Last Wednesday morning, a box truck struck a 31-year-old woman riding in the northbound bike lane on First Avenue at Ninth Street.
She was listed in critical condition at Bellevue.
-----
Updated 4/12
A friend of the victim told us on Sunday that doctors were optimistic about her chances for recovery.
Unfortunately, there were complications. DNAinfo now reports that Kelly Hurley was taken off life support yesterday.
Per DNAinfo: "Investigators were still reviewing video, the spokesman added, and the driver could still be charged."
-----
As for this intersection, Streetsblog noted:
The block of the First Avenue bike lane approaching 9th Street has a “mixing zone,” in which cyclists and drivers turning left negotiate the same space during the same signal phase.
Intersections that separate cyclists and turning in time with “split-phase” signals have a safer track record than mixing zones, but DOT prefers to limit them to intersections with high pedestrian volumes.
On Friday, the guerrilla street engineers at the Transformation Department "staged an intervention" at the intersection ...
Mixing zone before. Drivers cut across cyclists' path or cyclists must merge into 1st Ave. pic.twitter.com/1Jdpr5N4KS
— Transformation Dept. (@NYC_DOTr) April 7, 2017
Safer for pedestrians too. #demandmore pic.twitter.com/R6SBjZrnnz
— Transformation Dept. (@NYC_DOTr) April 7, 2017
An EVG reader noted other obstacles for cyclists in the bike lane that have nothing to do with traffic... namely the trash that piles up on the weekends...
Previously on EV Grieve:
[Updating] Reader report: Bike-truck collision on 1st Avenue at 9th Street
Oh thank God. I had been wondering about this woman, and really appreciate the update. So glad to hear she will ultimately be okay. Thank you, Grieve, for this follow - up.
ReplyDeleteNot only have green bike lanes have become extended sidewalks for selfish idiots, but they are now receptacles for their foodie and dollar pizza trash.
ReplyDeleteWhy the hell didn't the city install extra traffic lights for bikes in those lanes like they have on Broadway in midtown. Actually it's the only area that has those safety precautions, there and in Chelsea on 9th ave, where there is a red light delay for turning in the bike path and a light for bikers to stop so vehicles can turn on the directional arrow. Everywhere else is a competition on who gets to the corner first.
These bike lanes were a colossal mistake. Thanks to lil bloomberg's idiot ex DOT commissioner Khan.
Firstly, thanks for the update on that young woman's condition, Grieve. Glad to know she will ultimately be OK - though I'm sure that for her, life will never quite feel the same to her as it did before that accident.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, I agree with 7:40am: the bike lanes are a colossal mistake. They are the physical embodiment of Bloomberg's ego, as enabled by Janette Sadist Khan. Ask any pedestrian over the age of 50 how they perceive those lanes, and you'll hear it loud and clear: the lanes and bike riders present an enormous danger to pedestrians - and the older the pedestrian, the greater the danger.
Thirdly, I have concluded that the survival of people over age 50, and CERTAINLY the survival of people over age 60, is not of interest to anyone in city government. Older pedestrians were obviously NEVER factored into any thinking or planning when it came to bike lanes. (Not that I think much "thinking" went into the bike lanes beyond Emperor Bloomberg saying "let it be done!".)
In a city that *should* be (and is often touted as) a GREAT place to grow old, the bike lanes are essentially a punch in the face to older people, because those lanes have an absolutely negative impact on the safety of people as they "age in place" in NYC. There is NO upside to bike lanes for senior citizens in New York.
Sad the lady got hurt, hope she has a speedy recovery. I don't like these bike lanes, the intent was great protecting cyclist. But I feel the reality is something worse. All automotive traffic making a turn crossing these bike lanes are dangerous. The cars just slow down to make the turn not always making the turn safely. Every driver has this silly entitlement that they have the right of way. I feel how the old street layout was safer, because when a driver had to make a turn with the old layout, they had to slow down more and watch for cars pulling out of parking.
ReplyDeleteBike lanes were indeed a colossal mistake thanks to Khan and jerks like David Crane-iac (who lives on my block). They imperil pedestrians.
