In the end the resistance that she and the city have encountered has to do mostly with parochialism and selfishness. Some New Yorkers seem offended by the notion that we should be more like such biking havens as Copenhagen, Paris, or for that matter, Portland, Ore.: life here is too urgent and blunt and brutal for such crunchy-granola niceties. Besides which, no one wants to give an inch, literally: not the Prospect Park West gripers who lost parking spaces to the bike lane, not the drivers of delivery trucks whose jobs are sometimes complicated by such lanes, not the Manhattan traditionalists who feel that sharing just a few of Central Park’s transverse paths with cyclists — as the city decided in July they must do — requires too much in the way of vigilance from people ambling among the trees. The complaints were loud and passionate.

”

—

NYT op ed Bicycle Visionary

And misleading. Several polls have shown that a majority of New Yorkers favor the creation of bike lanes, at least in the abstract. The problem is that it’s a relatively soft, quiet support, reflecting the limited use of those lanes. According to Department of Transportation figures, about 15,500 cyclists daily entered Manhattan’s central business district between Battery Park and 59th Street in 2009, the most recent year for which statistics are available. That’s in contrast to 762,000 cars.

But ridership is definitely growing. A decade earlier, only 4,700 cyclists entered that part of Manhattan. And over the last 20 or so years, the percentage of New Yorkers who use cycling to commute has doubled, to 0.6 percent in 2009 from 0.3 percent in 1990, according to an analysis of census figures by John Pucher, a Rutgers University professor who studies bicycle trends worldwide. That still leaves New York behind Chicago, with 1.2 percent of commuters on bikes; Washington, D.C., with 2.2 percent; San Francisco, with 3 percent; and Portland, with 5.8 percent.

WHAT’S keeping more cyclists in New York from doing so? “The indifference of the New York City Police Department is the biggest obstacle,” said Charles Komanoff, a mathematical economist and past president of Transportation Alternatives. He and other cycling advocates said that police officers too seldom ticket drivers who ignore cyclists’ rights, particularly by treating biking lanes as temporary parking spots and thus forcing bike riders to swerve into and out of traffic. As prevalent as such lane-obstruction is, I’ve noticed more news reports on cyclists blowing through red lights, and I’ve found myself envying, of all places, the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Its mayor recently deployed a tank to crush a Mercedes-Benz illegally parked in a bike lane.

Without going quite that far, our city’s police officers must do more. And the transportation department must expand markedly the number of bike racks citywide — the official city count is about 12,800 — so that riders can rest assured that they’ll find a safe place to stow their bicycles. Pucher is the co-author of “City Cycling,” a forthcoming book, which notes that Paris has about 1,490 bike parking spaces — slots in racks, for example — per 100,000 people, London about 1,670 and Tokyo about 6,400. And New York? About 152. “It’s lousy, lousy, lousy,” Pucher said.

New York: Bicyclist hit, killed by car in Brooklyn when his head smashed through window of the car »

this story also ran in Gothamist, Cyclist Fatally Struck in Brooklyn, No Charges Filed

New York pedestrians completely ignore the traffic laws and would be outraged to hear that someone had gotten a ticket for anything they did in the street on foot, no matter how crazy or dangerous. If you haven’t ridden a bike in the city, you have no idea what it’s like. When you’re on a bike and have the right of way, at each intersection you have to figure out how to safely get around the hordes of idiots standing in the bike lane looking alternately at their iphone and for a break in between the cars to shoot out into. Often they think bikes don’t count, so will walk right in front of you (when the bike has the right of way). Also in no danger from the cops are people leaving their parked cars, who open their doors right in the paths of bikers, often killing them.

Many people bike safely in New York, by being very careful and attentive to both cars and pedestrians. Those who aren’t don’t last long before they end up in the ER. If an intersection is clear, whether or not it has a red light, it’s exactly as safe to bike through it at reasonable speed as to walk through it, except the bikers are paying a lot more attention to what they are doing.

Police have always been free to ticket dangerous bicycling and have always done so. What’s new now is a campaign to go after safe bicyclists, ticketing them for safely going through empty intersections or for pointless technical violations. Even bicycling in Central Park is a target, with people getting ticketed for going down a hill at 15mph. Not just regular traffic cops are being told to do this, the undercover force is out on the anti-bike campaign too. This is an organized campaign of harassment coming from the top levels of the NYPD. I’m interested to hear that delivery people are just given warnings, that’s good, but those like myself who use a bike to get to work or ride in the Park are being forced to stop doing this. That seems to be one goal of the campaign, with the NYPD police chief deciding to go after two things he hates: bicyclists and the Transportation commissioner. Bicycling in the city is going to be very effectively suppressed, with lots of shiny new bike lanes empty. Pedestrians may cheer this along, but just wait, you may be next…

”

— comment posted in response to Cops Also Ticketing Cyclists For Ignoring Stop Signs At Empty Intersections

We ride and walk with love in our hearts, with sadness for what has been lost, with rage that these crashes did not have to happen, and with hope that we never, ever have to do this again.

