Monday, January 16, 2017

What are those green bicycle lights on Citi Bike?



Via the EVG inbox today...

As part of an ongoing commitment to safer cycling in New York, the Citi Bike program is installing an innovative new safety feature — the Blaze Laserlight on 250 bikes this winter, Citi Bike and Blaze leadership announced today.

This pilot program aims to make Citi Bike riders more visible to drivers and pedestrians, creating safer conditions on the road and providing greater peace of mind to all.

Extensive research on the Laserlight on London’s bike share fleet revealed that a cyclist with a Laserlight at night is even more visible than a cyclist in daytime.

The vast majority of London bus drivers surveyed said the light made it easier to notice and react to cyclists at night, while 75% of cyclists felt more confident cycling with a Laserlight.

“By incorporating Blaze’s lights into the bike, we aim to keep New Yorkers on foot, behind the wheel and riding a Citi Bike safer and to improve the rider experience overall so that people of all backgrounds are inspired to try New York City’s popular bike share program,” said Jay Walder, President & CEO of Motivate, operators of the Citi Bike program. “Bike share is an extremely safe way to get around, and we are proud to work with Blaze to welcome every rider to Citi Bike while helping our city get ever closer to our Vision Zero goals.”

48 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh, that's great. Let's give these narcissistic, entitled millennials another weapon to use against the elderly and anyone else unfortunate enough to wander a hair's breadth into their preeeeeeshhhhous bike lanes -- frickin' laser beams!

Anonymous said...

And how will these affect our optic nerves?

Anonymous said...

I guess pedestrians now need their own walking man laser light so they don't get run over when citibikes run red lights?

Anonymous said...

The countless injuries caused by citibike will only increase. And by countless I mean a number so low they aren't worth counting.

Anonymous said...

Lol, you people need to get out more. You're so whiny & bitchy...

Gojira said...

More visual clutter to benefit a privileged few. They don't care when they almost run pedestrians over, why should they get preferential treatment to make sure they aren't?

Anonymous said...

In other words, when I see that green bicycle symbol in front of me, that is a bicycle path. Yes! Finally!

cmarrtyy said...

They will still ride on the sidewalks. They will still blow through stops signs and red lights and ride outside of the bike lanes. It's a "hot air" App that does nothing. The bike projection is too close to the bike to stretch response time for a pedestrian or a car to respond properly. Real bike safety starts with the cyclist. If you ride irresponsibly you'll hurt yourself or some innocent pedestrian.

Atomic Man said...

So, now when the Citiots ride against traffic they'll be projecting lasers towards oncoming vehicles? Nice.

Also, kinda unnecessary, seeing as the things sound like a coffee grinder full of marbles and you can hear 'em coming a block away.

Anonymous said...

Will these lights ensure the safety of pedestrians as they wiz by us at high speeding going the wrong way?

Anonymous said...

Hey, couch potatoes, cool it with the anti-Citibike diatribes.

Anonymous said...

@1:26: Shut up! Pedestrians are not couch potatoes. And there is a good reason for anti-bike diatribes, although if you're on a bike, you're probably too busy breaking the rules to know or care.

Lasers - like that would solve the problem of careless bike riders. NOT. Maybe if we PEDESTRIANS had lasers to shine into the bike riders' eyes (or burn a hole into their tires), that might help even things up.

Anonymous said...

Jay Walder is quoted as saying “Bike share is an extremely safe way to get around". No, it isn't, Mr. Walder - not for those of us on foot. It is an extremely dangerous thing for pedestrians, and you and DeBlah have no intention of ever acknowledging that.

Giovanni said...

I saw one of these is use last week--one--and it was quite noticeable and disturbing to see this image jiggling along in the bike lane at night. Now imagine multiple jiggling laser images swooshing by at one tme. It's just more visual pollution, sponsored by CitiBank.

Anonymous said...

Citibike is great. Delivery guys ride against traffic more than the Citibikers and spandexed commuting traffic warriors are a far greater danger to pedestrians strolling into the bike lanes or off the curbs.

Citibikes with laser projections will add some psychedelia to the soup of nighttime light pollution but will be a wash as a safety measure.
However "Now ... With Lasers!" is a fantastic advertising slogan.

Anonymous said...

1:26 You sound as if a couch (rightfully) fell on your neck.
Bicyclists need to be licensed and ticketed accordingly.

j said...