ReplyDeleteEvery day as I walk along the 1st Ave. sidewalk I see dozens of bikers ride through red lights. Bikers are worse offenders than cab drivers (who routinely speed up instead of slowing down when they see a yellow caution light)--not because they speed up at yellow lights, but because they rarely stop at red lights in the first place.
I'd like to see a crack down on bikers by the cops, but of course it won't happen. A neighbor thinks that bikers should be licensed.
Two years ago there were some cops stopping errant bikers at 2nd Ave. and 5th Street. I guess it was a one-time event.
Another issue is the engine-like devices used by some bikers, especially those doing deliveries, which turn bikes into motor cycles. Those scofflaws are especially dangerous in the bike lanes, and they also don't stop at red lights.
And if you walk along the side walks during the dark, you will notice that most bikes don't have lights, either yellow front lights or red rear lights, which is an important issue.
Does anyone want to contact a local politician (okay, political thug--I'm suffering from Stockholm syndrome), like comrade Rosie, or whoever would be in charge of changing/enforcing (ha ha) the law?
Bill-anarchist, libertarian, anti-bike laner
8:56 am: I am over 50 and I don't consider bike lanes the problem. The problem is cyclists not following rules, such as riding the wrong way. This might be more likely in a bike lane, but I think the solution is to start ticketing scofflaws and perhaps a campaign to encourage safe cycling. When I cycle, I much prefer bike lanes to riding in traffic. As far as split-phase signals go, I don't think they are necessary at every intersection if riders use common-sense and don't turn alongside trucks and buses. If you make cyclists wait endlessly for lights more will break the rules.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear she will recover, no doubt with a lot of physical therapy, but that beats the other option which we all feared would be the outcome.
ReplyDeleteThe bike lanes themselves are not a mistake--the way they were rapidly rolled out without considering the safety issues by our former Midget Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Janette "The Wrath of" Khan was the problem. Most regular cyclists have finally adapted to the lanes and know how to ride together, but the lanes are getting so crowded that many bikes ride in traffic or on the opposite side now, making life for pedestrians even more chaotic.
The problem is that stupidity is impossible to regulate. Why some pedestrians think bike lanes are for sauntering and looking down at their smartphones is a mystery. Also, newbie skateboarders doing their little flip tricks and learning how to ride properly without veering all over the place is becoming a bigger problem. There are way too may amateur skateboarders vying to get their hipster merit badges out there.
In addition to the issue of the turning lights, the city needs to keep the electric bikes and scooters out of the bike lanes. The delivery guys are using the bike lanes and they can go as fast as the car traffic. The motors are silent and pedestrians can't hear or see them coming since most don't use lights even though they are required to by law. They also cut off and sideswipe regular cyclists.
The local food and merchandise delivery business is exploding with dozens of new delivery apps, and the venture capitalists are taking full advantage of our lax enforcement and fast, cheap bike delivery by using these lanes. I'd almost prefer Amazon's delivery drones to the electric delivery bikes that silently speed up the Avenue the wrong way at 15-20MPH.
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the update. I have been thinking about this woman so much in the last few days. Yesterday, I was standing on the corner of 9th and First by The Bean, watching the cyclist/driver interactions. In less than a minute, I saw a van turning right nearly collide into a cyclist who was going straight up First Avenue. The cyclist pounded on the driver's door, yelling, didn't you see me? The woman apparently did just in time, but was shaking her head like she was mad at the cyclist as he pulled away. There is so much happening on 9th and First with the bikes and the cars that it is hard for pedestrians to even get across the street safely. I notice the bike lane turns onto 9th Street, and lots of cyclists take that turn surprisingly fast. I am not an expert in traffic flow, but something needs to be done here. How do we get something done? Should we all contact 311?
ReplyDeleteI am over 60 and feel safer where there are bike lanes, the green ones.
ReplyDeleteAnd as usual the real issue is the 85%? or more of the public space called "street" that is dedicated to all these privately owned private business pubic polluting vehicles.
Biker here, I still consider it way safer to merge in with the line of cars, than to stay alongside the curb, hold that bike lane, and pray that the motorist sees me coming on his left.
