to designate the separation cars wouldn't enter and far more people would bike in the city.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 10:46 AM
I was given a $65 dollar ticket this spring for being a fraction of an inch over the white line demarcating the bicycle lane on 2rd street between 7th and 8th Avenue in Park Slope.
Yes, I was in the wrong, but it was almost impossible to unload my baby from his car seat (on the other side of the car) without getting sideswiped by an oncoming car (I've got a van). That street is narrow!
I suppose I've just set off a new flurry of posts slamming moms with kids driving big vehicles. That said, I've got four kids...
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 10:48 AM
Actually it was a $115 ticket, come to think of it!
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 10:49 AM
It's a police car. 'Nuff said. They can park anywhere--who will write them a ticket?
Posted by: Emily at July 13, 2007 10:50 AM
Here is a slide show of probably like one half of a percent of the bike lane violations that go on in NYC on an hourly basis.
http://www.villagevoice.com/gallery/0722,22conaway,76763,3.html?pic=6&total=21
As an avid cyclist, I think bike lanes generally provide a false sense of safety (as evidenced by the fact that everyone double parks in them which forces cyclists out into oncoming traffic sometimes with very little time to react).
Of course, living in the most self-centered city in the world, it's not surprising in the least that most people feel that they can do anything they like in the bike lanes.
And for some mind-boggling reason, people think congestion pricing is a bad idea. An attack on the poor and middle-class? Where are these people parking everyday if they drive in? Are they spending $500 a month on a garage? Cause if they are, they're not poor.
No, better to have clogged, noisy, unsafe streets that are an attack on everyone.
Umm... yeah... I'm going to go back to work now.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:04 AM
10:45 -- Oh, waah! Somebody call the waaahmbulance! Dude, you don't need to double-park to drive to Fairway.
10:48 -- I've got kids and a car too. Here's a couple crazy ideas I've tried myself. (1) Double-park on the other side of the street; (2) wait to unload the baby until there's no traffic coming.
It's amazing how people consider avoiding a slight inconvenience to be an absolute need.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:06 AM
here's the kicker: bloomberg era cops have been known to ticket bikers who don't use bike lanes when they exist. have a friend who got one of these and tried to fight it, arguing that he couldn't use bike lane because it was blocked by a police car or by a mommy and her van or whatever. no dice.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:07 AM
I got a $60 ticket for not riding my bike in the bike lane on 6th. The reason I wasn't riding in the bike lane is because every block had multiple trucks, buses, cops and taxis stopped and/or parked in the bike lane. I went to traffic court and the magistrate was totally disinterested in the fact that there were obstructions in the bike line. The law says I have to ride in the bike lane, period. I commute to work on bike and can never stay in the bike lane much time, because it's ALWAYS blocked. It's ridiculous.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:10 AM
10:48/9a -- Ever hear of parking the van and busting out the stroller? God forbid Park Slope driver mommies have to walk around the corner.
With four kids, no one's old enough to help out? Wouldn't have lasted too long on the farm or the frontier. . .
Posted by: JM at July 13, 2007 11:14 AM
As much as I like this blog, I hate the creepy, judgemental, antagonistic posting like JM's above. For goodness sake, you don't know this person. Don't be a jerk!
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:18 AM
I too am a cyclist who uses the bike lanes when they are there and not when they aren't. When there is a bike lane, it's a joke (mostly) as delivery trucks, double parked cars, etc, will be in it anyway. (Bring on the Euro style lanes!)
People like to claim how New York is not as car centric as LA or other big cities. I don't buy it anymore (I used to be one who claimed that). Hit the streets one day on a bike and see how completely car centric this city is. People will hop in the car to run some errand that is blocks away or even a mile or two. Anybody in reasonable shape can get on a bike to commute almost anywhere in this city. Most parts of B'stone Brooklyn is a very easy to ride to Manhattan. And there is almost no excuse for people living in Manhattan not to cycle everywhere. People will hop on the subway to go twenty blocks...give me a break. Lazy people all around.