”

—

excerpt from speech given at each ghost bike during the 6th Annual Memorial Walk and Ride in NYC on March 13, 2011. Yesterday’s ride passed through the Bronx, Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Staten Island, stopping at each of the ghost bikes installed during the previous year before culminating in a rally at Brooklyn Borough Hall and the dedication of a ghost bike for the unnamed and unknown whose deaths never made the news.

Press roundup:

A Tour of Ghosts on Two Wheels

Advocacy Group Honors Cyclists and Pedestrians Killed in Traffic

6th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk Honoring NYC’s Fallen Bicyclists and Pedestrians

Pause for a moment of cyclists

NYC: 6th Annual Memorial Ride and Walk

Drivers can’t even manage to find their way to the curb, much less follow lanes when they drive. Cyclists can’t manage to find the street, much less a bike lane, and pedestrians can’t manage to find a corner when they want to cross. It seems like nobody and everybody favors chaos in the streets, so why are bike lanes controvertial at all?

”

— 36. Scottilla Brooklyn, NY December 22nd, 2010 9:47 am
comment posted in response to New York Times article: Are New York’s Bike Lanes Working?

New York: In August 2010, Gov. David A. Paterson signed a vulnerable user protection bill, known as Elle's Law. The bill states that drivers who break traffic laws and seriously injure pedestrians in the process can lose their license for six months or one year for repeat offenders. »

NYT Photo of the Day: Photo #10 »

A ghost bike memorial intended to raise awareness of cyclists in New York City was removed from the corner of 40th Street and Broadway. The memorial, which was damaged by traffic and vandals, honored Franco Scorcia, a 72-year-old retired cabdriver who was killed by a charter bus in 2007.

Photo by Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times

high heels & two wheels: Why can't we all just get along? »

acitycycled:

kateziegler:

“I begin to worry that hate crimes will be committed against bikers, people in cars mowing us down for no reason, other than the perception that we are taking their right to that extra 2 or 3 feet of road away.”

Yes. I worry about this, as well. The rage, the spitting, the swerving - it’s all so unnecessary for two seconds I may have cost you in your race to the next red light.

highheelsandtwowheels:

“Expansion of Bike Lanes in City Brings Backlash”

There was only one valid argument against bike lanes by opponents in this article, that they take away parking spaces for delivery trucks. And that was only a few business owners. But everyone else, I don’t understand; especially in NYC…

It’s a big, huge, gigantic grey area. As I’ve said in the past, it’s everyone’s fault. Peds jaywalk and cross into the bike lane without looking, then get mad at a cyclist for almost hitting them. Drivers cut you off and act as if you have no right to be in their lane, despite the fact that NY law says we do. Cyclists act like assholes and blaze through red lights and don’t signal to cars that they need to change lanes. Cops don’t enforce the laws on either side. Department of Transportation hasn’t offered any kind of education - for drivers, cyclists and peds - to keep up with the huge boom in cycling in the city.
 
The blame goes all around, so there really isn’t an easy answer. This morning a car sped up and cut me off, causing me to almost crash, just so he could make a right turn in front of me. It was the closest I’ve come to wrecking (knock on all sorts of fucking wood) so far. The driver was a complete asshole, and I yelled that at him and shook my first (side note: how pathetic does shaking your fist at someone make you feel? It’s lame and ineffective. It’s like saying “I’d love to do something, but I don’t know what! So here is an action meant to reflect my anger!”). But does that mean all NYC drivers are dicks? No, of course not. Likewise, just because some cyclist was a jerk one time doesn’t mean all cyclists here are jerks. But as is often the case in life, people can focus on the negative a lot easier than the positive.

The city’s culture is changing, and as that happens, there are going to be growing pains. It sucks but that’s just the way it’s going to be. I always wonder what it’s like biking in other cities - is it as intense as it is here in New York? I hope this whole thing doesn’t come down to violence toward anyone, but at times when I’ve been biking, it seems like it’s almost inevitable. Me, I prefer to shake my fist in the air like a grumpy elderly man in a retirement home.

(Source: highheelsandtwowheels)

Plattsburgh State remembers student, focuses on bike safety »

October 24, 2010
by Josh Miner

Despite the rain, students and members of the community came out to remember one of their own.

Malaysian international student Yee Hao “Bryan” Chiel was memorialized Sunday by more than 20 cyclists who biked to the scene of the accident and placed flowers there in his honor. A “ghost bike,” placed earlier by the club, also remains at the site, serving as a reminder to passing motorists to share the road.