ReplyDeleteMerging is safe. It's not like you have to veer all the way out into the fast lane of 1st avenue. You're still in the left turn lane, and if there's a car in front of you waiting to turn, all the better. I.e. slow traffic.
In other words, WHY ARE CYCLISTS TRYING TO BEAT CARS TO THE INTERSECTION and even more puzzling, why are people advocating this behavior??? The woman in the hospital had right of way, but it didn't do her much good in that instance.
Also implicit in this scenario is the biker's obligation to yield to pedestrians. If a car is waiting to turn left, that probably means it is waiting on peds who are crossing the street. The bike also has to yield to these peds, so in addition to cutting in front of a turning car, you are likely cutting off peds in the crosswalk too, which is WRONG.
tl;dr version: I am a biker and I like the mixing zones. They work just fine for me, I feel quite safe in them. (I am not one of these traffic-riding moron psychos either, the kind that insist that 'the bike lane is actually the most dangerous place on earth to ride a bike') You will never get me to ride up alongside a car's blind spot to assert my "right of way".
The bike lanes are great. It's never been safe to bike in the city, with the lanes it's significantly safer. The issue with bike lanes is they have brought a lot more bikers onto the road who don't know how to bike in traffic and some of them are learning the really hard way because there aren't dedicated bike streets, just lanes. There is also a class of bikers that are ideologically driven to enforce their right of way, rolling over jaywalkers and challenging autos and trucks. Rolling over jaywalkers is being an asshole, challenging motor vehicles is being ready to die for a cause.
ReplyDeleteThere are major crowded cities in the world where crowds and bikes flow through each other with an amazing amount of self organization. In New York the self entitled bubble is everywhere. Pedestrians who just know they're special because they walked these streets when the world was young or are making a preposterous amount of money and have a $700 cell phone to cocoon them, walk and stop with no concern for other street traffic, deciding to chat four abreast on a sidewalk, getting annoyed when someone interrupts their texting session, letting their precious dogs' leash span the width of the sidewalk. Bike riders either fighting a battle for riding right of way or blissfully unaware that they aren't in a car have no "cooperative instinct" with cars or pedestrians. Walkers and drivers are either the enemy or invisible. Drivers, like everywhere else in this country, concentrate on where they want to go in their personal living room, surrounded by a huge metal shell and air conditioning. And, let's face it, truck drivers are just trying to make a living, sometimes without enough sleep and sometimes without the skill to drive a truck, sometimes in a big hurry and sometimes all three.
New York City is crowded these days. Not as crowded as some cities but I'll wager we're way ahead on "most self entitlement per city block" during business hours. The bike lanes aren't going away. Best thing Bloomberg did (not that there's much competition there)
The electric delivery bikes should be licensed like the motorcycles they are. The delivery guys having it both ways, rolling against traffic but having an engine, are dangerous and going to get more so. I don't blame them for trying, delivering food for less than minimum wage plus "tips" is a harsh financial reality, but they need to be tamed.
@Giovanni
ReplyDeleteAll excellent points. I am over 50 and do not hate the bike lanes necessarlly however they have added one more layer of madness when manouvering around the city on foot. I have learned to become much more cautious when stepping off a curb, don't trust that bikes will only come from on direction, always look both ways as we teach kids when they are starting to cross streets on their own.
The bike lanes are not going anywhere but hopefully they will evolve with add safety features. True one can't stop stupidity 100% of the time so again always cross with caution.
Seems there are quite a few people who feel it necessary to declare all bicycle lanes a "mistake" (giving no fact-based evidence of how they are worse than the old status quo of six-lane avenues) while throwing epithets at a former DOT commissioner who's been out of office for four years, when the current DOT staff has seen it fit to expand the bike lanes (with positive results)
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the lanes are used extremely heavily by commuters, residents, and the deliverypeople who serve neighborhood residents while keeping everyone's cherished local businesses afloat.
And the occasion of these complaints is an incident in which a cyclist who was properly using the lane was cut-off and run over by an aggressive driver.
No one ever says "the automobile lanes never worked! I recall the arrogance they had when installing them!"