Posted by: glf at July 13, 2007 11:30 AM
Cars double park in all lanes. And cops, anyone with DOB handicap cards, Official license plates, tons of people with city parking permits, MDs(on official call, yeah when was last time they ever made house call) , etc park pretty wherever they like...even on sidewalks.
Why do you think bike lanes would be exception?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 11:31 AM
People... I said I was in the wrong! You morons...
I was parking for two hours, and busting out the stroller AND only a centimeter over the white line! Didn't even realize. I was trying to obey the law!
I have a van because I have a large family. I only had the baby with me.
And I don't live in the Slope!
God, I was commenting on this thread in a lighthearted fashion, even though I've been ticketed by a perhaps overzealous traffic cop...
Wow, 11:06 You've really got it together. Got all the answers.
Pity your poor kids. You sound like joyless scold. A real old-fashioned ball baster pain in the ass.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 12:01 PM
Obviously a police vehicle can park illegally, whether its in an expired meter, a fire hydrant, or a bike lane. This fact speaks not at all to the issue of bike lanes.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 12:04 PM
Fear of death is a pretty good excuse not to ride in Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, I think everyone should cycle as much as possible, but the number of people I've seen get mauled (including myself) by careless drivers gives me some pause about chastizing those who don't bike. Brooklyn's slightly better, but I've been hit here too. Separate bike paths would be a dream come true, but whose brownstones are we going to tear down to make the lanes wider?
Posted by: Cautious in Clinton Hill at July 13, 2007 12:13 PM
everyone knows cyclists are devil spawn sent to destroy the core values of democracy.
park away!
Posted by: avid cyclist at July 13, 2007 12:46 PM
11:30 -- wouldn't you rather people take the subway than get in a car? I'm not sure I understand your last two lines.
Since I hate the car, I love this city, but I would never ride a bike -- way too scary. I cringe in fear at the sight of bikers weaving in and out of traffic, and glare at any biker on the sidewalk (except little kids). On Brian Lehrer a few weeks ago, I heard the idea of a bike lane sandwiched between a parking lane and the sidewalk. But that doesn't seem like a viable solution based on the Village Voice slide show. What can we DO???? Is it selfishness? Is it laziness? Would enforcement help? Or new regulations?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 12:48 PM
12:13 -- 725 cyclists died in the entire US in 2004 (sorry, old stat). That same year, 42,636 people died in car accidents. And the number of deaths per million cyclists are significantly lower than deaths per million drivers. It's much safer to ride a bike.
The way to make cycling work is for more people to get over it and start riding. You certainly aren't going to solve the problem by driving eveywhere because you're too scared to cycle! If everyone (or at least more people) got on their bikes, this would be a safer feeling city to ride in. It's a team effort.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 1:18 PM
Ridiculous post. I choose not to "cycle." Whatever.
As to a police car parking in a bike lane or parking anywhere illegally for that matter, this has nothing to do with the law or "sanctity" of bike lanes. Police cars can park illegally.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 1:30 PM
^^^ Correct 1:18
Posted by: glf at July 13, 2007 1:33 PM
Great point Anonymous 1:18pm. I'm such a scardy cat. But I've been wanting to bike in Brooklyn. I just might do that. I'll conquer my fear for the betterment of humankind and the environment! (And to think I was online looking for a used car!!!) Thanks.
Posted by: AnonymouslyMe at July 13, 2007 1:37 PM
1:18 -- Ridiculous (but typical) attitude.
You choose not to ride a bike. Does that mean you choose to drive a car? E.G. contribute to the problem? If you're in New York city, there's almost no excuse for using a car for commuter purposes. The city has amazing public transit. It's good enough for the mayor, even.
Anger at bicycles is a pretty dumb way to deal with global warming, congestion, traffic deaths, oil wars, fun stuff like that.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 1:41 PM
Oops. That comment was supposed to be addressed to 1:30. Not 1:18.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 1:43 PM
Just as an aside - always - ALWAYS look behind you before opening your car door or your cab door. I've been "doored" in Manhattan, as I know most cyclists have. When I found myself pinned under the back door of a taxi with my bike on top of me and unable to move, I heard the guy who "doored" me say "She needs to look where she's going!" Thank God I was wearing my helmet(as always) and my broken finger has healed by now.
