Warnings to Cyclists Near the Bridge
There have been a number of tragic bicycle fatalities in Brooklyn this week, and the danger of the intersections near the Brooklyn Bridge has once again been highlighted. But rather than focus on traffic calming and the like — or, okay, maybe in addition to it — Streetsblog reports that the NYPD is asking bicyclists…
There have been a number of tragic bicycle fatalities in Brooklyn this week, and the danger of the intersections near the Brooklyn Bridge has once again been highlighted. But rather than focus on traffic calming and the like — or, okay, maybe in addition to it — Streetsblog reports that the NYPD is asking bicyclists to dismount at the base of the bridge. Well, maybe not asking. “A uniformed officer told me that I was supposed to dismount and walk to the point where the path ends, and where we were then standing,” says their tipster. “I pointed her to the bicycle symbol painted on the ground about 10 feet from where we were and she pointed up to a sign about 30 feet away and explained that from that point to the end, bikers were to dismount and that C class summonses were going to be handed out shortly and that she was providing a warning.” Is the NYPD providing protection for bikers or is it a continuation of the culture war of cops-against-bicyclists?
NYPD Issuing Warnings to Brooklyn Bridge Cyclists [Streetsblog]
DowningByLaw- bikes are quick, flexible and not al that visible on a fast roadway. Even if every biker followed the rules of the road, there’s a certain visual reality- to someone in a car, someone on a bike is not always visible. And if a car has to swerve,and you’re making a split second decision about if you hit, what will do the least amount of damage, you’ll go for the “emptyier”_ space and the hope the cyclist has a better chance of getting out of the way than another car does. And cars will often be holding more than one person.
We do have a real problem with everyone not obeying traffic laws. That said, like northsloperenter said, the right lane is the dumbest place to put a bike lane.
Again, downingbylaw, I think you’re missing the point: if cyclists want their safety complaints addressed, they need as-a-community to improve their own behavior first.
Others may be speaking in generalizations, but I’ve personally had far more encounters with NYC cyclists running lights/stop signs & going the wrong way on one-way streets than I’ve ever had with cars.
Believe me, if a car drove on the sidewalk, there’d be a cop involved sooner-or-later. But it’s commonplace for cyclists to plow though busy sidewalks – and again, this is based on my first-hand observation.
20 years ago, I lived in Beijing; in those days, private car ownership was rare & cycling/walking/bus travel were the only ways to go. And I found that even in the most crowded conditions, cyclists rarely collided with each other and never menaced pedestrians. That may have been due in-part to the fact everyone rode clunky 3-speeds, rang their bells constantly – and nobody wore spandex!
Simply put, I believe bikes should be taken seriously as a means of transportation – which means bikers need to take their own responsibilites seriously as well.
I encourage everyone to go home and ride a bike this weekend comeback monday and see if you still need to make sweeping biased generalizations, not every driver is a maniac, not every pedestrian is oblivious and not every cyclist is reckless.
If I violate the law then give me a ticket but make sure every dble parker, bike lane blocker and jaywalker on that same street get one also!
amt230 – The reason why drivers and pedestrians constantly blame cyclists for saftey issues – is because not only do far more (%-wise) cyclists disobey the rules and ride recklessly but also b/c the cities cyclists so often display a hostility/chip-on-the-shoulder attitude about their behavior. I suspect it is part of the bike culture (and also it DOES take a certain amount of hubris to ride on city streets with cars), as well as an enviromental anti-car feeling as well. However, this attitude IMHO leads to a reckless attitude that must be addressed by cyclists (public education, enforcement, etc….) if they want to be taken as a serious transportation alternative.
Anyone who witnesses the arrogance and recklessness of cyclists on the Brooklyn Bridge – as well as in Prospect and Central Park – has to admit that cyclists need to address their community (and fast)
Unfortunately, I think the only way cyclists can safely operate on the same roads as cars would be if cyclists and automobile drivers both displayed a level of respect, control and discipline that is extremely unlikely to be maintained in the long term in a city like NYC.
Also, bikes need to be more visible. There needs to be a 10 foot tall flag or pennant or something off the back of the bike. With a light on it. I’m serious.
Both as a driver and a pedestrian I can’t tell you how many times I didn’t see a bike until it was so close to me that there would be little I could do to avoid collision if the cyclist were not in complete control and behaving sensibly.
I don’t think this is really an issue of “who is to blame”. It’s a public safety issue, and I think encouraging more cyclists (which necessarily means “worse” cyclists) and making more bike lanes is a huge mistake.
Until dedicated paths can be set up for biking around the city, biking should be discouraged on city streets. It makes me sad to say that, but my bike is sitting motionless in the basement of my building because it just doesn’t seem sensible to me to spend much time biking around this town.
whenever bike safety comes up, all the drivers point the fingers at cyclists, as if all the drivers in the city are actually responsible and respect the rules of the road. so, once bikers start following all of your traffic rules, will all you drivers stop going 50 down thin one-way streets, running red lights, and swerving all over the road? I still think what makes roads most dangerous for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers themselves are all the terrible and aggressive drivers in this city.
Yes, downingbylaw, the recent death on 8th Ave in PS is sad [and further proof that 1-way is the wrong-way for the neighborhood], but according to the press reports, the biker had run a red light.
I don’t think it’s narrow minded at all to remind cyclists that the whole ‘share the road’ concept applies to them as well – and that cyclists won’t be able to claim the high ground until they stop breaking laws themselves.
It’s also worth noting that accidents involving cars are typically reported, and a car’s license plate number can be used to track-down a fleeing operator. I’d be curious to know how many bike-on-pedestrian accidents are actually reported to the police and how many are unresolved because a cyclist fled & could not be ID’d.
Amazingly narrow points of view, in light of the recent death I guess the easiest thing is to continue generalizing and villianizing cyclist once again.
I commute everyday by bicycle year round rain or shine,( I own a car also) I see ridiculous things perpetrated every day by cyclist, motorist, pedestrians and law enforcement but cyclist seem to be the easiest target not the oblivious pedestrian crossing in the middle of the block while on a cellphone, the driver that forgets the person they just cut off on a bicycle is made of flesh and bones with a family or the non skilled rider jetting across the crosswalk against the light nearly clipping pedestrians.
I see it all and I’ve been riding to the city since 87’sometimes I’m an ass and sometimes I’m incredibly considerate just like everyone else in this city, but first and foremost self preservation governs me and sometimes that means stopping at a light or crossing the double lines because the bike lanes are blocked and placard adorned cars are parked illegally(chambers street every day)
Visit some bicycle oriented blogs and see the perspective of responsible cyclist and pause next time you generalize(although it seems to be the norm on this site).
I agree with the sentiment that far too many NYC cyclists fail to respect the safety & right-of-way of pedestrians.
Is it just me, or have more & more cyclists been going the wrong-way on one-way streets? In the last couple of months, on 3 separate occasions, I’ve nearly been run-down by bikers running red ligts as they zoom through a crosswalk coming from an unexpected direcion… yes, cyclists are regularly threatened by cars – but that’s no excuse for riding on sidewalks, biking against traffic on one-way streets & ignoring stop lights/signs.
And if you think the Bkln Bridge path is a recipe for bike/pedestrian crashes, try the West Side Highway path.
NYC is first-and-foremost a pedestrian city. It’s about time the cops start protecting those of us usually rely on our 2 feet instead of 2 wheels [much less 4!].