Sunday, August 2, 2009

Will he stay or will he go?

This is from a post called "13 seconds on Manhattan Avenue" by Miss Heather.

Click photo to find out whether Mr. Avant Garde stays put.

27 comments:

Erik Baard said...

This is below trivial. Would the site even have the bandwidth to handle all of the video that could be compiled of cars and trucks running red lights without being ticketing, often at great risk to others?

There are vendettas, and then there are boring vendettas.

If you want to get on the Tall Bike subculture, there are plenty of asinine elements within it. For example: http://www.villagevoice.com/2006-03-14/nyc-life/mutant-bike-gangs-of-new-york/

But with true crimes in construction, corruption in development, historic and natural places under threat, and other pressing issues (and entertaining ones) the obsession with bicyclists devalues this useful blog.

Queens Crapper said...

Glad to hear you think blowing a red light in a car is serious, but doing the same on a bicycle is trivial.

Complain to Miss Heather. She sent it to me personally.

Anonymous said...

its not trivial. i almost got hit by a moron on a bike running a red light last night. obey the traffic laws, red lights are not polite suggestions, its really that simple.

Erik Baard said...

Well, in terms of endangering others, compare the speed and tonnage. Really. Antagonism, in this case, has overridden reason (pun intended).

When bicyclists run lights, they endanger themselves most. The real damage they do to others is in causing stress, and should a fatal accident occur, it's completely unfair to burden someone else with the emotional weight of having taken a life. Even if the accident is the cyclist's fault, the human mind isn't entirely rational (as is so often demonstrated here) and heartbreaking guilt follows.

Sometimes a cyclist running a light can hurt others in an accident. More often, riding on the sidewalk carries this potential. But it's so much rarer than automobile accidents. Moreover, in comparison to other urban ills and the topics covered by this blog, bikes running red lights is a trivial thing. The obsession diminishes the other good work of this blog.

Queens Crapper said...

Yes, when that cyclist knocked me on my ass while I was walking home from picking up Chinese food, left me with a swollen hand that I couldn't close for a week and left tire marks across my shirt, I was thinking how much he endangered himself by riding on the sidewalk.

Miss Heather said...

Dear Erik:

At what point do I write anything in said post about this bicycle running a red light--- or anything derogatory about bikes and bicyclists in general?

The reason I shot this video was because I was walking home last night at 9:00 p.m. and, much to my amazement, an 8 foot tall bicycle was cruising down Manhattan Avenue. This is not a common sight hereabouts--- much less on Greenpoint's main drag.

Catching him running a red light was--- believe it or not--- incidental. But now that we're on the subject...

Methinks you doth protest too much. It's the humorless, pedantic, shrill rhetoric of folks like you (e.g.; my so-called "obsession with bicyclists") and scofflaw bicyclists (like this guy--- whose "ride" I found fascinating--- hence why I documented it) that give bicyclists a bad reputation. Not my blog.

In conclusion (and to reiterate) I posted this short film because I found it amusing. It really is that simple.

Lighten up.

Queens Crapper said...

I think he's talking to me, Miss Heather. Do I have a vendetta against bicyclists? Only when they act holier than thou about cars then turn around and defend a bike doing the same thing.

Frank Lloyd Crap suggested the word "bikehole." It will escape the censors yet everyone will still know exactly what you mean.

Bikehole.

Use it liberally.

Queens Crapper said...

And to follow up on what I wrote to Miss Heather, I'd like to see the process of mounting and dismounting that thing.

Anonymous said...

The bike nuts always say it never happens. Cars stop at red lights 99.9999%, bike nuts 5% tops.

Got my license to renew and there was a handout on being nice to bikers in it.

The point is if car drivers were as cavaliar as bike nuts this city would be in choas. The bike nuts are part of Blumturds agenda to redo the city.

They still have not answered why its ok not to have schools but ok to spend money on bike lanes.

Kevin Walsh said...

>>>Sometimes a cyclist running a light can hurt others in an accident. More often, riding on the sidewalk carries this potential. But it's so much rarer than automobile accidents. Moreover, in comparison to other urban ills and the topics covered by this blog, bikes running red lights is a trivial thing. <<

Erik, would it KILL you to admit that er, ah, bicyclists can be wrong?

I ride a bike myself and obey the lights and ride with traffic. I'd like to hear more bicycle advocates ***forcefully*** making the case that traffic regs should be followed instead of trivializing their offenses.

www.forgotten-ny.com

Erik Baard said...

Again, it's a matter of sane proportionality.

Erik Baard said...

And please re-read: I noted riding on the sidewalk as a more probable danger to others posed by cyclists than red light running. Not themselves.

Sorry you were injured by someone who was thoughtless of others.

Anonymous said...

I don't read it as anti bike people, but as anti-bike people who don't follow the law. Everyday I find myself yelling at a biker to get off the sidewalk or stop at the light.

I also live on a very dangerous corner in Rego Park where motorists don't stop at the stop sign (usually also on their cell phones) My dog is even afraid to cross. One night a young man actually came up on the sidewalk heading straight at me and my dog. Another young man standing on the other corner yelled like bloody hell at the idiot.

