tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post1803691924364699850..comments2024-03-28T03:47:41.338-04:00Comments on EV Grieve: Post discovers that cyclists often run the light at 1st Avenue and St. Mark's PlaceUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger41125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-22978808287546074202014-09-27T12:18:31.597-04:002014-09-27T12:18:31.597-04:00Okay. Let's look at the problem. Traffic light...Okay. Let's look at the problem. Traffic lights entitle motorists to NOT stop and consequently they run people over. This happens all the time. They then are entitled when they have the light, and are turning, to then, again, run people over in the crosswalk. Only recently has a law been passed reminding motorists to YIELD. This is something motorists are unfamiliar with until recently, and only because of applied pressure from cyclists who had been getting run down and pedestrian's families who have been questioning the insanity of the way traffic lights work.<br /><br />But the bottom line is motorists and cyclists must yield to pedestrians (and yield, for cyclists at least, because they are more agile and thinner, means passing BEHIND pedestrians.)Motorists cannot do that, so they MUST come to a complete stop.<br /><br />Yet . . the nonyielding carnage continues . . . and completely ignored by NYPD. There was another death this week of an elderly person because of a motorist not yielding; two weeks ago another death along the East River greenway when a motorist did not yield again. I'm fed up with motorists not yielding, while idiotic news outlets focus on how many cyclists stop for a light. The question should be, how many cyclists yield to pedestrians vs. how many motorists yield to pedestrians. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-33874739081253250802014-09-27T08:24:15.360-04:002014-09-27T08:24:15.360-04:00Anonymous 9/25 10:17pm - All good points! When I c...Anonymous 9/25 10:17pm - All good points! When I can no longer ride my bike, I will carry a cane, and I will whack any biker who threatens my safety! Come to think of it, maybe I should do that now!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-17360391598003279832014-09-25T22:17:58.787-04:002014-09-25T22:17:58.787-04:00In the hierarchy of modes of street-level transpor...In the hierarchy of modes of street-level transport in NYC, from buses to taxis to motorcycles to bicycles to walking, it's <b>PEDESTRIANS</b> who are the most vulnerable. As exemplified by the woman who was killed last week by a bicyclist.<br /><br />Therefore, pedestrians deserve the most consideration and protection, period.<br /><br />Of course, so many who are avid bike riders today can't imagine that some day they WON'T be bike riders - and when that day comes, they will live in fear of bike riders. Just ask anyone over 65.<br /><br />If you wouldn't want your own loved one (mom, dad, sister or brother, grandparent, etc.) to be injured or possibly killed by a bicyclist, then think hard about how you ride your bike on the streets of NYC.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-65614790215490763832014-09-25T15:01:11.222-04:002014-09-25T15:01:11.222-04:00Good. We need a lot more ticketing of cyclists, an...Good. We need a lot more ticketing of cyclists, and I hope licensing is on the way. Here in New York City we have a little thing called the subway. Use it. New York is the only walking city in the United States. Cyclists who speed, run red lights, and salmon erode the walkability of the city. The Post is a right-wing rag, but anyone who lives in the city can tell you that the vast majority of cyclists run red lights. <br /><br />People who defend running lights with the claim that it's safe to run the light if you slow down first remind me of the suburban transplants who say "If you don't like the noise in [insert neighborhood], move to Jersey!". In New York City, one man's floor is another man's ceiling, so we have developed norms of civility appropriate to dense urban living. You can play rock band at 3 am on a Wednesday in the suburbs because your plot of land is set off 50 feet from the next one. Likewise, you can blow red lights and salmon in the suburbs because there isn't nearly as much pedestrian (or car) traffic; you're not impeding pedestrians who have the right of way from crossing the street or putting them in danger. In the city, there are people everywhere! You need to behave in a way that doesn't endanger and inconvenience everyone else simply because you want to get somewhere faster.<br /><br />@Rachel the difference is that you're riding a hunk of steel that makes a collision much more likely to cause serious injury. If a pedestrian jaywalks and bumps into another pedestrian who has the right of way, nothing happens. If a cyclists runs a light and hits a pedestrian, both the cyclist and the pedestrian are going to take a spill. You're using a conveyance, and that conveyance makes you more of a danger to others (and yourself). The position that the problem is with people not bikes parrots the "it's not guns who kill people, it's people who kill people!" non-sequitor of the NRA. 5th Gen.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-63839450990488397852014-09-25T14:14:09.476-04:002014-09-25T14:14:09.476-04:00So true, Giovanni, so true, funny how it seems. Al...So true, Giovanni, so true, funny how it seems. Always in time, but never in lane for lights. Dissolve the nerves that have just begun, I know this much is true.2:14 a.m.