Posted by: Bike Lover at July 13, 2007 1:49 PM
It would be nice if bicycles obeyed the traffic laws, stopped at lights, didn't go the wrong way on one way streets, didn't ride on sidewalks, and showed some respect for the others using the roads. I was driving a Zip Car on a Brooklyn street behind two bikers who refused to ride one behind the other. Apparently they just had to talk to each other as they road slowly up the steep hill.
I will start respecting bikers when they start respecting other drivers and pedestrians.
And don't get me started on the police in NYC breaking the law. How many times do they turn on their lights simply to turn left at a light because they don't feel like waiting. Just walk down Smith past the detention center and look at all the cars parked illegally on the sidewalk. The police here thing we have to respect them because they are police no matter what they do. They do nothing to earn that respect.
Posted by: honus at July 13, 2007 1:50 PM
honus -- And there are a thousand bikers out there saying that they'll start following laws when all cars start staying out of bike lanes, start yielding legally for turns, etc....
Typical NYC attitude. I get to be the last one in the world to stop being an asshole--everyone else has to stop being an asshole first.
And in the meantime, you're the one driving the vehicle that can kill the person riding the other vehicle. How convenient for you.
Posted by: Biker and Driver at July 13, 2007 2:01 PM
Just because I don't respect them doesn't mean I'm going to drive like an idiot and kill them. And it doesn't mean I drive like an asshole. Who was being an asshole when I was trying to drive on a two lane road and couldn't because the bikers refused to make room for cars? Car drivers had a choice, go slowly up the hill at the speed of two bikers who simply refused to ride single file or cross a yellow line and try to speed around them in between on coming cars. That is how bikers kill people.
It does mean that I don't buy their rhetoric when they complain about how bad they have it.
They make it worse for themselves. It isn't always the car driver's fault when something happens, no matter whose vehicle can kill the other one. If a biker runs a red light and gets hit by a car it is the biker's fault.
Bikers can kill people in cars by causing accidents with their ridiculous behavior. They can injure (and perhaps kill) pedestrians by running into them. I've been nearly hit by bikes trying to cross the street when the biker decides he doesn't have to follow the low and stop at red lights (and WAIT UNTIL THEY TURN GREEN).
Your attitude is a typical NYC attitude. Nearly all of the bikers here are self-righteous pricks who think because they aren't driving cars and because cars are bigger that they are entitled to do as they please and everyone else must watch out for them.
Posted by: honus at July 13, 2007 2:23 PM
I wish cyclists could simply email cell-phone photos of cars parked in bicycle lanes with additional identifying information, resulting in a ticket to the person violating the lane.
Posted by: Adrian Lesher at July 13, 2007 2:33 PM
Honus -- is there a law requiring cyclists to yield to faster moving cars or ride in single file? You're so indignant about that, it's almost comical.
As a cyclist, it's amusing to see cars cross, illegally, the yellow line to pass me, revving their engines and racing ahead so they can stop at the red light with a squeal. Then watch as the pokey cyclist goes right by.
On the topic of pedestrians, are you kidding? Try riding your bike down Broadway through Times Square or below 34th street. See how many pedestrians observe the "Walk/Don't Walk" signs. It's extremely hazardous and NOT the cyclists' fault. I've had pedestrians walk backwards into me as I'm riding and knock me over, then scream at me like it's my fault. And it always comes with some cursing out of cyclists in general.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 2:40 PM
2:40 I agree that people crossing against the light must watch out for cars AND bikes. But are you denying that cyclists don't ride right through red lights weaving around the pedestrians they notice and hitting those that they don't?
I've never claimed that drivers and pedestrians do no wrong (though I personally, try to be careful about bike lanes and crossing the street when it says Don't Walk). However you seem to be unwilling to admit that there is anything wrong with the behavior of bikers and it is that very attitude that I am complaining about.