My precient (112) could hire another hundred officers with ticketing in one week. Between the bikers and motorists breaking the law maybe a new police station? Also the most mototists going threw a red light is one right in front of the 112.

georgetheatheist said...

Think about it. How's this guy supposed to stop for the red light and not keel over?

Anonymous said...

Good point, Georgie Boy, then I guess they should be outlawed on city streets. Obviously dangerous.
Good for a circus though.

Anonymous said...

The thing is if a car hit him after he blew the red light,he would blame the driver of the car. Hmmm,no bell,no light,no reflectors,that's about$300 for the city plus another$50 for the state in the surcharge. Hey b-berg and patterson,here's some extra cash for ya!

Bugleg said...

I'm glad someone mentioned the intersection in front of the 112 stationhouse, where it is local custom to go LEFT ON RED inbetween a police station and a middle school...so I'm not buying the 99.999% cars stopping at red lights.

I bike and drive alot, and honestly I don't see a huge difference between motorist and bikers. About 10% of each are complete jerks with no regard for their own or others safety.

I find the efforts of partisans on each side to demonize the other weak and unfounded.

And in the spirit of truthiness, I do break traffic laws on my bike that I wouldn't dream of breaking behind the wheel. It is different, which is why police are much less likely to ticket a bike for going through a stop sign/light than a car.

Crappy, there are some misbehaving bikes on the road for sure, but your obsession does begin to seem like an irrational vendetta. If traffic laws are so sacrosanct, any explanation for the rampant breaking of them @ Austin and Yellowstone and the failure of the police to do anything about it in their front yard?

Anonymous said...

erik,

It's not worth engaging crapper and the folks here. they've already made up their minds. your energy is better spent elsewhere.

Le Gross Foo Chat said...

OK, I guess I'm just another fool. The red light business got by me completely. I just appreciated Miss Heather bringing us another amusing short video. And like Crappy, I'd like to see the process of mounting and dismounting that thing.

Anonymous said...

erik,

It's not worth engaging crapper and the folks here. they've already made up their minds. your energy is better spent elsewhere.

--

Like developers, tower people, developers, city planning, developers, community boards, developers, local politicans, developers, Transporation Alternatives, developers, local newspaper editors, developers, waterfront advocates, developers ...

who needs the regular folks of Queens with the balls to think and speak their minds with opinions that are not given to them?

No one gave them that privledge.

Anonymous said...

Hey Eric, the decals from the developers look really nice on those kyacks!

How are the speaking engagements going now that city planning has decided you are the face for the green movement?

Anonymous said...

The amount of 'ink' spent on hating bikes is very extreme on this site. I read it because good Queens stuff arises, but the anti-Bloomberg agenda barely exceeds the anti-bike agenda. What's really lacking on this site is some perspective. I wouldn't even come close to putting bikeholes - and oh yeah they're definitely out there - in the top 20 issues hurting New Yorkers.

SPY vs SPY said...

Myth
The amount of 'ink' spent on hating bikes is very extreme on this site.

Reality
THE AMOUNT OF EFFORT PUT IN BY THE CITY SELLING BIKES IS NOT WORTH THE EFFORT WHEN REAL ISSUES LIKE INADEQUATE SEWERS, SCHOOLS, AND TRANSPORATION ARE IGNORED. TALKING ABOUT CHAIRS IN TIMES SQ AND BIKE LANES WHILE PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS IS NOT EXTREME.

JUST STUPID.

Myth
I read it because good Queens stuff arises, but the anti-Bloomberg agenda barely exceeds the anti-bike agenda.

Reality
EH? GOOD STUFF? YOU READ VICKY'S RESTAURANT REVIEWS AND GARY'S PERSONAL ADS TOO?

Myth
What's really lacking on this site is some perspective.

Reality
YES, BUT COMPARIED TO THE WEEKLY PRESS, THE POLS, AND THE GENERAL POLITICAL ENVIRNMENT OF THIS CITY CRAP IS A VERTIBLE TOPOGRAPHIC MAP.

Myth
I wouldn't even come close to putting bikeholes - and oh yeah they're definitely out there - in the top 20 issues hurting New Yorkers.

Reality
WELL WE WOULD PUT BIKE ASSHOLES RIGHT UP ON THE LIST.

JUST CANT STAND REAL NEW YORKERS, EH KIDDIES?

dreamking said...

Haha - a real New Yorker doesn't use all caps. *flush*

Bugleg said...

'Real' New Yorkers? The city that practically invented the bike courier is actually anti bike? I wonder who you consider 'real' and who is 'fake'

Queens Crapper said...

The person using all CAPS was "anti-bike" in your estimation. Although I see it more as anti-tweeding because that's all this bike lane B.S. is.

Speeder said...

Hey Erik ,

I have given up with debating the bike thing here, as a biker and a driver I agree there are Bikeholes and Carholes and about the same percentage in both. I obey the rules that make sense in both and try not to break the others when the cops are around with the ones that dont.
For now I will just agree with the 96% of the other stories on this site and respectfully disagree with the bike venom on here.

Keep up the good work crapper

Speeder