From the Times Ledger:Officers at the 112th Precinct will start ticketing the neighborhood’s bikers who break the rules of the road, saying in many cases it is for their own good.
Lt. John Gavan addressed residents at a community council meeting Jan. 19, saying the increased enforcement, through ticketing and public outreach, is part of a citywide effort to stop bad cycling practices.
Many residents have complained about near accidents with delivery drivers from restaurants along Queens Boulevard and Austin Street, but Gavan said the rules apply to anyone on two wheels.
The stepped-up enforcement will be a benefit to everyone in the neighborhood, according to Heidi Chain, president of the 112th Precinct Community Council.
Chain said there are numerous problem areas, especially around Queens Boulevard, but bicycles with electric motors attached to them have also been causing problems both for pedestrians and the motorists.
“Queens Boulevard has been a problem area with the motorized bicycles,” she said. “They don’t obey the traffic laws.”
And according to the state Department of Motor Vehicles, the electric scooters are not even legal.
Chain said cyclists ride against traffic, cruise on the sidewalks and run stop signs and red lights.
But the bikes, whether motorized or not, are required to follow traffic laws, Chain said.
The list of possible offenses includes improper riding, too many riders, failure to obey the traffic rules, no signal devices, driving the wrong way, failure to yield to a pedestrian crossing at the crosswalk and riding on the sidewalk, according to Chain.
But aside from tickets, officers will be handing out another slip of paper.
They will be going to restaurants that employ delivery drivers informing owners, managers and drivers about correct cycling practices and the consequences of breaking them, according to Chain. The idea is to get as much information out to the neighborhood as possible before the ticketing begins.
26 comments:
But what will streetsblog and gothamist say?
www.forgotten-ny.com
This is really a silly vendetta. What about stepped up car enforcement? Or ticking j-walkers on Austin?
I like how it's automatically a "vendetta". As if bikes aren't mounting the sidewalk as captured in this photo.
Bikes on the sidewalk. Bikes running the wrong ways. Bikes running lights and stop signs. Bikes running lights. Bikes crossing against people at the crosswalks. Bikes locked up to things they shouldn't be. Bikes without proper reflectors.
While the ratio of good to bad drivers might be about 50/50 in this city, the radio of bad bikers to good bikers is closer to 95/5.
bikers are special and deserve special rules or so say the idiot bikers!!!
ABOUT TIME!! They need to hit downtown Flushing bigtime...
Those electric bike illegals are effing psychos...and they look at you funny after nearly running you over. Surprised no one has started throwing rocks at their heads...yet.
No matter who you are, or what you ride, obey the law and you won't have to worry about "silly vendettas", or any other kind of vendetta.
While the ratio of good to bad drivers might be about 50/50 in this city, the radio of bad bikers to good bikers is closer to 95/5.
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Please count every motor vehicle which exceeds the 30 mph local street limit, and then we'll see how your 50/50 holds up....
I'm commenter # 2, and FWIW I agree completely about electric bikes, bikes on the sidewalks, and riding the wrong way on one way streets.
What I don't get is the fanfare in enforcing these rules...where the hell has the NYPD been till now, and why only certain areas?
Yes, there are dangerous cyclists, that should be addressed. The problem with a crackdown is in an effort to make numbers, the police will probably ticket your casual recreational rider for harmless infractions such as not having a bell or not hand signaling lane changes or turns.
There's a difference between people riding on a sidewalk with pedestrians, which is dangerous, and mounting an empty sidewalk at a slow speed to get around a narrow heavily trafficked or otherwise dangerous portion of the road. There is a big difference between reckless and technically illegal, but any crackdown will likely not make such a distinction.
Crappy, despite personally being inconvenienced by the new bike lanes, and my dislike for the whiny hipsters and streetbloggers who think we can all live on bikes and cars are unnecessary and evil, there is some merit to their arguments for safer bike infrastructure. There are too many people driving who are reckless and dangerous and show no respect for the safety of those around them. For all the talk of how dangerous cyclists are, everyday we all witness people in cars doing reckless and stupid things that are far more dangerous to others around them.