You even say "as the pokey cyclist goes right by." Goes right by and does what? Run the red light? The driver wouldn't be stuck at that light if the pokey cyclist hadn't been blocking their way. Bikers want cars to "share the road." You hear it all the time. But bikers are unwilling to do the same. It doesn't matter if it is a law, it is common sense. How can you ask to be treated well by others when you are unwilling to provide them with similar courtesies? It is the attitude of being unwilling to look 1 foot beyond yourself that is the problem with most drivers and bikers. It is that same attitude that leads to the littering and destruction around Brooklyn, the rest of New York, and other cities.
Posted by: honus at July 13, 2007 2:52 PM
anon. 2:40's attitude seems typical of cyclists. You admit to running red lights ("the pokey cyclist goes right by") and then you complain about pedestrians not obeying "walk/don't walk" signs. the fact that you can't see the hypocrisy there speaks volumes.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 2:53 PM
^^^and I'll bet said ped had a cell phone stuck in their ear.
Posted by: glf at July 13, 2007 2:54 PM
Just yesterday biking home I got a "get on the sidewalk where you belong" from a Keyspan driver. I don't do it, but if I were riding on the sidewalk I'd get a "get on the street where you belong"...see, the problem is cyclists are the unwanted step children of NY.
But to defend anonymous above. Bikes are allowed to take the lane (at their own risk) in front of the vehicle, regardless of speed. If bikes share the road, then cars have to wait. But of course, if you're a good cyclist, you'll get ahead of the cars at the light (yes, going thru it. It is the safest way to ride in traffic.. cycling 101: get ahead of the vehicles).
Posted by: glf at July 13, 2007 3:03 PM
12:01 - tha's what's wrong with the stupd minivans when they first came out. They only had a rear passenger on one side as if Chrysler et al had never seen a one way street.
You should really get rid of that 20 year old car (for the safety of your family) and get a newer minivan with doors on both side. You can lease one for $50 a month.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 3:06 PM
Honus: If by "respect" you mean that you don't have to like bikers, fine. I don't care who you like, as long as you respect *the law* and obey it--meaning, among other things, staying out of bike lanes and recognizing that bikes have the same legal right to be on the road that cars do.
Posted by: Biker and Driver at July 13, 2007 3:19 PM
Honus-- Your point is well taken on passing red lights. That's not what I meant to say. I was describing that line of cars waiting at a read light, into which line the driver raced, while the cyclist goes up the right side, past all the waiting cars all the way to the intersection.
Just to add another point about respect: honking. You ever been on a bike and had somebody get up right behind you and honk their horn? It can scare the hell out of you if you weren't expecting it, and I've seen it cause accidents. And you know what a lot of drivers do after scaring the crap out of a cyclist? They laugh.
From a cyclist's point of view, it's the entitlement that drivers seem to feel when behind the wheel. TO go fast. To do what they want. To double park and cross the yellow line. Well guess what? The taxes paid to build that road came out of the cyclist's pocket too. That's what sharing the road is about.
Finally, how amusing that littering makes you mad. How about littering the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and sulfur and the other things that come out of your tailpipe?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 3:39 PM
Bikers are a hazard. One almost ran into my door and arm when I was getting out of my car. Ban bikes on city streets.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 3:39 PM
glf you are an idiot. You are advocating breaking the law. That is why bikers are a menace. You have no idea what they are doing. They don't seem to have any rules. Also learn how to spell.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 3:39 PM
I'd like to start some sort of guerrilla campaign with stickers that read BIKE LANE, that people can slap onto the windows of double parked cars. Like a smaller version of the Sanitation Department stickers they use. Something that isn't permanently harmful, but enough of a pain in the ass to possibly discourage double parking.
Posted by: Dr. Awesome at July 13, 2007 3:40 PM
Great idea Dr Awesome. Like the illegal bike rally, you bikers are not fit to live in a civil society that has laws and enforcement as opposed to taking the law in your own hands. Double parkers get ticketed sometimes. As a private citizen you are not entitled to enforce the law.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 3:57 PM
3:57
Correct, which is why bikers couldn't write tickets and expect payment of a fine. A reminder that someone is parked in the bikelane in the form of a removable sticker seems reasonable.