Chiel, 20, died last month when he was struck by a tractor-trailer truck on Route 3 at the on-ramp for Exit 37 in Plattsburgh.

Organized by Plattsburgh State’s Biketopia club, Sunday’s Petal to Protect event was held in the Warren Ballrooms at the college and served to inform the public on how to bike safely.

Tables displayed information on safety and bike paths, and a safety briefing was held before the caravan departed the college, encouraging riders to wear helmets. 

“After the accident with Bryan, it was definitely a call to action,” Biketopia President Samaria Corrales said.

In light of Chiel’s fatal collision, Biketopia has started a petition, urging lawmakers to adopt a Complete Streets policy, which would allow for more bike lanes as well as improved sidewalks and crosswalks on Route 3 and Cornelia Street.

Plattsburgh State’s Student Association also passed a resolution that will be sent to local and state legislators pushing for safer streets in the community.

Jackie Girard Vogl, associate vice president for international enrollment management, said Chiel made a difference on the campus, both before and after his death.

Chiel was involved in community service, Vogl said, and in his free time liked to explore the areas surrounding the school either on bike or by foot.

“I know he made quite an impression on the campus,” she said. “He was really trying to be an engaged member of the community.”

In light of his collision on Route 3, Chiel made a far bigger impact than he could have ever intended, she said.

“It kind of brought us together as a community,” she said, adding that it served as a reminder to not take anything for granted and to also be serious about personal safety.

Michelle Ouellette, director of public relations and publications at Plattsburgh State, said even though the collision was a horrible event, the aftermath has had positive aspects.

“What Biketopia has done is taken this tragedy and provided a ray of hope that something good can come out of it,” she said.

While she hopes Route 3 will become more bike friendly, Ouellette said her true aspiration is to one day see a safe biking corridor linking the campus to Plattsburgh’s business district.

Development of a 1.2-mile trail along the Saranac River from the Saranac Street Bridge near the City Police Station through Plattsburgh State’s campus to George Angell Drive is in the works, set to open by summer 2011. Volunteers hope the path will eventually reach Lake Champlain.

Along with the other riders, Rep. Bill Owens (D-Plattsburgh) came out Sunday to show his support.

“From a parent’s perspective I could not imagine getting the call that Bryan’s parents got,” Owens said.

Events such as Petal to Protect are important for the area, he said, adding that he hopes Chiel’s parents hear of all of the support from the Plattsburgh community to help memorialize their son.

The cycling caravan was led by University Police Officer Robert Light, who had been hit by a car in 2001 while biking. The accident left him in the hospital for 10 days with a collapsed lung and three broken ribs.

The best advice for cyclists, he said, is to move with the flow of traffic and act as a motorist does. Those riding bikes fare best, Light said, when they are treated like motorists.

While accidents are unpreventable and unpredictable, Light said it is important to do everything possible to prevent crashes — which are the result of carelessness either by motorists, cyclists or both.

“You have to take care of your own safety,” he said.

While many people may take five years to leave their legacy, Vogl said, Chiel took only five weeks.

“He really intended to make a big impact on the campus, and I think he did.”

Gothamist picked up story about appeal for witnesses in BK hit and run... »

following up on our post from last night, here’s the Gothamist article from today:

Friends of two unidentified bicyclists are begging for help finding the worthless P.O.S. driver who almost killed them in an accident in Greenpoint on October 23rd. The two “sustained massive injuries” while headed south on Franklin Street near Calyer in Greenpoint. We know this intersection, and we’re not at all surprised it happened here.

We’ve repeatedly witnessed maniacs run the traffic light at this awkward three-way intersection of Calyer, Franklin and Banker. Locals know it’s a really long light, and drivers often floor it even when it’s green, whipping around the corner onto Calyer like they’re on the run from a hit man who just spotted them at Europa. There is also a lot of truck traffic in this part of Greenpoint, which has seen a huge influx of cyclists in recent years, especially since the Kent Avenue bike lane went in.

We’re told that one of the cyclists was critically injured (but survived), while the other was “pretty banged up.” Anyone who might have witnessed the accident is urged to e-mail franklinstreetbikeaccident@gmail.com. Let’s find this bastard, people.

NYC ghost bike work day: Saturday, November 13 »

Sadly, the NYC Street Memorial Project has 12 more ghost bikes to make and install for 2010 fatalities. So we are calling a:

Ghost Bike Making Workday - all are welcome

November 13th 11am - 5pm(raindate/installation date November 20th)

Greenpoint Reform Church

Please contact us if you have a bike to donate or would like to install a finished ghost bike or have any questions.

Please wear or bring work clothes, wrenches, chain breakers and other bike tools as well as food and drink to share.

Nov 13 2010 - 11:00am -Nov 13 2010 - 4:00pm

Greenpoint Reform Church