This will give Heidi Chain something to do besides giving blow jobs to police officers at her local precinct.
the n.y.c. council should pass a law mandating that all restaurant owners purchase accident insurance for all of their bike delivery boys,especially on the U.E.S..
we know who resides in that liberal/progressive section of Manhattan, don't we? at least, the pedestrians that are hit will receive medical reimbursements.
Why don't you be a little more specific about who lives in that part of Manhattan?
How about not referring to them as boys just because they are menial workers. It just makes you sound like an elitist asshole.
Put all the bikes in Frushing.
It looks like China anyway.
You can already see the Orientals riding their bikes on Northern Blv'd. in the warm weather.
Velly nice....velly picturesque.
When is John Liu going to swim in the Flushing River like he promised after the clean up.
Chairman Mao loved to swim.
As Chris Rock says, "Obey the Law".
The 112th has robbers going around attacking people, and they focus on bicycles. Go figure... another waste of resources. This is what the Community Council wants, so the Captain must obey, or else!
always evading the issue,aren't you ? it is the restaurant owners in n.y.c., who are placing their bike delivery boys and pedestrians in physical jeopardy. owners make the profit .take care of your employees and protect the public on the sidewalks.
put your money where your mouth is.don't you care about human beings?
Here's how I care: if you wrote your original post as someone who knows how to write in English, instead of someone who learned how to do so about five minutes ago, people wouldn't be asking you what you're talking about.
This is really a silly vendetta.
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Apparently, to some people, any time the cops take enforcement action it is a vendetta, harassment etc. I say to the NYPD, let the summonses fly!
I think vendetta is accurate--hundreds of thousands of pedestrians j-walk on every street in NYC every day, and the NYPD doesn't ticket them.
30 MPH is the speed limit but I don't know if most cruisers even have radar guns in them.
I'm all for ticketing dangerous bikers, but a 'crackdown' amounts to something else...like a vendetta!
Also, given the majority of bike complaints seem to be focused on delivery/messengers, why not pass a law making the business responsible too?
We clearly need bike lanes on Queens Boulevard along with general traffic enforcement. Naturally the greatest danger on Queens Boulevard is that posed by reckless drivers and poor safety design for pedestrians and bicyclists.
As for electric bikes, this technology's rapid introduction has been the source of much debate within the bicycle community. There's no monolith. Some argue that while they are green vehicles, they shouldn't be classified as bicycles. Others allow for nuance -- a bike capable of delivering a short energy burst to assist a rider uphill at slow speeds might still count as a bicycle, while a bike able to motor over 20 mph for sustained periods would not.
Bicycle delivery people should be outfitted with restaurant names and such, and their infractions and accidents should rest with the business. Otherwise bosses will pressure the riders into unsafe schedules. Naturally, these unsafe schedules reflect the demands of customers, who in turn are often those complaining about bike delivery riders' shortcuts and violations. No MSG, please, but an extra bit of hypocrisy? :)
Bicycle commuters do need a safe conduit from Central Queens to Manhattan. Queens Boulevard alone can provide that.
a great idea....each restaurant on the U.E.S must have their bike delivery boys outfitted in colors like jockeys ,and mandatory colored helmets. each would have an identity number on their jacket/shirt.
the n.y.c. council should be sent a copy of these comments.
QUEENS CRAPPER COMMENTERS ROCK
Eric Baard ~
Who sent you here? Saddik-Khan? She hasn't been spotted on any of the bike lanes in Queens
Yes please ticket away on these horrible scooters going the wrong way etc. And start ticketing drivers also instead of just at the end of the month.
Oh and to the commenter that thinks bloomberg who drains public funds for private endeavors is progressive, your hilarious. But thats a faux news brand right winger.
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