Do you go crazy on people who post "illegal" notices to lamposts asking people not to let their dogs shit on the sidewalks?
Posted by: Dr. Awesome at July 13, 2007 4:07 PM
3.57 i'd like to slap a sticker over your keyboard
Posted by: avid cyclist at July 13, 2007 4:14 PM
Is it an entirely impossible idea to consider that there are some bikers who follow the laws and some who don't, just as there are some drivers who follow the laws and some who don't, and some pedestrians who follow the laws and some who don't? I've been almost hit by cars and bikes as a pedestrian, almost hit by cars and almost hit pedestrians on a bike, and almost hit bikes and pedestrians in a car. I wasn't really going out of my way to do any of that, but it's crowded out there. Probably enforcing any and all of the rules would help more than any solution we come up with arguing on Brownstoner about whether bikers or drivers or pedestrians deserve the deepest level of hell.
Posted by: justin at July 13, 2007 4:20 PM
I realize there are bikers who follow the laws. But there are bikers who continue to argue that they shouldn't have to follow the law while complaining that others don't.
As to what my tailpipe is littering into the atmosphere, the answer is nothing. I don't own a car. I use a Zip Car sometimes but it isn't even once a month.
Are all the people that want to be able to get people who double park in a bike lane ticketed willing to allow me to get them ticketed every time I see them run a red light or go the wrong way on a one-way street?
Posted by: honus at July 13, 2007 6:26 PM
12:01
I have a 2006 Odyssey. What are you talking about?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 9:13 PM
>>
I can't speak for 'all the people', but I wouldn't mind if bicyclists got more tickets for running red lights+ or and for going the wrong way on a one-way street, if this meant some sturdy metal poles between the bike lanes and car lanes and more ticketing for double parking (which would help me as a driver and a cyclist). The metal poles would need to be bright reflective yellow, so I don't run into them when parking in the rain, but sturdy enough to cause cosmetic damage to a car running into it above 5mph.
+The range of comfortable speeds on a bike is 10-40 mph, this is perfect for catching lights on streets at the lower speeds and catching lights on avenues at the higher speeds. Catching a light on a bicycle means getting there in the middle of the green cycle, at the start and end of the green it is way to dangerous unless you take the lane. This is why you don't see a lot of bikes stopped at red lights.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 13, 2007 10:32 PM
Yeah and I don't see pedestrians jaywalking....crossing against a red light ever.....I always see pedestrians waiting for the green light even when there is no traffic. Pedestrians are always right!
Posted by: Anonymous at July 14, 2007 1:53 AM
And I quote "The police here thing we have to respect them because they are police no matter what they do. They do nothing to earn that respect"
Nothing Huh? I’m not sure of the ignorance behind this statement but as the original post is about bike lanes(and all the dubious illegal parking that comes with it)..this surprise attack on police (and mothers unloading kids) of all people makes me wonder where all this anger is really coming from.
The reason police officers and handicapped individuals have those passes to park, is more so obvious for the handicapped and perhaps not so for the police officers.
Some precincts simply do not have parking lots thus the upwards of a 1000 officers working in larger precincts at any given hour are allotted passes to park in locations usually not legally designated for other vehicles. These officers are allowed to park in no standing, no parking and sometimes yes’ bike lanes(usually within the immediate limits of that precinct). Finding parking can be all but impossible in many communities throughout the boroughs; officers do not have the ability to park somewhere temporarily, double park in front of others or move their vehicles later on, when the majority work miles away from there precincts. It should go without mentioning the absolute need for an officer to keep their vehicle(and personal effects) and themselves safe by parking as close to the precinct as possible. Most of you have probably not thought of the dangers of an officer having themselves and there property targeted by those like 1:50 who have no respect or simply dislike the police. Surely this one block area out of the dozens surrounding it cannot justify such resentment for the police as a whole.
