Originally Posted by sukram
I think driver ed does teach that... it just doesn't stick with people.
I'm comfortable enough riding around NYC, but there are some dead simple things that would make life a lot safer for cyclists around town. Sorry, it prolly sounds like a bloody TransAlt press relief, but, well, I agree... Here's just a few of my top ones...
1. Ticket and summons the hell out of double parked cars and trucks, *ESPECIALLY* on main arteries. Make their wallet bleed. Take away their license if they do it more than 3 times or something. There should be no excuse for something so routine and yet illegal. Take away street parking during loading times, I don't care.
2. Give bikes and peds a head start green light/walk light. It'd give us a *legal* head start after filtering up so we could take the lane and stuff... So it makes cars/trucks wait a bit longer, what's their rush?
3. Slow traffic down more.
I agree with #1. The worst thing about bike lanes is that motorists see them as convenient double parking lanes. when was the last time you saw a cop writing these awholes a ticket? In Jackson Heights we see double parked cars on the main commercial road (37th Ave.) getting ticketed on a daily basis. Heaven help you if you are one mm too close to a fire hydrant or get to your car 3 seconds after the time limit on alternate side mornings. I got ticketed for the wrong licenese plates 1 week after moving here (commercial plates - I had no idea I coiuldn't park on a residential block). Yet illegal bike lanes usage is apparently overlooked.
#2 could be good, but I think #2 and 3 would only piss drivers off more. The more you slow them down the worse a mood they'll be in. Don't underestimate the importance of the mood of someone powering a 2000 weapon!
I advocate ALL vehicles having sliding doors.
Also I think all cyclists should have some training/exposure in driving rules and skills - if you've never or rarely driven on NYC streets you are not going to understand the driver's pov.
having said all that, any progress is good progress imo so I'll take the added bike lanes.