A local cyclist is sick and tired of cars, pedestrians and other obstacles blocking New York City’s bike lanes. So he’s fighting back.
Grand Street resident Marc Climaco recently launched a new blog called “Get Off My Bike Lane,” in which he documents his sometimes frustrating commute to and from work in Chelsea. He’s already gotten some media attention from Huff Post and Fast Company’s “ideas and innovation blog,” Co.Exist.
that goes both ways. people are tired of cyclist eating the red lights, speeding through intersection, riding on the side walk and riding in the traffic lanes. you give you get but it seems like the cyclist want ot have their cake and run it over too. Dont ever forget that no matter what you’re moving in the pedestrian has the right of way all the time…
Marc’s got too much free time. Where are cars supposed to stop to let people out or pick up an elderly person. Just bike around.
maybe one out of ten cyclists stop at a red light. what about the safety of pedestrians. Crossing NYC city streets is like trying to navigate a mine field!
It’s true. We have huge ad campaigns to harangue cyclists about riding against traffic, but our rights are routinely trampled on by delivery trucks and iPhone-mesmerized pedestrians.
That so obnoxious. It’s not “your” bike lane, it’s the taxpayers’ bike lane. I could understand the frustration of cars driving in the lane but if it’s ok for the sanitation trucks to be in the bike lanes, as posted in the blog, then the same should definitely go for the trucks delivering groceries to the supermarket (i.e. Fine Fare on Clinton).
There is no winner here. As a bike rider it is really frustrating that
the bike lanes are filled with headphone wearing pedestrians talking on
their phones, not even looking where they are going. Same with can
collectors and shopping carts. Every rider knows some of the safest
routes aren’t necessarily following the bike lanes. The fault lies with
the city. There is no education. Where are the public campaigns
urging bicyclists to obey the traffic laws AND taxi drivers to pull over
elsewhere, AND pedestrians to not walk in these lanes? TV, billboard,
street signs, are all necessary. How about replacing see something say
something on the subway with a watch the green lanes campaign? I almost
killed a girl that darted in front of my bike, in the bike lane without
looking. Fortunately I was going slow, I hit the brakes and tumbled.
She looked at me in dismay. Turns out she was a tourist that arrived
just then and had no idea there were bike lanes and that she had stepped
into one. Everyone should be ticketed, bicyclists and pedestrians as
well as trucks etc. But the fines should be small until we all learn
our lessons. No way should I get a $190 ticket for cruising slowly thru
a stop sign with no one around. But the city just threw these things down like it’s the Yellow Brick Road.
Totally agree w/ this guy. I work in Midtown and the bike lanes are often littered w/ inconsiderate people who know very well what’s it’s there for. They just choose to walk in the bike lane to avoid the people in the sidewalk.
It’s actually illegal ($115 fine) to stop in a bike lane–even to let people out or pick up an elderly person.
Title of the blog speak volume of the mindset of the personality of most bikers — narcissist. Me. ME. ME. Mine. My.
I’d like to fight back too. I’ll start a blog Get Off My Sidewalks and/or Get Off My Right Of Way And Stop at Red Lights and/or Get Off The Wrong Way.
This guy should get a better hobby. And try to be less selfish.
HOW ABOUT THE BIKES STOP RUNNING LIGHTS AND ALMOST HITTING PEOPLE BEFORE WORRYING ABOUT PEDESTRIANS GETTING IN HIS WAY
Cops don’t ticket cars in bike lanes. I had two bikes ride at me the wrong way today without moving to the outside at least.
Same place they did before there was a bike lane.
I agree. Who is protecting the rights of pedestrians??? There are always cyclists on the sidewalk and they pay no mind to elderly, children or pregnant women. They go through red lights and stop signs. As a person who choses to be a pedestrian, I should also have the right to walk and have my walking needs protected. People in cars do almost anything they want. Watch Grand Street between Lewis and Norfolk Sts. They run red lights and never slow down for pedestrians on Clinton and Broome Sts. Cyclists are the same. Running red on Grand and never slowing down on Clinton and Broome Sts. Sometimes you have to walk in the bike lane in order to get across Clinton st. safely.
Any wonder why so many NYers cannot stand cyclists?
Wrong. The pedestrian does not have the right of way at all times.
“Pedestrians must obey traffic control signals, signs and pavement markings when they are crossing a street [Section 1150, NYS Vehicle & Traffic Law].”
http://www.safeny.ny.gov/peds-ndx.htm
Why one or the other? Why not both?
Bikers must yield the right of way to pedestrians regardless of the situation
Any vehicle entering a roadway from a driveway, alley, private road, or any other place that is not a roadway, must stop and yield the right-of-way to traffic and to pedestrians.
Drivers must yield to pedestrians legally using marked or unmarked crosswalks.
If you are stopped at a red light and pedestrian steps into the crosswalk, and the light turns green, you must wait for the pedestrian to cross.
You must yield to pedestrians in crosswalks on your left or right before turning.
so if a pedestrian crosses in the middle of a street are you going to run them over? pedestrians have right of way regardless. one must obey traffic laws but even if one doesn’t a car or bike must yield to pedestrian traffic, or are you going to run around running people over. Figure it out. Drivers of cars have now it’s bikers turn to figure it out. Stay off the sidewalk. Too many bikes on the sidewalk.