Despite what you have seen, an officers private vehicle must follow certain guidelines when parking at work; those are: to not create a potential hazard, block traffic, fire hydrants(believe it or not) and the like. Unmarked police vehicles(some of which are indistinguishable from ordinary vehicles) may at times block those aforementioned areas at times of necessity. Marked police vehicles again, may at times block the abovementioned areas for various reasons. That said I do not believe these actions are always warranted and there is abuse(as with anything in this world); but I doubt anyone would actually have the audacity to make the statement that the few parking privileges given to officers is not earned nor deserved for those who would serve the city in such a selfless capacity.
I do not imagine that most of us would call 911 and expect the officers who arrive to find suitable parking prior to investigating the call…with the exception of course of, 1:50. So to Mr./Mrs. 1:50: I suggest you pay your tickets, stop illegally parking or sell your car and thank whomever you pray(or not) to everyday, for giving you a comparably safe city with thirty-five thousand or so courageous officers who keep it safe on a daily basis.
Shame on you Mr. Brownstoner, for posting a pic of a marked police vehicle stopped on a bike lane. Do you know why or even suggest what that vehicle is doing there? Are the police in a local subway, building or other wise doing there job, stopping a crime, writing a ticket or god forbid grabbing a meal. The implications of the picture go without saying and thus only further incite animosity for those who enforce the law. Surely you could have found a pic(as the Villagevoice did) of any number of other items, people or vehicles blocking a bike lane. Shame shame shame… But I WILL keep coming back…
Posted by: Nothign Huh? at July 14, 2007 4:36 AM
Completely, 100%, agree with Nothing Huh. This post perfectly personifies the attitudes of Brooklynites. I think "entitlement" is the (unfortunate) word of the day.
Posted by: Matt at July 14, 2007 9:54 AM
"Bikers are a hazard. One almost ran into my door and arm when I was getting out of my car. Ban bikes on city streets."
i'm going to assume this is a joke.
here's the thing folks. this is nyc. the streets are chaos, and without something like congestion pricing, they aren't greatly going to improve any time soon so you have two choices. everyone can quit acting like entitled jerks who expect everyone to bow down to them on the streets (cars, peds, and cyclists alike) or we can all just embrace the chaos and quit complaining. as a cyclist i get through the day happily by not really caring too much about cars in the bike lane, cars turning into me, or peds walking in front of me. because no one else cares about it, i feel that i'm in charge of my own safety and that means doing whatever i need to survive. as a trade off, i get to run all of the red lights i want without feeling bad (i don't ride the wrong way or on sidewalks).
the first people to complain about cyclists running reds or riding recklessly are also the folks who step off of sidewalks against the light with their heads down or open car doors without checking for cyclists coming up behind them. you don't care bout me, i don't care about you.
Posted by: evan at July 14, 2007 11:43 AM
As someone who uses cycling as my only means of transportation. I run red lights out of safety,regularly turning cars have tried to cut me off as soon as the green light goes and others do not realize you are there unless you are visibly ahead of them. I rarely use bike lanes when they are available because most are pot hole ridden and exactly the length of a car door. When cars are parked exactly an inch over the white line it gets dangerous in there. I always take a lane, which forces drivers to slow down and go around me and on most days I have a righteous driver tell me to get off the road. That said some fellow cyclists do go out of their way to break laws and ride recklessly and they run the risk of getting ticketed just as drivers who exhibit similar behaviors. It is my opinion that cyclists will start obeying the laws when real steps are made to make our commutes safer.
Posted by: Jacob at July 14, 2007 3:13 PM
Motorists and public transport users:
Every time someone rides a bike instead of another alternative, they are increasing your quality of life and saving you money.
1) by staying healthier, freeing up space for you in health systems, reducing your private insurance premiums and medicare costs.
2) reducing noise in our city
3) freeing up space for you on overcrowed public transport, delaying the need for expensive upgrades in capacity
4) reducing pollution in the air you breathe and creating fewer particulates, making you healthier; reducing carbon emissions whether via gasoline or coal-fired power, reducing demand and
lowering your gasoline and electricity bills.
5) taking less space on the road giving you more room to drive in, saving you time, and reducing wear and tear, lowering your taxes.