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-25728358781439790832014-09-25T12:05:45.218-04:002014-09-25T12:05:45.218-04:00I don't give a shit about bikes vs. cars, I ju...I don't give a shit about bikes vs. cars, I just want less people injured or killed in traffic accidents. What causes the most injuries and deaths? Cars/trucks, by fucking far. Step up enforcement on bikes, by all means, but maybe concentrate a little bit more on the thing that kills the most people.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-53274695714562606432014-09-25T11:34:07.797-04:002014-09-25T11:34:07.797-04:00What is the difference between a pedestrian jay wa...What is the difference between a pedestrian jay walking and a cyclist yielding then proceeding when the intersection is clear?<br /><br />Would it be ok with everyone if the cyclist got off their bike and walked it across with the rest of the pedestrians?Rachelnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-55583647448593561372014-09-25T11:07:42.056-04:002014-09-25T11:07:42.056-04:00John M., Google it: Urban planning + bike lanes + ...John M., Google it: Urban planning + bike lanes + pedestrian malls. You might be surprised. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-67318118504503989002014-09-25T08:24:57.059-04:002014-09-25T08:24:57.059-04:00Bike lanes and pedestrian malls make the city more...Bike lanes and pedestrian malls make the city more livable? For who? Besides newbie bike riders and tourists...JMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09876016557456927299noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-75649922380706589052014-09-25T07:32:07.256-04:002014-09-25T07:32:07.256-04:00It's only stressful for people who walk with t...It's only stressful for people who walk with their heads down, and don't look where they're going. There are definitely more bikes, but I don't find it the least bit stressful, since I always look where I'm going, and don't step in front of moving vehicles of any kind to show that I have the right-of-way.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-9501273082706509322014-09-25T00:37:15.484-04:002014-09-25T00:37:15.484-04:00Spandex Ballet!!! That's hilarious!!Spandex Ballet!!! That's hilarious!!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-17396433055530769052014-09-25T00:19:46.881-04:002014-09-25T00:19:46.881-04:00I also agree the problem seems to have become wors...I also agree the problem seems to have become worse, not better, since the installation of the bike lanes, particularly the ones placed between a line of parked cars/SUVs and the sidewalk so you can't tell while crossing on the green light what might be speeding towards the cross walk without intent to stop. I grew up riding bikes throughout this city but gave it up years ago; as a pedestrian I feel like I now have multiple dose calls every day crossing Bway, Fourth, Third and Second between 8th and 14th streets--riders of every kind race through red lights, ride on sidewalks and ride the wrong way both in and out of bike lanes--many, many riders don't bother to use bike lanes where they do exist so they're really coming at you from every conceivable direction--and the delivery guys on electric bIkes are a particular menace. Headphones and texting-while-riding add a whole other dimension to the issue. I am all for this ticketing crackdown and would love to see the delivery guys at least required to wear numbered vest so their places of business could be fined for their infractions. But a ticketing blitz, if the city can muster the requisite manpower to sustain it, seems to me the most expedient means to the necessary mass behavior adjustment.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-32887196110833194072014-09-25T00:12:00.908-04:002014-09-25T00:12:00.908-04:00""Anyone who does any amount of walking ...""Anyone who does any amount of walking in the East Village knows it's become downright scary. ""<br /><br />Maybe scary is too strong a word; but I would certainly say it's become more stressful. <br /><br />- East VillagerAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-30288315996016995862014-09-24T23:59:56.113-04:002014-09-24T23:59:56.113-04:00The bike lanes and pedestrian malls are never goin...The bike lanes and pedestrian malls are never going away, they're part of a larger global effort to make cities more livable. You might as well get used to them.<br /><br />As far as running red lights on my bike, I don't defend it, but I do sometimes do it. I have also jay-walked, and occasionally I drive faster than the speed limit (on highways). Oh well.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-53406309397617435892014-09-24T19:55:18.552-04:002014-09-24T19:55:18.552-04:00I really wish de Blasio would rip out every last b...I really wish de Blasio would rip out every last bike lane (and those idiotic "pedestrian malls" on B'way as well) and restore the streets to being normal streets.