I suppose the lines are unclear at that intersection, in that they do not explicitly direct the cyclist to merge. Still puzzled by, and in disagreement of these ideas that cyclists are sort sort of sheep that need to be protected with special traffic measures or whatever. The protected bike lanes are a huge enough concession to cyclists IMO. They are not perfect but they do work. I cannot imagine riding the avenues in the pre-PBL days. It seems like some will not be happy until cyclists are given a completely unbroken nonstop continuous pathway through the entire city, on which they don't have to yield to anybody, ever.
ReplyDeleteFolks... Really? People age 65 and older are 13 percent of NYC’s population but account for 57 percent of this year's pedestrian fatalities... inflicted by car drivers (http://nyc.streetsblog.org/2017/04/06/man-struck-in-brooklyn-was-16th-senior-killed-walking-nyc-streets-in-2017/). People who care about these deaths track them and you can read about them, and then compare to the city's population data.
ReplyDeleteBut please tell me more about how bike lanes are the problem. These bike lanes, in fact, shorten crossing distances for pedestrians where islands are also installed, but by all means, keep on ranting how they supposedly place your life at risk.
As an avid biker over 60 I like the bike lanes. They are not perfect of course. My major issue with the bike lanes, esp in the EV is the shitty bikers. Those who don't know bike etiquette. The go way too fast, they don't respect pedestrians. They salmon without respecting those going the right direction. They blindly run red lights. The cars turning is a real threat to bikers, and I imagine the turn lights are an expense and slows overall traffic. They do help protect bikers. Personally I don't get all this bike lane hate.
ReplyDeleteAlso pedestrians feeling menaced or threatened by cyclists, while being its own serious issue, is not exactly relevant to the topic at hand.
ReplyDeleteI am both over 60 and a cyclist living on the LES.
ReplyDeleteAs a pedestrian, I always look both ways before crossing a bike lane(s). This looking,however, only came from experience.
When I used to walk out from Chelsea Piers, I used to "not see" the bikeway, focusing on cars on the adjoining West Side Highway. I thus got in the way of a couple of cyclists - who, thank God, did see me. Practice makes perfect,however; I now look both ways before crossing a lane for either bikes or cars.
As a cyclist, on the other hand, I am astonished at how people many blindly stand in the bike lane, often with smartphones with their backs turned towards incoming cyclists. They are oblivious, just as I once was. Also, drivers frequently stop in the bike lane, not "seeing" cyclists.
The key to solving all this, I think, is greater awareness on everyone's part. Clearly, NYC is making a transition in how urban mass transport is defined and used. Once we are aware that we are stuck seeing and acting in old ways amid a new system - analogous to thinking horse and buggy in an age of cars - we can start seeing differently - leading to more efficient travel amid greater safety.
@11:32am: Thanks for being one more person who disses the needs of older people in this city. You are dismissive of the fact that many older people have slower reaction times, and walk more slowly (esp. if they use a cane). Some day, when you are in the older age group yourself, you'll find out exactly how terrifying it is to try to cross the street with bikes whizzing both ways in every bike lane, not stopping for lights, and generally behaving like each individual one is "king of the hill".
ReplyDeleteAs for NYC, it was FAR better before bike lanes, b/c it was clear then to everyone that biking meant taking your life in your hands. Now we're busy *pretending* that bikers are safe, and that the lanes are used as intended, which is hogwash. Bikers, by and large, have NEVER followed the rules on red lights or much else - biking was all about FREEDOM (which now includes the freedom to severely frighten or injure another person).
And your claim that "These bike lanes, in fact, shorten crossing distances for pedestrians where islands are also installed" may be literally true, but in exchange for "shortening the distance" the lanes have ADDED to the danger of crossing the street b/c, believe me, it was much more safe & straight-forward to cross an avenue when I knew I just had to watch out for cars/trucks which I can *see* and *hear* approaching, and which almost 100% of the time are GOING THE RIGHT WAY and STOP at red lights.