In some advanced countries, 25% of all trips are made by bicycle; imagine how much your health and quality of life
would improve and how much money you would save if that happened here. Please, even if you would never dream of
riding a bike in the city, support any measure that encourages others to do so. Specifically, the provision of a European-style separate third network for bicycles (+ skateboards, rollerblades, wheelchairs, scooters, etc.) that is separated from cars and pedestrians by a curb on all major streets, with its own traffic signals, so that 2-wheeled transport stays out of your way. It is very much in your self-interest to support this.
Posted by: doctorj at July 14, 2007 5:54 PM
Jacob, I see: you are allowed to break the law because you think you are right, but motorists are not allowed to break the law because you think they are wrong. It must be nice to be above the law like that. Perhaps you should run for President?
Posted by: Anonymous at July 15, 2007 10:17 AM
I just crossed Henry Street. Two bikers were going the wrong way down the cross street and one biker slowed down and then ran a red light. Typical. Bikers disobey the laws fraglantly. Whoever says this is the exception is dreaming.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 15, 2007 10:22 AM
http://www.iparkedinabikelane.org/
Posted by: enid at July 15, 2007 10:36 AM
"Bikers disobey the laws fraglantly."
as do cars and pedestrians. what's your point? it's weird to me that bikers are held to some weird double standard. when cars break the law people seem to just kinda shurg and accept it. "whatcha gonna do?" when pedestrians break the law people just shrug and say "ahhh, it isn't hurting anyone." when bikes break the law people have a hissy fit. when you were on your walk that crossed henry st did you count how many cars you saw parked or driving in a bike lane? turn without a blinker? open their car doors without checking? were double parked? speeding? did you count how many pedestrians jay walked? how many pedestrians were walking in the street?
yes, cyclists break laws. so do pedestrians and so do cars. hold everyone to the same standard or quit complaining.
Posted by: evan at July 15, 2007 12:36 PM
evan you are wrong as can be. when a car runs a light they get a ticket. usually an automatic ticket in the mail. i have never seen a car run a red light on henry street. i have never seen a bike stop for a light on henry street. bikes never get tickets. cars always do.
and no one threw a hissy fit whatever that is when the bikes disobeyed the law. not sure what you are talking about. there is no double standard, maybe in your mind.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 15, 2007 12:57 PM
12:57 -
I know countless people who have been given tickets in NYC for bicycle related traffic violations such as running red lights and riding on the side walk. I was given a ticket for running a red. How many cyclists do you know and regularly speak to about such topics?
Yes, many cyclists do these things without being ticketed, just as many people run red lights in cars, speed, double park, etc. without being ticketed. There less than two hundred traffic cameras that ticket people in NYC for running red lights... no where near enough to ticket everyone who does so. Again, you're seeing what you want to see and believing what fits your own views. I lived on Clinton st in Carroll Gardens for two years and walked/road down Henry, Clinton, Court, and Smith countless times. It's ludicrous that you claim that no one runs red lights on Henry as I've witnessed it. I also witnessed countless people parked in the bike lane on Clinton, double parked, running reds, and speeding on Court.
"bikes never get tickets. cars always do"
Completely absurd. You (and many others) hold double standards based on your narrow views. Again, members of every group break laws. A small fraction of each group is ticketed for it. Quit choosing to focus on one while ignoring or excusing the others, or just accept that everyone is going to break laws and move on.
Posted by: evan at July 15, 2007 2:26 PM
This whole argument is tiresome.
Bikers disobey the law and feel superior about it. Amazing.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 15, 2007 7:10 PM
haha yes. awesome.
Posted by: evan at July 15, 2007 8:45 PM
Bikers rule. The rest of you are fat and overburdening the health care system.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 15, 2007 11:36 PM
The ideal solution should be separate bike paths, as there are in Germany and elsewhere--but pretty much impossible to do in Manhatattan.