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-45400016656545509792014-09-24T18:48:30.403-04:002014-09-24T18:48:30.403-04:00I don't drive and never had a license so I am ...I don't drive and never had a license so I am pretty much a "seasoned" pedestrian which means I will jaywalk when it is safe to do so. I don't cross an avenue unless it is clear of traffic for at least 3 blocks. I also try my best to be aware (do not text while walking and never have ear plugs in) when on a sidewalk. Occasionally I find myself in a taxi and from that perspective I am always shocked to see how many people cross an intersection with the light against them while never once looking at the taxi I'm in heading right for them. It is a wonder more people don't get hit every day. Bicycle drivers(?) share the same percentage of assholeness as pedestrians and those driving cars. It comes down to the person and not the means of transportation, Do you think its important to follow the rules for your and other's safety or not. Tickets and fines may help make getting around less hazardous, I guess time will tell. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-6439360840269417972014-09-24T18:37:43.788-04:002014-09-24T18:37:43.788-04:00And two words, license plates Rogue bicyclists are...And two words, license plates Rogue bicyclists are getting away with it because they speed up once they've committed the infraction. but if a camera or a witness can get their plates, they'll be less rogue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-20904442147940129482014-09-24T18:24:26.752-04:002014-09-24T18:24:26.752-04:00Ban fixies and brakeless bikes. Who the fuck rides...Ban fixies and brakeless bikes. Who the fuck rides a bike without brakes. they just want evryone to get out of their way.talk about self-absorbed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-62530245172974167472014-09-24T18:24:19.874-04:002014-09-24T18:24:19.874-04:00Yes let's have a big legal crackdown on the ev...Yes let's have a big legal crackdown on the everyday bicycle rider because of some extreme crazy moron driving like a lunatic. Let's make it next to impossible for me to get my pain meds because some moronic kids like to gobble them down to catch a buzz. Lets make it against the law to buy a big soda pop because some fat fools sit around eating fried food and watching tv all day. Let's give out tickets for jaywalking East 6th Street on a quiet morning because some jackass gets hit by a car trying to jaywalk Queens Boulevard where it is a virtual highway. Let's make it next to impossible for a law abiding citizen to get a firearm because ghetto thugs like to shoot each other with guns always acquired illegally and underground.<br /><br />Gotta love the libs.<br /><br />Tho I will admit the Post is an unusual ally with the libs on this one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-60747804196327165242014-09-24T17:55:31.095-04:002014-09-24T17:55:31.095-04:00Anon 4:40, you have super human powers. I have the...Anon 4:40, you have super human powers. I have them too. It's called the powers of common senseAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-54076238235200176982014-09-24T17:44:36.093-04:002014-09-24T17:44:36.093-04:00Heeeyyyy!!! I'm WALKING here!Heeeyyyy!!! I'm WALKING here!<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-29605978052467428042014-09-24T16:40:24.668-04:002014-09-24T16:40:24.668-04:00@2:18
"Anyone who does any amount of walking...@2:18<br /><br />"Anyone who does any amount of walking in the East Village knows it's become downright scary. "<br /><br />I love how there's ALWAYS somebody to make a comment like this... do you walk around drunk or with your eyes closed? Or am I some sort of super-human for being able to navigate the tricky waters of the dreaded East Village? Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-48437337156247433932014-09-24T16:40:13.598-04:002014-09-24T16:40:13.598-04:00@ Anon 2:35- Ha! I'm not betting you!
@ Giova...@ Anon 2:35- Ha! I'm not betting you!<br /><br />@ Giovanni- "spandex ballet"- I love that band hehehe...Makeoutnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-77740439267868093492014-09-24T15:52:48.181-04:002014-09-24T15:52:48.181-04:00IMO if everyone just had enough sense to yield rig...IMO if everyone just had enough sense to yield right of way, we could all get along. But people come to Manhattan, observe that jaywalking and running reds is tolerated by the law, and then conclude that they have been given a license to cross whenever the hell they feel like it. Believe it or not you can jaywalk or run reds without being an asshole about it. But this is lost on most people--walkers and bikers alike. This is one instance where I am in support of NYPD handing out more citations. It should make a difference in theory. Too bad they are too wishy washy about it--they make a meek effort for a couple weeks, and then forget about it completely. They are assholes too.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5694390946037511355.post-36125478244811447592014-09-24T15:08:33.938-04:002014-09-24T15:08:33.938-04:00I am surprised when my fellow cyclists say that it...<i>I am surprised when my fellow cyclists say that it is okay for them to go through red lights as long as they slow down and take a look first</i><br /><br />Okay, look, the reason this is different from cars is because 1.) cars can accelerate much, much faster than bikes. From a standing stop at a red light, I can get up to like 2mph by the time I cross a street, while a car can get up to 25-30 in that distance; <br />2.) Cars weigh anywhere from a quarter to a half a ton and can smoosh you, whereas my bike could scarcely smoosh a waterbug.<br /><br />Moreover, as with jaywalking, this is one of those "The city wouldn't function if everyone followed it to the letter" laws basically built around the primacy of the automobile. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com