As a NY'er who has lived here my entire life (in 3 boroughs), bike lanes do me no favor at all. But hey, entitled, smug riders, keep going - I see so many of you WITHOUT helmets, WITHOUT lights, often with headphones in, and/or looking at your phones WHILE you're pedaling. Not to mention the bike riders who are out at night without lights, wearing very dark clothing - it's like they have a death wish, but the death they cause could be mine.
I never agreed to be part of this situation, nor were pedestrians consulted on the MAJOR issue of bike lanes vs. no bike lanes. Bike lanes were imposed on us, and you shouldn't be surprised that governance-by-imposition doesn't work well, esp. when there are far, far more pedestrians than there are bike riders. Would you like it if all the bike lanes were ripped out without any bike riders being consulted? I didn't think so.
So just for a MINUTE, try to see things from the other person's POV. (And, BTW, I rode a bike in NYC when I was younger - and I only did it on weekend mornings, at an early hour, when I was safe from the traffic that almost certainly would have killed me on any weekday.)
How many people have to get hit by cars before the city admits this configuration doesn't work? Particularity at a time when nyc is over populated and over saturated with delivery trucks, taxis, Uber, Lyft, Gett, etc in addition to a growing demographic that looks down into their phones at all times. Green death traps.
ReplyDeleteIf you are a pedestrian and terrified of cyclists, much of the problem is perception IMO. A motor vehicle is many many times more hazardous to pedestrian safety in terms of size, stopping power, driver visibility, etc. I do understand that the behavior of most cyclists is not respectful of pedestrians, but they are not a serious threat to their safety. The numbers bear that out. Any normally equipped bike can come to a stop very abruptly, and besides that cyclists have a vested interest in avoiding contact with any person or thing. If you are frail and infirm then I suppose yes, a moving bike can pose a life-threatning danger. But for everyone who isn't, you can use your wits to survive these two-wheeled terrors. I think it's mostly a case of people not liking the added distractions of bikes, and feeling like they now have to be more vigilant when crossing the street. I don't know man, since I moved here like two decades ago, I pretty much resigned myself to looking both ways when crossing even a oneway side street. Because, big city, and you never know. The way some people talk about this place through rose-colored glasses, you'd think it was once Main Street USA.
ReplyDelete@11:32am The streets and sidewalks are no more dangerous now for the elderly than they were when you and I weren't elderly. Getting old sucks but it beats the alternative. You should try riding sometime. I do, and the exercise helps keep me "young". For what it's worth I've ridden all my life in the city so it's easier for me to stay out of trouble in traffic, but with the bike lanes traffic radar is only needed if someone is trying to make time. Taken at a leisurely pace 2nd Avenue is no longer a terrifying gauntlet, and Broadway from Times to Union Squares has changed from a tangled mass of cabs and trucks to an almost idyllic cruise or walk.
ReplyDeletePlus bikes don't foul the air. My lungs aren't what they used to be and I can't even stroll in FDR park where it's right on the highway because the exhaust is suffocating.
@joseph hanania - You got that right. Some of the smartphone people will never learn but eventually the crowds will be educated. I, too, stepped into bike lanes without looking once or twice when they first came in but quickly learned to check, just as we watch for drivers running red lights or improvising U Turns or backing up in an open parking space frenzy.
Cars think they own the road and therefore they suck.
ReplyDeleteCyclists think they own the road and therefore they suck.
Pedestrians have their stupid fucking heads buried in their phone texting with headphones on drunk and therefore they suck.
Point being, we all fucking suck and lack basic consideration and empathy for one another. I hope the lady gets better soon. Fuck you all and fuck me too.
@10:46AM I agree, we all have to cross streets the way we taught children to cross the street, which is why I always look 3 ways before crossing (see below).
ReplyDelete@11:39AM. Pedestrians are an intrinsic part of the problem when you are riding in the bike lanes. A lot of their fear is caused by cyclists going the wrong way. A lot of cyclists fear is caused by pedestrians not looking not looking 3 ways before they cross -- you need to first look in the direction of traffic, then against it to make sure no one is riding against in, then look again in the direction of traffic before crossing, since fast moving cars and bikes can cover a city block in a matter of seconds.
