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]
“I know Sadik-Khan wants to transform NYC into Amsterdam.”
that would be awesome, but what does that have to do with bikes? 😉
It may come as a surprise to some of the posters here (whom I won’t point out by name), but not every NYC resident lives in brownstone Brooklyn (as I do) within easy access of a subway or bus line. Even where such lines exist, continuing MTA cutbacks have decreased their frequency and, in the case of some bus lines, have eliminated entirely or for late nights or on Sundays. People, especially with large families, may need to transport all the kids at one time or shop in bulk. Older residents, especially, may be totally unable to travel by public transport. I hope some of the posters never get old, sick, or feeble. I know Sadik-Khan wants to transform NYC into Amsterdam. A better idea, in my opinion, would be for this sick cow to simply move to Amsterdam. While she’s at it, she can take out putz of a emperor with her.
“That’s right – first thundersnowpocalypse outrage, now Park Slope moms with strollers. I went there. BOOM.”
you’re a quick learner!!
Ha ha, fair enough. I don’t spend much time on the comment boards around here, I forgot that they got their own front-page NYMagazine article.
But while I’m on a rant, I propose we treat ALL THREE classes of travelers equally – indeed, some jaywalkers can be highly dangerous. More than once as I have cruised toward green lights in my old neighborhood of Park Slope, at a legal and cautious 30 mph in my car, I have seen women cross against the “don’t walk” sign in front of me, whithout even taking HALF the effort to look both ways (because it was a one-way street)… AND, they were pushing a stroller in front of them, so that if my car skidded when I slammed on the brakes, they would have been fine but their babies would have been killed. Clearly we need to crack down on these people.
That’s right – first thundersnowpocalypse outrage, now Park Slope moms with strollers. I went there. BOOM.
Istar, I never said that it did. I was simply responding to Biff’s comment that people should not be upset about not having access to a vehicle for a couple of days. My point was simply that there are some people who rely on cars for necessary transportation that cannot use mass transit as an alternative, especially when there is three feet of snow on the ground.
Bikes are great for exercise and for the environment, but clearing roadways for them after a snowstorm should take a back, back, backseat to making the roads passable for cars and buses.
As far as the ticketing bikers discussion this is how I think of it.
1) Cars who disregard traffic laws put themselves, other drivers, bikers and pedestrians in physical danger (ie. odds are likely any of those people could be hurt in a collision)
2) Bikers who disregard the laws put themselves, other bikers, and pedestrians in physical danger (while they might cause property damage to a car, far less likely to cause a driver injury)
3)Pedestrians who disregard the laws put themselves and possibly cyclists in danger
Based on that sliding scale, you then ticket/ enforce accordingly.
The percentage of car drivers who ignore red lights and stop signs and who drive the wrong way on one way streets is not even measurable compared to cyclists. When NYC riders obey laws like Amsterdam riders, I’ll suooprt bike lanes like they have in Amsterdam.
sdrubbins, why on earth do you think ANYONE on this site on ANY side of an issue would follow a “standard of reasonableness?” I totally agree with you, it’s ridiculous to crack down on the least offensive and least destructive scofflaws. When cars obey the speed limit and drive safely, I’ll obey all traffic regulations when I bike. Now, jaywalking…
And m4l, why crack down on “wreckless drivers” (or “wreckless riders?”) I’d think we should be congratulating drivers and riders who don’t cause wrecks!
You people are all freakin’ crazy. (Okay, well, some of you people are crazy. Others are fine, but boring and I probably didn’t notice your posts.)
I have a car, and a motorcycle, and a bicycle, and I walk around a lot.
In a car or on a motorcycle, I admit that occasionally I roll through stop signs – slow down to 3 or 4 mph and then as I get to the intersection and see that it’s all clear, I figure that coming to a full dead stop is silly and unnecessary. It’s technically against the law, but it is subject to an analysis nof reasonableness. In some situations, like if there are pedestrians or other vehicles in or even near the intersection, that would be reckless. But in others, when the intersection is clear, it’s fine.
Likewise, when I walk around, I am sometimes confronted with a “DON’T WALK” sign. And again, I hereby admit that I dopn’t always follow the rules. I look down the street: if there are cars or even bicycles coming, I wait for them to safely pass. If the intersection is clear, I’ll jaywalk.
Also as a pedestrian, I sometimes walk in the street, in vehicle lanes, rather than on the sidewalk. Maybe my car door is on the street side, and it would be silly to walk all the way around the car. Here again, there are times when it is reasonable (side street, no traffic or other hazards) and times when it is reckless (in the middle of Flatbush Avenue). Again I use my judgment and don’t quite follow all the rules exactly as written down. I am not in fact a robot.
So does anyone here really think bicycles shouldn’t be held to the same standard of reasonableness?? I really don’t understand the rabid anti-bike hysteria. Bikes are not the same as cars, or even motorcycles or scooters. They are in between. Sometimes a bike speeding through a red light can look similar to a car running a light – if it is speeding, if it endangers pedestrians, etc. But sometimes on my bike I’ll approach a red light, slow down, check that the intersection is clear, and then begin to accelerate through. This is a lot more like jaywalking. In fact, most of the time, there are pedestrians right next to me, doing to same thing, at nearly the same speed. In that case, should I really get a ticket? Am I a menace?
I’m not saying there aren’t jerks on bikes out there. But the anger generated toward all bicycles – as if there aren’t plenty of jerk drivers and jerk pedestrians as well – is just inane. You people need to relax about it, a little bit.
“Not having access to a car can be LIFE THREATENING for older New Yorkers and people who require regular access to medical treatment or medication.”
While this is true, it does not require ownership of said car.