--Oh, wait, we have that on the Hudson River Greenway--but this is NY, & despite clear signs stating bikes & roller bladers only (itself a dangerous enough combination) the path fills up with joggers, walkers, stroller moms, and anyone else wanting to enjoy the path. The fact that I'm going close to 30mph on a dedicated bike path does little to stimulate these interloper's sense of self-awarenss or sense of danger. Ditto in Prosepect Park in the mornings when the cars are allowed--the car drivers will practically force you off the road, and the pedestrians and joggers will not constrain themselves to their section of the marked "lanes"--where should I ride?
And don't get me started about the peds on the B'lyn bridge (who I will kindly assume are tourists) who think nothing of wandering over to the other side to have a look right in front of cyclists (or my recent favorite--sitting down in that nice clear section of the boardwalk by one of the towers to rearrange the contents of their backpack, completely out of the line of sight of cyclists coming from the Brooklyn side), again oblivious to the idea that (a) bikes can go pretty fast, and (b) they can't stop in 2 ft or less. I'd like to show you my scars from where a guy hipchecked me into one of the concrete abutments.
Ditto for the jaywalkers on Broadway who will step out when you have a green light and curse when you yell to save your a**.
Ditto on all the "Bike Lanes" that are dug up and badly patched--my personal fave was the three large shallow holes 3rd near Carroll--three appeared one day UNMARKED as hazards & I'm talking 3 ft x 5 ft!!!--two were patched after some days and third stayed unfilled for what seemed like weeks, waiting to catch unwary cyclists.
On 3rd Ave, it's a bit like the old joke: "I love the handicapped--if it weren't for them I'd have no place to park"--if it weren't for the bike lanes the tire repair shops, and delivery guys would be unable to get their day's work done!
I don't condone riding the wrong way on one way streets, running red lights, riding without helmets, etc. But the laws state that I can move as far out into a lane as I deem safe because of hazards, and that overtaking vehicles should not pass in the same lane as I'm in. I don't need honking behind me to tell me where I am in time in space, I will try not to make stupid and sudden manoeuvres, but I also need to keep the rubber side down.
Drivers--check your d**n mirrors before flinging open your doors--Pedestrians--Check to see if that cyclist is about to clip you before you start your jay-walk on the red light--Cylists--just assume that pedestrians and drivers will not see you, and ride like they are all out to get you.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 16, 2007 9:23 AM
"Oh, wait, we have that on the Hudson River Greenway--but this is NY, & despite clear signs stating bikes & roller bladers only (itself a dangerous enough combination) the path fills up with joggers, walkers, stroller moms, and anyone else wanting to enjoy the path."
not to mention that two cyclists were killed by vehicles last year ON THIS GREENWAY.
Posted by: evan at July 16, 2007 11:21 AM
thanks enid!
I was riding along in the bike lane on 5th Ave in park slope when an SUV pulled in front of me and stopped abruptly. i crashed into his bumper, and when he looked out the driver's window and scowled, i reminded him that he is not supposed to be in the bike lane. i said, ver batim "this is the f*cking bike lane. you can't park here." i rode on with a few scratches, but shaky nerves.
a few moment later, i was hit in the back of the head (wearing a helmet, of course) with a glass bottle and swerved into by this same SUV. it threw me off my bike (still in the bike lane) and onto the hood of a correctly parked car. when i stopped to calmly write down his license plate, he got out of the car and ran at me with his club (that heavy steering wheel device.) luckily, i was faster on my bike.
when i reported it to the police, they said i provoked the incident by telling him to get out of the bike lane. they said they could not do anything about it and i should let the police do the policing.
great job, nypd.
oh... and this person lived in my neighborhood... i was afraid to ride my bide around the hood for quite some time. oh yes... i'm 5' 1'' - 105 lb. female. this man was twice my size.
don't blame cars. punish bad drivers.
Posted by: bay ridge jen at July 16, 2007 8:05 PM
honus: you seem to be the definition of a self righteous prick.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 16, 2007 8:15 PM
what a terrible experience 'bay ridge jen'. too bad you can't track him down and destroy his tires. it's the least of what he deserves and more. typical SUV retard.
Posted by: Anonymous at July 16, 2007 8:27 PM
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