A fast bike or electric scooter can cover a whole block in 5-6 seconds. Before there were bike lanes I could easily do a block in 6-7 seconds, and on the way back from Central Park would count off the time to see how fast I could go. A CitiBike can easily cover a block in 9-10 seconds (not counting the intersections). At least half the time I am riding in the bike lane I am looking out for pedestrians who look like they are about to jump in front of me. It's nerve-wracking.
2:19 You make good points. The protected bike lanes can be a nice ride when used right, and Broadway is an especially bike-friendly downtown-bound route.
ReplyDeleteFunny how times change. Back in the day if an NYC pedestrian was ever terrorized by a bike it was a daredevil messenger on a fixed-gear track bike. In 2017 it's a recent post college grad wearing a dress and espadrills and riding a clunky rental bike on her way home from her marketing internship or whatever.
ReplyDeleteHere's the bottom line on this issue - which bike riders always try to shrug off, but they need to own it: If all bike riders would obey all traffic laws to the same extent that motor vehicles do, then bike lanes and bike riders would not be a contentious issue in NYC.
ReplyDeleteThen we could stop having this "transfer-the-blame game" discussion.
Bravo 1:09 PM...I say it over and over LICENSE THE BICYCLISTS. Once we know WHO they are they can be managed and expected to be responsible citizens. Until then they are reckless and dangerous renigades to the vast majority of us who PROUDLY WALK.
ReplyDeleteI stopped riding my bike this year after riding 40 years in the city. I had a bad accident (with another bike who ran into me not paying attention) and after I got back to riding after recovery I had several close calls everytime I rode, from other bikers mostly, sometimes a car. So many more people biking, but everyone with their own set of rules and behaviors. I gave it up because I was getting angry slamming on my brakes again and again from other bikes carelessness and daredevilry. I made it a point to ride slow, the right direction, stop at red lights, etc. It didn't matter. After I listed my bike for sale, I took it for a last ride around the hood. Crossing Delancey with the light, a car turned off Allen St and went thru the red light as I was 2 lanes into crossing. Slammed the brakes, he missed my front wheel by an inch. Glad I'm out of the biking in NYC world. Not missing it at all.
ReplyDeleteI have been riding a bike all my life and in NYC for the past 25 years, and this will sound biased because it is, and I can assure everyone that these partitioned bike lanes are idiotic and the habits of this generation of "new yorkers" is the worst I and humanity have ever seen.
ReplyDeleteI mentioned earlier and I will say it again, these have become extended sidewalks, go check out 8th avenue in Midtown, thousands are walking in the street every day at rush hour,considering the recent incidents overseas of terrorists using trucks to kill people, these commuters will be the easiest prey for them. Surprisingly the NYPD has not figured this out yet and has not curbed this stupid behavior.
I have also seen the usual group of hipster douches standing in a group in the bike lane like they were still in their kindergarden communal workspace environment. I have seen people cross over without looking for bikers go and wait for the light to change at the median or just stand in the lane like sheep. Even the elderly do it sad to say. These bike lanes are just another road to cross, which isn't safe at all. It's also for hazardous for people and children getting out of their cars because now they have to look out both sides before they exit when in normal times it took only one.
And it's good that people are cognizant of the motorized bicycles, or as they should be known, motorcycles, unlicensed motorcycles ( I call them pussybikes, because these assholes are to weak to pedal naturally), although how can you not because these bikes are everywhere now whizzing around like locusts, more like retarded locusts. And they get away with violating traffic laws because they are providing the most essential service in what's become a wretched billion dollar industry, app food delivery for lazy kids who can't bag their own lunch, make a sandwich, and lack the ability to be self-reliant.
And enforcement is a joke, because the NYPD is still driven by quotas, and only enforce the law when there is a deliberate focus on certain violations and they wind up stopping riders for not having a bell, running a light when the coast is clear, riding out of the lane when a vehicle or a hazard is obstructing it, or immediately after a biker gets killed in an accident. They arbitrarily pull over these marks then after you get a summons you see the same shithead behavior by the usual suspect thug bikers whizzing reds, texting and riding with no hands on the bars, and slaloming around people.
