Friday, November 14, 2014

No texting and biking!

From NY Mag:

Hide your calls, hide your texts: The City Council is considering a new bill that would outlaw both of those activities for cyclists, putting an end to the showoff-y, "look ma, no hands" biking. Councilmember Mark Treyger's bill would slap first-time offenders who talk or text without a hands-free device with a $50 ticket, which could go as high as $200 for repeat offenders.

The bill would also ban using a tablet, or, for the very adventurous, balancing a laptop on your bike while riding. Worse, the only way for a first-time offender to avoid the class would be by taking a bike safety course.

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great. So next time a cyclist ped crash leaves a dead ped in central or prospect park NYPD will give out tickets to anyone who looks at their phone while straddlig their bike. Focus on the assholes killing people first. Then worry about theoretical safety concerns like this.

Anonymous said...

Good ticket all these stupid liberals.

JQ said...

I have seen plenty of these circus acts texting while riding,most of them on brakeless fixed gear bikes.

these are some of the biggest dicks in the city and should get fined every chance they get.

judging by some of these current ads for smartphones,the city should get a lot of revenue.thanks visa for continuing the decline of common sense and decency in America

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2Zdm3CkxVg

http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7Ngf/visa-checkout-eye-on-the-ball-and-prize-feat-larry-fitzgerald

Anonymous said...

Everyday, actually multiplr times a day I see police officers driving and talking and/or stopped at a light and texting.

But who is there to stop them ? Are they going to arrest themselves ? Or ticket their partners ?

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 2 - Who says they're liberals?

Anonymous said...

The amount of people texting and playing with their phones while driving vehicles is unbelievable. I drive a truck so I can see people doing it all the time when they think they are being discreet by keeping the phone low. THIS is a serious problem that the current penalties are not even coming close to curtailing.

Queens Crapper said...

To the jerk who keeps trying to post about how cars kill people: There's a post coming about deadly cars tomorrow. You can comment to your heart's content at that time.

Crusseau said...

I was always told that bicycles were subject to the same traffic laws as motor vehicles. Evidently this didn't include cell phones?

Crusseau said...

Not bicycles per se, but how about a post on all those illegal battery powered bikes and mopeds that the delivery places drive around Queens? They are constantly going the wrong way on one way streets, on the sidewalks, etc. There is never any enforcement done on them.

Anonymous said...

Generally yes but the cell phone law was written specifically to apply to motor vehicles.

http://www.safeny.ny.gov/phon-vt.htm

Anonymous said...

There is no enforcement because of the lack of manpower. Cops go from 911 call to 311 call. No time to tackle the quality of life stuff.

Roger said...

They love to pass laws, but they are never enforced. No idling for more than three minutes, no riding motorized scooters on the sidewalk, etc., etc., etc.