Sunday, August 5, 2018

Cyclists think rules don't apply to them


From CBS 2:

Surveillance video shows a child run off a bus and get run down by a person on a bike, who blew past the bus’s flashing stop sign.

“Bikers need to abide the laws,” said community activist Gary Schlesinger, who’s been leading a social media campaign that highlights bikers behaving badly in Brooklyn. “Passing a stopped school bus that’s a terrible thing, because it’s almost impossible not to hit a child.”

In May, another bicyclist sped through a bus’s stop sign and hit a child; another raced through a red light and crashed into a woman pushing a baby stroller.

“People feel frustrated at so many accidents happening,” Schlesinger said.

So frustrated, in fact, they’ve begun taking matters into their own hands. One bus nearly hit a bicyclist trying to block him from going past.

“That is absolutely dangerous,” said Schlesinger.

Parents and drivers Layton spoke with said they’re concerned that if the NYPD doesn’t step up enforcement fast, a child might get seriously hurt.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

These guys on bikes do whatever they want. I can't count the times that I've been almost mowed down by a person on a bike.

J said...

"Parents and drivers Layton spoke with said they’re concerned that if the NYPD doesn’t step up enforcement fast, a child might get seriously hurt"

Enforce these rules, sure, cyclists shouldn't be doing this but we barely enforce the rules for cars. The fixation on bad cyclist behavior has more to do with anger at the cultural shift and attitude of cyclists. How about the attitude of drivers who think it is okay to drive drunk, drive on their cell phones, cut across multiple lanes Lanes on the highway, cut people off, speed through residential streets, run red lights, roll through stop signs, on and on and on.

How many people are killed by cars and how many are killed by cyclists? It is foolish to waste time on a minor annoyance when we ignore and even justify the reprehensible and legitimately dangerous behavior of drivers around the city . Get your priorities straight.

Anonymous said...

A friend was just hit in the ankle by a ten speeder. And his friend got creamed in the jaw by the handlebars. ER admittances have been sky rocketing with victims of bicycle accidents.
They're riding roughshod over pedestrians. Time for bike license plates and insurance coverage to be required. I wanna know who hits me and have recourse. If they want to be considered vehicles....enforce the traffic rules for violators!

georgetheatheist said...

Look, the reality - the reality - is for a bicyclist (btw non-insured and non-regulated) to obey the same motor vehicle traffic laws is just not physically and mentally realistic. When riding a bicycle, you've developed a "head of steam" - a momentum - that gets dissipated if you stop at every red light and stop sign. How's that "head of steam" and momentum broken when a driver of a motor vehicle just has to exert minor foot pressure on the gas pedal to continue travelling?

Bicycles and motor vehicles = apples and oranges. You can increase the presence of cops but I bet you this problem will not go away.

Joe said...

They did that same shit in Great Neck, always in July Or August when people are enjoying vacation. Now Great Neck has low income towers and Town of North Hempstead government is infested with Democrat liberals rubber stamping every re-zone, permit and extra useless town employee.
Average school and property taxes in Manhasset where the bigger lots are have jumped from $8000 to $26,000. Now giant deep creators and demolition fences are popping up all around the train station with a with Asian names on the permit signage

Anonymous said...

Adult bicyclists should be licensed just like an automobile driver. Made to take a safety course and a written test. Have their bikes inspected and registered once a year and plated, so that they can be readily identified. They should also be required to have liability insurance. They should be required to wear safety helmets just like motorcyclists. If not then the NYPD should confiscate the bikes and charge for the storage. Write and email your local councilman, the mayor and your state representatives.

Anonymous said...

@ J said... Thanks !

Anonymous said...

@ georgetheatheist said... You are right !

Anonymous said...

Let's face it no one likes to stop and wait.I've seen cars go around stopped school buses too.
It's wrong and if you get caught you deserve the fine,same with a bike.Bikers are raelly out of control in Manhattan,the things I've seen with bikers going thru crosswalks and running red light, I am amazed there aren't more accidents and injuries.

Anonymous said...

