Battle Over Bike Lane in NYC
 

Talk about road rage: A 27 year old motorist attacks a 48 year old cyclist because the cyclist was legally stopped at a red light in the bike lane.

http://velochicnyc.blogspot.com/2009...en-island.html

"A heated rush-hour confrontation on Capodanno Boulevard ended with an assault arrest and has put a fine point on the question of whether bicyclists and motorists can get along on the busy Staten Island thoroughfare.

Authorities say Michael Graziuso, 27, of Oban Street in Eltingville, yanked cyclist Gregory DeRespino off his bike at the corner of Capodanno and Seaview Avenue in Ocean Breeze on July 8, at about 9 a.m., then kicked him when he was down on the ground.

The confrontation started after DeRespino, who was riding in the bicycle-only lane, stopped at a red light, preventing several cars lined up behind him from making a right turn.

[...]

When traffic is backed up at the light, motorists commonly move into the bike lane to make the right turn on red. A sign at the intersection permits a right turn after stopping at the red light, but traffic law prohibits cars from using or obstructing the bike lane.

As DeRespino tells it, he was stopped at the light, and that enraged a number of rush-hour drivers.

"The motorists who wanted to use my bike lane as a turning lane were very upset," the 48-year-old New Brighton resident told the Advance yesterday. Some honked their horns and yelled at him, and he yelled back.

[...]

And instead of going when the light turned green, "I stayed there an extra turn of the light because I was frustrated and fuming... I was trying to calm myself and have a drink on a hot day."

Graziuso drove away, he said, only to return, on foot.

"A couple of minutes later, he comes back, walking on the street," DeRespino said. Graziuso grabbed the back of the bicycle, DeRespino said, and pulled it up, with him still sitting on it.

"He dragged me from that position," he said, then pushed him off the bike. "He gave me a kick for good measure, then walked away."

A witness saw the entire exchange, DeRespino said, and police arrested Graziuso a few minutes later. He was charged with third-degree assault and second-degree harassment, and was released without bail until his next court appearance on Aug. 31.

Graziuso denies laying a hand on the cyclist.

[...]

DeRespino, meanwhile, says he wasn't trying to provoke a response by sitting in the bike lane through an extra cycle of the traffic light, though he maintains he had the right to wait. He simply wanted to take a moment to cool down before starting again, he said.

"In hindsight, it was my mistake to stay as long as I did," he said. "It never crossed my mind that someone would come back to me. Now, it's the paramount thought.""

http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf...s_struggl.html


I deal with motorists using the bike lane as their personal express lanes, turning lanes, parking spots, standing zones, loading zones, etc. on a daily basis. It's really bad here...

Do any of you have to deal with similar? Would you have done what the cyclist did?

I see the bike lane used as a passing lane to pass on the right if someone slows to make a left turn.

Yep, I've seen that too. It's dangerous.

I've seen ppl taking naps in their cars parked in the bike lane outside my work....right under the sign that say NO STOPPING. FedEx and Brown types use it for parking all the time, and it makes a great rush hour pick up your dry cleaning spot. it's incredible what they'll do in it and not feel the slightest bit of anything other than complete and utter entitlement.I've often wondered what would happen if I were to try and "park" in their lanes. ;)

there's also "Impeding Traffic" laws in my state, so just sitting and blocking the lane is a no no ( at an intersection the bike lane basically ends and can be used for turns). But the dipstick that came and attacked was way out of line!

+1

In NYC there are laws that prohibit any blocking, standing, stopping, parking, etc. -- any obstructing of any bike lane. Bike lanes are a NO CAR ZONE.

You can cross briefly into a bike lane to make a turn several feet before the turn but not drive in the bike lane or stop in it.

Motorists abuse the bike lanes here daily. Is it as bad elsewhere in the US too?

Call the parking enforcement department. They're usually pretty efficient when it comes to writing tickets. See the fourth question in the SJ Mercury News.

+1

One time, I went a few steps further and actually hunted down a Traffic Enforcement Agent myself and got the Agent to write the illegally parked car a ticket: Bike Lane Justice

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_pPgyrJEFmM...0/DSCN0695.JPG

As long as they continue to use bike lanes as a 'traffic calming' measures here in Toronto it'll continue to be 'that' bad.
Parking Enforcement ... in this city.... :lol: If only the bike lanes were parking spots they the might be enforced. Cabs even use it as extra space when they want to park more than the x number of cabs they are allowed.

