Monday Blogwrap
Ban Bikes on Brooklyn Bridge Walkway? [Gothamist] Robicelli’s One Year Anniversary [Eat it] Last Day of the Myrtle Avenue El [CHB] Paving Truck Falls Through Wyckoff Sidewalk [BushwickBK.com] The Job of a Brooklyn Cop [BTB] Play Here. Photo by kizzzbeth from the Brownstoner Flickr Pool.
Ban Bikes on Brooklyn Bridge Walkway? [Gothamist]
Robicelli’s One Year Anniversary [Eat it]
Last Day of the Myrtle Avenue El [CHB]
Paving Truck Falls Through Wyckoff Sidewalk [BushwickBK.com]
The Job of a Brooklyn Cop [BTB]
Play Here. Photo by kizzzbeth from the Brownstoner Flickr Pool.
The problem is that cyclists want to have it both ways. They want to be accorded all the privilages of vehicles but do not want to abey any of the laws of vehicles. They ride the wrong way down one-way and two-way streets, go through lights and other traffic signs, and then go up onto sidewalks or other pedestrain paths when they feel like it.
Does not play well with others…
Also, the bridge is about a mile-and-a-half long. Biking vs. walking — it’s the difference between a crossing time of about 10 minute and a half hour!
So, let’s get back to the purpose of the bridge for a second. We all seem to agree that *cars* have a place on the bridge, right!? Why? Because the bridge was BUILT to bring people and goods across the river.
Bicycles are a standard and necessary form of vehicular transportation. (Yes, necessary… try to fit another car on the bridge… and don’t counter with “take the subway” because the folks in cars can do that too!)
So, what groups is the unintended group? Wandering tourists. Should they be banned from the bridge? Of course not, but they should understand that walking into a lane for VEHICULAR TRAFFIC is not acceptable. If someone wanders into the middle of the street… is the car/taxi/bus driver being “rude” when they honk at them (or even hit them)?!
It’s not an us vs. them situation. You say the bridge is oh so crowded… yeah, it’s pretty crowded, but not so crowded that folks can’t stay on their own sides!!!
I will continue to use the bridge. I will *ride* my bike on the bridge. And I will continue to shout angrily and make all sorts of noises when pedestrians wander into the BICYCLE LANE. It’s not an issue of being a “higher life form” — it’s a matter of courtesy and safety. Yes, the lack of courtesy on the part of the walkers!
(You can make all the comments you want about bicycles breaking other traffic laws… but that has NOTHING to do with this issue. This is just about the Brooklyn Bridge.)
My bike has a steel frame and my penis works fine.
Please keep in mind that Minard is from the 19th Century.
Minard,
I have walked and ridden across the bridge and I am not sure why you consider the bicyclists rude. When I walk, I stay on the pedestrian side. When I bike, I stay on the bike side. I have never seen a problem with bicyclist crossing over to the pedestrian side, but have seen many a pedestrian (mostly tourists) wandering around on the bike side, often defiantly. Seriously, it is not that freaking hard. When you are a biker, you can’t really go that fast uphill (at least my fat a@# can’t) anyway, so no need to walk the bike. When you go downhill, you just watch out for wandering pedestrians. I’ll admit, a couple bikers are a little reckless with how fast they go on the downhill side, but they are in the bike lane.
so many bicyclists are just so rude.
walk your bicycle across the bridge when it is crowded, don’t look upon pedestrians as a lower life form because they are not strapped on to an aluminum frame on wheels.
sheesh, remember you are hurting your erectile function with every mile, pedestrians are not.
I just yell at the tourists and they generally get out of my way. Ever been to Munich? They have bike lanes on the sidewalks that are marked up like the walkway on the BB, and the bikers will surely let you know to get out of their way before they run you over.
Seems to work just fine and adds a little fun to the ride over the bridge.
Agreed, petebkln.
I can’t believe that people think that a major tourist attraction like the BK Bridge wouldn’t have peds who don’t interfere with cyclists.
Anyone who makes statements like “can’t decipher symbols” is just being perverse. Try not to be the so entitled and work with others.
And I speak as a regular cyclist. I always defer to pedestrians, “right” or “wrong”.