HEY GEORGETHEATHEIST,WHEN RIDING A BICYCLE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY OBEYING THE TRAFFIC LAWS ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE IF YOU WANT TO ARRIVE HOME ALIVE IN ONE PIECE. IF YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN HANDS MOMENTUM AND HEAD OF STEAM SHOULD TAKE A BACK SEAT. YOU CHOOSE TO RIDE MANUAL POWERED TRANSPORTATION. LIVE WITH YOUR CHOICE. ALL BICYCLES SHOULD HAVE INSURANCE,LICENSE PLATES AND REGISTRATION. IF BICYCLES WANT HALF THE ROAD I PAY FOR THEN THEY SHOULD PAY THEIR FARE SHARE TOO. BICYCLES RUN RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, TRAVEL THE WRONG WAY, RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK AND DO NOT USE THESE BIKE LANES. THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT, ONLY WHEN THEY ARE INJURED OR DIE. THEN THE MOTIRUST IS ALWAYS HELD RESPONSIBLE. WHAT A DISGRACE!

Anonymous said...

HEY GEORGETHEATHEIST,WHEN RIDING A BICYCLE MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY OBEYING THE TRAFFIC LAWS ARE OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE IF YOU WANT TO ARRIVE HOME ALIVE IN ONE PIECE. IF YOU CHOOSE TO TAKE YOUR LIFE IN YOUR OWN HANDS MOMENTUM AND HEAD OF STEAM SHOULD TAKE A BACK SEAT. YOU CHOOSE TO RIDE MANUAL POWERED TRANSPORTATION. LIVE WITH YOUR CHOICE. ALL BICYCLES SHOULD HAVE INSURANCE,LICENSE PLATES AND REGISTRATION. IF BICYCLES WANT HALF THE ROAD I PAY FOR THEN THEY SHOULD PAY THEIR FARE SHARE TOO. BICYCLES RUN RED LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS, TRAVEL THE WRONG WAY, RIDE ON THE SIDEWALK AND DO NOT USE THESE BIKE LANES. THERE IS NO ENFORCEMENT, ONLY WHEN THEY ARE INJURED OR DIE. THEN THE MOTIRUST IS ALWAYS HELD RESPONSIBLE. WHAT A DISGRACE!

JQ LLC said...

J:

It's not a minor annoyance anymore, it's become a regular thing. A woman was struck and killed by a car in L.I.C. when she ran the red.

Although the biker was definitely wrong when he kept rolling despite the bus's lights flashing, the bus driver made the street unsafer for kids exiting the bus by parking in that jackknife position.

And it's going to get worse, now that statistically there are more bike commuters than ever, especially with the bike shares, there are going to be more selfish reckless riders that have the same attitudes and do the same violations that you mentioned.

George:

About momentum, it's definitely realistic to stop if you apply the same mentality when you ride a bike as you drive a car, slowing down for yellows, stop signs or even when you see the don't walk sign flashing (which a lot of motorists tend to hit the gas once it does) and even when there are bikes ahead or coming towards you. I do it all the time and I ride a fixed bike.

That's the main problem with these bike lanes, especially on Queens Blvd., it gives the impression that you have an unencumbered route which gives impressionable people that they don't have to stop.

And the problem certainly is going to subside. Because the NYPD is barely doing much of anything to enforce the law thanks to having a criminal, immoral, neoliberal mayor who is barely here and incompetent in all fields when he is.

Transportation Alternatives wanted all this and now the unwanted ramifications are going to come in spades from their persistent shady lobbying and influence on the DOT commissioner.

Anonymous said...

Bicyclists,not bikers...

Anonymous said...

What's a bus driver to do. The Cops will not enforce the law, so the citizens have no choice. Maybe people will have to start carrying canes like they did in the 19th century to protect themselves. You know, stick to 'em! where it hurts, right in the spokes.

georgetheatheist said...

When you're in a car, you're confined by it's 4 walls, When on a bicycle, it's open air all around. You can see, hear, feel your freedom.

@JQ LLC: "...if you apply the same mentality when you ride a bike as you drive a car..."