It's a shame that a minority of rule-breaking cyclists create such negative sentiment for Citibike. I don't disagree it's a problem, and when another biker passes me going the wrong way on a 1-way street I make it a point to call them "asshole" loud enough for them to hear. Rule-breaking cyclists endanger pedestrians AND other cyclists.

But don't forget bicycles aren't the only ones not following traffic rules. Pedestrians routinely cross against red lights, and most of my cycling accidents have involved pedestrians stepping into the bike line without looking. You wouldn't step out into 6th Ave traffic without looking, but bike lanes are a new feature in this city and people haven't learned yet. We'll get there eventually.

Bicycles are an important part of the city's transportation infrastructure. Put yourself in your fellow NYer's (bike) shoes. Pedestrians, drivers, and cyclists need to work together to make getting around safe for everyone.

Anonymous said...

Why does NYC look to see what London is doing ?
Look here where we are.
Bikes zooming every which way, bikes racing each other,
bikes in almost every lane, in between traffic , etc etc etc…
Bikes in the crosswalk so they can be first to get across
and pedestrians have to walk around the crosswalk.

That is just it, money is wasted looking over yonder, wasted on
projections - just wasted instead
of using some real common sense.

Like Anonymous at 1:39 !

Anonymous said...

This good, pay attention if you are a pedestrian of on a bike that the only way to avoid getting hurt, oh and follow traffic rules that applies to everyone!

Anonymous said...

Awwww, boohoo, it's always the few bad apples spoiling the bunch, isn't it? Thank god jonthornton, who admittedly has had a lot of cycling accidents, is calling out the assholes loud and clear.

But, but, but the pedestrians are breaking the law too! How dare they not stand around with their thumbs up their asses waiting for the big shiny light to tell them what to do when there's no traffic? How dare they not show respect for my three-speeds?

Time for you Maoists to get down off your high two wheels.

Anonymous said...

A lot of bikers do not care about pedestrians.some do but not a lot of them.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Jon but unfortunately you are a bright caring minority of one amongst the Bicyclists. If Transportation Alternatives spoke against these miscreants and campaigned actively against this HORRID problem it would be minimized.. However they just like to pretend to care.

Charlie said...

Hilarious how so many people are so against Citi Bike here, when cars kill 132-183 pedestrians EVERY YEAR in NYC. Citi Bike? Zero.

Anonymous said...

@Charlie: Your reasoning is on a par with a Trump voter's reasoning.

"Cars kill ..." - so, is that cars only, or cars/taxis/trucks? How many cars do you see driving the wrong way on a one-way street?

Oh, Citibikers haven't killed anyone yet; it's just a matter of time. How about ALL bike riders who have killed or injured someone? The total is NOT zero!

Anonymous said...

Can pedestrians get a laser-light to wear that will project a bright circle of light onto the pavement so mindless bike riders *might* notice that there's another human being who's trying to get around NYC on foot without getting mowed down?

Most bike riders seem to hate pedestrians - yet pretty much everyone is a pedestrian each day. If you walk outside and cross the street to do an errand, do you like the idea that bike riders don't value your life/well-being just because you are not on a bike at that very moment?

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Charlie, for putting all this complaining in a more rational perspective.

Charlie said...

@ Anon at 9:25 PM, since using math doesn't work, it probably won't make any sense to tell you that getting hit by a car going any way will very likely kill or injure you. Like Trump, you will have to accept that math is as real as Trump being our next President. You can deny it all you want, but both Trump and math will be there. No liberal/illogical bubble can change that.

Also, do you work for the NYPD?
After Drivers Killed 9 People in 10 Days, NYPD Was Out Ticketing Cyclists

Anonymous said...

These comments are like reading comments from Trumpites on the Yahoo message boards.
Sad. Biggly.

Anonymous said...

@charlie,

No, Citibikes and bicyclists don't kill many people by hitting them, but the constant stress on the heart and nervous system does. Every time a bicyclist whizzes by on the sidewalk or otherwise where they are not supposed to be, plowing through crowded pedestrian crossings, jumping the light, etc., it is a strain on our bodies. Cars don't create this kind of daily stress as long as we, the pedestrians, are following the rules.

I've lived through heroin and crack epidemics, muggers roaming the streets, the days of bicycle messengers and attempted rapists but never felt the constant stress walking in the East Village as I have since Citibikes came to town. It's not mainly the Citibikers, it's the other cyclists who think they own the streets (including sidewalks) that are the main problem.

