NYPD Cracking Down on Brooklyn Bikers
The Brooklyn Paper reports that the NYPD will begin a borough-wide bike crackdown in a few weeks. More moving violations will be issued for the the failure to obey traffic signs and signals, surpassing the speed limit, tailgating, and failure to signal before turning. While the numbers of bicyclists is growing and the bike lanes…
The Brooklyn Paper reports that the NYPD will begin a borough-wide bike crackdown in a few weeks. More moving violations will be issued for the the failure to obey traffic signs and signals, surpassing the speed limit, tailgating, and failure to signal before turning. While the numbers of bicyclists is growing and the bike lanes on Prospect Park West have caused controversy, cops claim the reason for the crackdown is because bike accidents have been up. Some bikers aren’t convinced. Rider Lacy Tauber think cops should “focus on drivers,” while bike advocate Baruch Herzfeld thinks this could further strain the relationship between bikers and cops.
Bikelash! Cops to Crack Down on 2-Wheelers [Brooklyn Paper]
“By bxgrl on January 5, 2011 11:58 AM
Thanx randi- are you coming over to the OT to harass us? We miss you :-)”
i promised to be nice this year so no more harrassing people for me…..its too tempting on the OT to act a fool.
Good point, fsrg
actually since the number of daily cyclists can be estimated to be lower than 200,000 in NYC for the 10 year period in question (last year it was estimated at 238K which was the highest ever by something like 30%), and the number of daily car trips is many many multiple times that (cant find an exact figure – just know that 1.6M car trips daily into Manhattan below 86th st) and 250 pedestrians are killed a year by cars – there may be an argument that cars and bikes pose an similar risk of death by trip taken. (not saying definitively, but there is an argument there)
As long as they start ticketing the drivers who stop or park their cars in the bike lanes, I’m ok with this.
Maris- I am not comparing stats, or making any judgments. I am simply presenting facts in answer to a statement that randi made. As far as I am concerned, it doesn’t matter if you’re killed by a car or a bike. Dead is dead. But the main point was that yes, indeed pedestrians can be killed by cyclists.
JohnnyPump – cops can station themselves at any redlight. Cyclists virtually NEVER stop at any red lights unless actually forced to by traffic and even then theyll go through the minute there is a break in the flow.
bfarwell – in any effort to get get what I want I am more than capable of suppressing my arrogant/temperamental nature…I dont see cyclists as a group having that same discipline.
If the cops are looking to hit a quota then they should station themselves by the pedestrian crosswalk inside Prospect Park by the 10th Avenue entrance and the ballfields because cyclists never stop for the red light even when little kids are crossing through to play softball. Some of them even ride in the pedestrian lanes against the red light and have the nerve to blow whistles at pedestrians as if the pedestrians are wrong.
“Cyclists are stupid- responsible cyclist (are there any?) ”
“most cyclists I see are arrogant morons with a chip on their shoulder”
Whereas you’re totally even-keeled and non-judgmental. Heh.