Frankly, the most reckless behavior I have witnessed has been coming more from bikers. There was a time when I always worried about cars, buses and trucks cutting me off, and they're still out there, but not as much as these wannna be poser hot shot Lance Armstrongs and dickweed alley cat types. I once was tied up with some stupid broad as she tried to pass me on the left with a moving truck on the left of me I kid you all not, I fell on my leg and the bitch rode away and felt the pain hours later which made me miss a week of work. Daily I've been getting cut off without warning, and these dicks come real close when they pass. And some of these bags of dead dicks and shit pass you with their hands off the handlebars, like they are showing off what meager virility they have and the fact that the city is now their giant playground.
I know this because I am one of those fixed gear couriers, and all this crap I witness every day is making my life difficult and with the risk these maggots on wheels takes it's making the cost of living and a future earning one more precarious every day. And why because we are all getting to old and can't keep up anymore. Like this is some Logan's Run society.
In the past decade I have changed my riding habits and stop at the light at busy intersections and avoid riding the wrong way. But honestly, it was safer before all these new lanes and medians with pretty flowers and trees went up.
I also stopped biking in the city. I stopped a few years ago because I couldn't take the risk anymore. First Avenue is a bike highway now. There are also issues with gangs of kids on bikes. I was on the Lower East Side a few days ago and got buzzed by two kids as I was crossing Essex. I didn't think it was intentional, but then I crossed Houston and was walking up Avenue A by Union Market and two of them came speeding down the sidewalk toward me. I was close to that little ramp next to the market and froze because there were two of them, and I was damned if I jumped to the left, and I am not young enough to hop over the rail onto the ramp. One whizzed by and the other kid steered into the ramp and a bag of garbage and yelled at me like it was my fault. I was walking on the sidewalk! They were biking on the sidewalk! I guess they enjoy harassing people. The jerk who also took me down was wearing a block hoodie that said freedom on the back of it.
ReplyDeleteBicycle license, registration, and insurance.
ReplyDeleteTickets for bikes running red lights, making illegal turns.
One year revocation of your bike license if you hit someone illegally.
Lifetime revocation if you hit someone illegally again.
Thank you @7:51pm and @7:58pm for telling the truth about how bike riders behave.
ReplyDelete@9:26pm: WTF does "hitting someone illegally" mean? How do you hit someone "legally"?
9:26 PM
ReplyDeleteHilarious.
Kill someone with your car (as is the case every single day); no problem. Have a nice day.
@11:44pm: What a useless comment. You're comparing things that are not comparable, presumably in an attempt to defend bike riders who don't follow the rule. Your critical thinking skills fall well short of what would be needed to make the case you are trying to make - because if you look at all the facts and the REALITY that stares us in the face every day, your argument holds no water.
ReplyDeleteIn public discussion and media coverage of transportation/traffic, there seems to be little acknowledgment of the huge amount of traffic generated by instant gratification and e-commerce delivery.
ReplyDeleteIronically some of the most ardent cycling advocates are big users of delivery - which generates massive vehicle traffic.
All you irrational bike haters need to take a chill pill. Woman bicyclist is critical injured by a car and all you want to do is exaggerate about how dangerous bicyclists are without any empirical evidence - just antidotes about being frighten. Cars are what should frighten you.
ReplyDelete@1:37pm: It's not up to you to tell me (or anyone) what "should" frighten me/us, thanks.
ReplyDeleteI will continue to assess my risks, and cars are far down my personal list relative to bike riders.
Why are New York bike lanes green? This makes people, especially tourists, assume they're in a pedestrian zone. Green says, "Step off the sidewalk and hang out in this nice relaxing zone". Especially if there are flowers and trees.
ReplyDeletePaint bike lanes red, like many European cities do. And paint mixed zones with a red checkerboard pattern.
Aside from that, do fine bikers who drive the wrong way, and make them attend bike safety courses; too many people here think they can just drive the way they did back in the old country.
Most bike lanes aren't green anymore, they're black like the pavement. That's to help them blend in with the rest of the street so that the cars don't know where not to drive.
Delete