I've also been to most of the European cities that have highly rated bicycle transportation. None of them started out with a population that ignored traffic rules the way New Yorkers do, so it was no problem for them to implement bike share programs and/or to increase urban bicycle paths. They also have clear delineation for the bicycle path, either with medians or other obstructions to keep bicycles in their rightful place. NY started out with no education for riders or pedestrians, both of whom were accustomed to doing whatever they pleased. A re-education program should have started years before Citibike was begun.

Anonymous said...

Hey the new local Godwin style rule - "As the thread continues someone will get compared to Trump!"

JQ LLC said...

I saw this being tested last week as I was riding past some twerp, I should have known this gimmick was being used from our tax dollars. This will be abused as usual to intimidate people to clear the way of a scofflaw shitibiker. And they are just as bad as all these felonious app delivery bikers.

great description by atomic man. Sometimes when I see these lance armstrong wannabees speed by, it sounds like those crappy bikes are going to cartoonishly disassemble under them.

Anonymous said...

@10:26 PM

If you think bicycles are riding crazier now or the streets are more psycho now than "back in the day" your memory is getting faulty. Maybe that extra stress is age? I hear biking is good for that.

signed,

former bike messenger

NOTORIOUS said...

It was only a matter of time before the Blue Demons started vomiting pea soup. Why is my room suddenly so cold...

Hey19 said...

I live pretty far east, where we are underserved for transportation options, I find citibike very handy for running errands around the city. As far as these lasers go? its probably not a huge improvement on anything, personally it sounds cool enough that I might get distracted looking at the projection when I should be looking at the traffic, both cars and peds.

No matter how much you ride in the city, you still probably walk half the time, so we are all pedestrians first. Every day there seems to be a pedestrian killed by a car, that is what concerns me most.

Anonymous said...

Yes, I rode back in the day..even did centuries. There were far, far fewer bicyclists and the population of the EV was far less. There were no dorms, hotels or high rises. The increase in cyclists and pedestrians is without question. The only thing there is less of is respect for one another and making space for everyone to enjoy the streets.

Carrie said...

"Cars don't create this kind of daily stress as long as we, the pedestrians, are following the rules."

So auto exhaust and the well-documented role it plays in asthma, lung cancer etc. is just not a thing in your world? That must be amazing for you.

Gojira said...

I would like to point out, and this is the God's honest truth, that on my way to work today I was in the pedestrian crosswalk WITH the light, perfectly legit, and not one, not two, but three Citibike riders blew past me with inches to spare, like I wasn't even there. So please, tell me again how I'm in the wrong for wishing the whole damn program would just disappear?

Anonymous said...

Please follow the discussion. This is not about cars vs bikes, it's about bicyclists AND pedestrians following some semblance of rules so we can all use the city reasonably.

Anonymous said...

Having this many bicycles in Manhattan traffic is nothing but stupid. Maybe Trump will deport all of the citi bike users.

Giovanni said...

Is there any way to hack these things to change the symbol from a bike to a big middle finger sign? Or maybe something political like Dump Trump? Just asking for a friend.

Anonymous said...

@9:55pm: Hey, Charlie, I *have* been hit by a car and I'm still here to talk about it, thanks.

@10:26pm: Your comment is 100% on target. NOBODY takes into account the increased levels of stress and fear that careless bike riders instill in everyone who's a pedestrian. EVERYONE on foot is at risk, regardless of age, but I can tell you that senior citizens are completely terrified of being hit by a bike & ending up in a nursing home for the rest of their lives. This is no joke, except to the careless bike riders.

NOTORIOUS said...

Gojira, if you hate the city so much you should move... in with me!

For a group who immediately uses health as the go-to talking point for defending CitiBike, it's funny how they have no problem barreling towards us with nearly 200 pounds of metal and flesh. Last I checked dead bodies don't give a fuck if the air is clean or not.

Anonymous said...

Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Unless it's a citibike hitting you at top speed, breaking a bone and reducing your mobility for the rest of your life.

Anonymous said...

Good idea Giovanni. Is like to give a big neon Fuck you to all the anti bicyclists.

Anonymous said...

I am working on a Software program that causes Trucks to jump the light and hit wrong-way Drivers directly. I am 95% done with my testing.

Anonymous said...

Anon 4:30 Hopefully you will get hit by a Wayward bike one day soon.

Black Betty said...

Just like Trump the CitiBikers won and STILL complain! You have bikes, you have lanes, what are you so angry about? It sounds like you cranks could use some fresh air and exercise!

Gojira said...

Oooh, NOTORIOUS, best offer I've had in years! Just tell me when and where! xoxo!