Rush Hour in Brooklyn
This was a first for us: En route to the office this morning we encountered actual congestion in the bike lane along Navy Street, though the strikingly homogeneous group of riders remained quite civil as they pulled up to the intersection and waited, law-abidingly, for the light to turn green. As we approached Sands Street,…
This was a first for us: En route to the office this morning we encountered actual congestion in the bike lane along Navy Street, though the strikingly homogeneous group of riders remained quite civil as they pulled up to the intersection and waited, law-abidingly, for the light to turn green. As we approached Sands Street, everyone else made a left towards the Manhattan Bridge as we continued on towards Dumbo.
“However, do you not see a qualitative difference between a BICYCLE and a CAR?! There’s a difference between bad manners and dangerous. Some bicyclists do dangerous things that can hurt people. I’m not suggesting that’s not the case. HOWEVER, when I cyclist is just exhibiting “bad manners” it’s a 40 lb vehicle with a human on top… when a automobile driver exhibits “bad manners” it’s a 3000+ lb hunk of steel.”
WRONG
Force = speed times mass. I think I’m toast if I get plowed down by a bike just as well as by a car. Cyclists really floor it.
“I’ve yelled at more than one person who can’t seem to walk and text at the same time.”
Guilty (on occasion). As my brother said to me while I was walking and texting (to some of you people in fact), “Why is there never an open manhole when I need one?” (nh) I’ve NEVER texted while driving; I don’t even like to talk on the cell phone while driving because I find it distracting, so I try to avoid it.
I’m happy we have a mayor who is smart enough to realize that what Gross says is 100% true. True voice of reason on this thread.
“I could get in my 18-wheeler, drive 60 miles per hour down residential streets, veer into the lane of and/or intimidate smaller cars because they of course don’t belong on the streets.”
Harry Chapin’s 30,000 Pounds of Bananas is playing in my head…
“London used to be way worse than NYC for cyclists”
Absolute bollocks. I cycled for 15 years in London, and when I came here in ’95 I cycled for 5 years or so. NYC drivers were crazy, they competely ignored cyclists and drove within inches of me at high speed. I had to change the way I rode to survive. I wasn’t suprised when I saw so many cyclists on the sidewalk (something I had not seen in London) – there were driven there by the driving in NYC.
Your point about the zone across the front of the traffic lane is a good one. It should be included where there are cycle lines.
From driving, biking, and walking in this city, IMO all forms of transportation are quite a lot of work.
Driving is about gauging your speed, your route, distractions, and pedestrians. I agree with rob and dh, why is driving so great? Seems like a huge pain in the ass.
Biking is about being an exposed rider who moves more or less silently, and keeping your head on a swivel for what’s going on around you.
Walking is about navigating intersections safely and passing along sidewalks at the speed you prefer, which is sometimes difficult.
Sounds great donatella. Perhaps we could then have a car appreciation day too. I could get in my 18-wheeler, drive 60 miles per hour down residential streets, veer into the lane of and/or intimidate smaller cars because they of course don’t belong on the streets.
By the way, ExpertTextpert and Donnatella have seriously large sticks in their poonannies.
I’m all for traffic enforcement of all sorts. But the fact is, there is NONE in the city of Brooklyn. Almost no one gets moving violation tickets unless it’s from a red light camera.
However, do you not see a qualitative difference between a BICYCLE and a CAR?! There’s a difference between bad manners and dangerous. Some bicyclists do dangerous things that can hurt people. I’m not suggesting that’s not the case. HOWEVER, when I cyclist is just exhibiting “bad manners” it’s a 40 lb vehicle with a human on top… when a automobile driver exhibits “bad manners” it’s a 3000+ lb hunk of steel.
I’d like you to tell me, is it A.O.K. for cars to drive 50 mph down Prospect Park West? Is that “bad manners” or is that actually EXCESSIVE speed that can kill… It’s a real bitch that the DOT has narrowed the road, huh?
Does anyone really think that as the population grows the small percentage of people here that own cars and use them to drive around the city, really think that there is any possible way that traffic will get any better than it is now? Spin it anyway you want to, the city’s infrastructure will not support additional vehicles.
The city is installing bike lanes only as a means to prolong the life of current infrastructure. City traffic is bad for business and citizen health.
Bike lanes are a tiny percentage of city streets, given equal footing, but as well all know cars are given a greater portion of public space. Painted bike lanes are not capital investments; costing pennies compared to other DOT expenditures.
Traffic behaves like water flows. The more room you give it the more room it will take. Narrow and focus the flow and you will gain greater efficiency.