This newest two block Bike Lane to Nowhere needs to have tow trucks circling the block ready to swoop in and grab a car before the driver can return with their dry cleaning... I'd pay to see that.

Wow, really? I haven't been to Toronto in years but I was just considering going there and bring my bike just a few weeks ago.

How bad is it? Can you navigate the bike lanes without constant 2 ton "obstructions"? :eek:

This is the mistake. With this act, he's provoking drivers who are already mad at him.

I rarely bother with bike lanes personally, it's not worth the aggravation. One bike lane has you flying down a nice hill (Greenwood) in the door zone. Generally the bike lanes disappear at street corners so the solid line (ignored) becomes a dashed line (invisible) so you are now on the right of right turning cars. Too many people get smoked here going straight on bikes while cars turn right. Both people claiming ROW BUT, the BL and DL have become the SAME L, so it's sharing time. I see you're in NYC , I was there recently there you have some nice bike lanes and bike only lights. If you can navigate NYC you'll have no issues here, because you ARE used to head's up, no assumption riding then. Some NYC BL's are soooo sweet in comparison.

F**k 'em if they can't take a joke. They're just jokin' when they buzz us or toss crap out their windows at us.

I agree. If I need to take a break I pull off the road entirely.

Yes, they've finally put up some decent bike lanes in some places but even on the ones that are shielded from the street partially, like 9th Ave, you still have pedestrians, motorcycles, mopeds and obstructions to deal with.

I find in this situation that the pedestrians are the worst. They'll literally dive out right in front of you looking the WRONG WAY on a one-way street or not looking at all without a care. They're even worse that a cars in situations like that...

I can definitely navigate NYC. Been doing it all my life but doesn't mean it's safe or fun. I want to bike around Toronto. Thank you for letting me know about some of what I'd be in for... It'll be just like NYC but cleaner. :lol:

I agree, mostly. I do normally pull entirely off the road but if I'm in an empty bike lane, meaning no cyclists coming up behind me, and the sidewalk is full of pedestrians in typical NYC fashion, I'm going to take a sip from my water bottle right there.

Cars aren't supposed to be in the bike lane at all so if a car tries to ride up behind me in the bike lane, I'd be hard-pressed to move. I've literally had this happen to me a few times...

I've turned over my shoulder, motioned/waved and called for them to get out of the bike lane and told them what they're doing is illegal. Once they see I'm not moving or joking they either merge back in with traffic or wait patiently behind me. They know what they're doing is illegal. They just don't expect you to call them on it.

We do have some nice away from traffic paths too, some of the more park centric ones can get pretty clogged MUP style

If I can, I pull out ahead, into the crosswalk and over to the far left of the bike lane. On a lot of streets, this leaves just enough room for cars behind me to make the right turn, and everyone is happy. On some streets in CA, they're even starting to paint the bike lane in between the right turn lane and the right-most thru lane.

Unless bumper to bumper I generally try to stay on the left side of the curb lane, the general assumption being i'm not on a bike lane street. If I am I'll ride the lane/road line. I will carve safely into traffic at any point I deem it necessary, not causing honks or brakes mind you. Still, splitting the lanes ot riding the yellow line is the sweet spot for me. I think both cyclists AND motorists need some education as to how to handle the BL-becomes an intersection interaction. Too many ppl riding to the right/front of a car that just might be turning, tossing themselves directly into a right hook, but acting with all the privileged airs of someone who really does think they are legally allowed to do it.

Seriously, how many cyclist do you guys think DeRespino imeded while taking his drink in the bike lane?

Tire damage spikes would put a stop to that really quickly.

Most of the newer bike lanes in Boise Idaho are the same. The issue comes up when the right most lane is both a right turn lane and a straight through lane.

it seems the street designers around here are trying to get rid of as many of these "unofficial" right turn lanes as possible. One road I've ridden on a couple of times has stripes and "no no no" where the road is very wide at an intersection. Right turn only lanes are not that much of a problem, but I have seen many near-accidents when people pull to the right to pass people they think are turning left.

It does seem that the cyclist made a mistake by stopping through a second light cycle. I find it hard to believe that he didn't realize that would be seen as provocative.

That's why we need laws where cars have to merge into the bike lane before turning right. Portland and NYC are just plain wrong.