That's my point: the mentality is different. JQ, if there's absolutely NOBODY there at the red light - no old guy with a walker, no lady pushing a baby carriage, no cop car hiding behind the trees - you still stop cycling and wait? If so, you're a better man than most of us, Gunga Din.

I've ridden cross country from NYC to San Francisco in my day. Almost got killed when a semi roared by me in western Wyoming and the passing air suction blew me off. But that's another story. Sometimes barreling through the stop sign and red light is the safer thing to do. Why? Because you're ahead of the traffic that's sitting behind you waiting and you can maneuver quickly to a safer position down that road.

I submit these bicycle accident incidents occur because of the fear factor in the cyclists' minds.

Anonymous said...

Pardon et moi!
Cyclists not bikers.
What's the fucking difference if you get hit by some free wheeling dope and wind up in the ER? Sounds like you've been knocked in the head a bit yourself. The subject is SAFETY not SEMANTICS!

Anonymous said...

Yawn! Same old "rock star" posters! Get a life!

Anonymous said...

>That's my point: the mentality is different. JQ, if there's absolutely NOBODY there at the red light - no old guy with a walker, no lady pushing a baby carriage, no cop car hiding behind the trees - you still stop cycling and wait?

I'm not a fan of psycho cyclists or bike lanes everywhere, but George is right - there's no reason to wait at a red like like a sheep when there's no one around, any more than a pedestrian would. Life is to short for all these pointless enforced waits.

Anonymous said...

Bikes don't kill, bikers do.

Anonymous said...

Hey George, yours is the type of attitude we're trying to prevent! You must be an adult child from the 60s, huh?

Anonymous said...

Oh please, watch just about any stopped school bus with flashing red lights and you will see motorists obliviously or impatiently drive right by.
Flagrant traffic violations are the norm among drivers, but lets be outraged about some guy who bumped a kid at 4 mph on a bicycle.
I'm a car driver btw.

Anonymous said...

I am amazed there aren't more accidents and injuries.
Yet there aren't.
Funny coincidence.

JQ LLC said...

George:

I have been doing the Idaho stop (stopping on the steady red then proceeding while it's still red) for over 30 years. You don't have to be Gunga Din to take the proper precautions. You would be a lot careful too if you couldn't afford health insurance.

These days, I have seen 10 to 20 cyclists and even those dweeb skateboard riders in their 30's running the reds with approaching traffic. And now these things have motors capable of going 25 to 30 mph. Today I saw a 6 foot 2 pencil neck geek whiz by a young muslim woman on his shitty board against the red and whizzing by a car that had to stop short.

It's WAY different with today's breed of cyclists, and now the cops aren't doing a goddamn thing when back in the 90's they used to waste time setting traps and pulling over riders for bullshit. And the fact that the city decided to legalize these pussy motor bicycles in congruence with the "pilot" bike share program that distributes these bimotorcycles, well to quote Upton Sinclair:

There will be blood...

Fifi said...

@The cyclists not bikers anonyme: "Pardon et moi"??? Mais correctement écrit c'est "Pardonnez-moi".

(Ce site est tel-l-l-lement éducatif!)

Anonymous said...

TransAlt is just another Social Justice group. Minority Rights. Illegal Immigrant Rights. LGBTQ Rights. Marginalized Rights. White Man Haters. Bike rights are secondary .

georgetheatheist said...

@JQ LLC (et alia):

Thanks for the heads up on that "Idaho stop". Honestly never heard of it before - although that's exactly what I've been doing de facto all along as well. Makes LEGAL sense perhaps for NYC? Readers, check it out HERE.. Also that quite illuminating brief video HERE. The latter explains the physics of the cyclist's momentum which I mentioned above quite nicely.

Could such a seemingly sensible law be implemented in heavily-populated NYC as opposed to Boise? And what would be the legality of that depicted bicycle run-in with the kid at the jack-knifed bus position? A legally permitted rolling stop or not?

Anonymous said...

Thanks..."Fiffi".
1st year French?
Avien tot!