1nterceptor

https://gothamist.com/2011/09/14/cycl...ve.php#photo-1

Now that the terror threat from the tenth anniversary of 9/11 has subsided, the NYPD can return to its duty of making the city's streets safe for cars. You know what we really hate when we're encased in our massive metal box, hurtling down the street at high speeds? When cyclists refuse to stay in their lanes. Thankfully, a tipster informed us that the NYPD ticketed him for not staying in the bike lane at a cyclist trap at 13th Street and 6th Ave.

B. Carfree

The photo shows a door-zone bike lane. Since the law allows cyclists to leave the bike lane to avoid fixed or moving hazards, it would seem that there is no requirement to ride in that thing.

CB HI

Too bad NY judges do not understand that any better than NYC cops do.

unterhausen

the article wasn't clear, but it appears that he was ticketed for leaving the bike lane in preparation for making a left turn

CB HI

He was riding on a one way street on the other side from the bike lane. Since it is legal to ride on either side of a one way street over 40 feet wide, it should have been legal for him to ride that side even with no bike lane. Again cycling specific laws that only create conflict.

prathmann

Wonder if they ticketed cyclists who were previously riding in the bike lane but moved out of it upon seeing a group of policemen standing in the street at the edge of the lane as shown in the picture.

If I were riding along in the bike lane and saw such a group of pedestrians I would check for traffic behind and move out of the lane since I'd be concerned that one or more of the pedestrians would step out into my path. That would be especially true if I saw that they were policemen since my experience has been that they are very likely to make unexpected maneuvers - whether walking, cycling, or driving.

Chris516

I wonder if hostility against cyclists', by the NYPD and local judges, is something the New York Post ore the New York Times would even care to print.

LemondFanForeve

And people here wonder why so many distrust cops? I mean, SERIOUSLY, couldnt they find anything else better to do? Surely this doesnt go down as a heinous crime(you're all sitting in jail one day: Hey bob, what'd you do...I murdered 12 people.."rest of prisoners chime in"...Aw Bob, I dont think thats even a crime anymore, youll be out in no time. Guy who got 3 tickets is telling his story to group...I got 3 tickets for not staying in the bike lane......"rest of group"....OMG, how dare you, thats such a bad crime..... they're going to give you the chair......).

CB HI

Well, it is more subtle than the NYC cop that parked his cop car in the bike lane and ticketed cyclist that left the bike lane to get around his car.

LemondFanForeve

LOL, see my response above.......even cops do blockheaded things, and these 2 are prime examples of that.

JonnyHK 

Hasn't anyone challenged one of these tickets (failure to use bike lane) in court yet? The wording of the law seems to support a challenge - I wouldn't want to cross 4 lanes of traffic to get to a bike lane!

CB HI

As I understand, the guys ticketed for riding around the cop car got dismissed because there were pictures.

The ones for riding on the other side of the one way street were found guilty.

JonnyHK 

That's pretty amazing. Low level bonehead judge flexing his opinion? Has anyone lodged an appeal based on law?

It would be interesting to ask the judge to come down to the street, hand him a bike and ask him to try it. If he refused you could say "if it is too dangerous for Your Honor, perhaps it is too dangerous for the defendant?"

fuji86

It's all about the money with that crew. I couldn't live in NYC, too many a-holes there. All one needs to do is know why Cliff Lee chose the Phillies over the Yankees:

https://www.upi.com/Sports_News/2010/...7241288129870/

Yeah, I know the article says otherwise, but he turned down $ 34 million more.

https://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/hotsto...son&id=5918008

Paul Barnard

Will someone tell me why being ticketed for breaking the law is a bad thing? I doubt his attitude had anything to do with the multiple tickets. What an idiot.

owenfinn

Insane. I`m starting to think bike lanes are really a net-negative for cycling and all about making the streets safe for cars.

genec

Send him to the "Group W Bench."

unterhausen

the story would have been better if he hadn't been caught going the wrong way on a one-way. However, reasonable people could disagree about the sanity of having to cross 4 lanes of traffic just to use a bike lane and then re-crossing the 4 lanes of traffic. It seems to me that NY's mandatory side path law has many loopholes, and this could be considered one of them.

CB HI

Read the story carefully. The cyclist admits he broke the law by riding the wrong way on a one way street. That admission tent to support his honestly in claiming that the cop is lying about the cyclist running the red light. It is also a reasonable legal claim that it is not against the law to ride on one side of a one way street that does not have a bike lane. This legal position is strengthened
by the fact that the cyclist needed to make a turn from that side of the one way street.

But hey, if you really want to go with the claims of NYC cops, there are some videos on U-tube you should watch of police assaults on cyclist with the lies told and criminally false reports the cops filed after the assaults.

Paul Barnard

The cyclist admitted that he is willing to break one law. I have no doubt that he is willing to break more. By hanging out after his first ticket,

"I stuck around the block for a bit and took pictures and warned oncoming riders of the trap. As I was leaving the cop who had stopped me made a point to shout to me "have a nice day."

he showed that he is willing to excercise poor judgement. Further, he seems to have a contemptuous attitude toward enforcement that predates this encounter. In general he seems pretty damn dumb to me.

atbman

Leaving aside the contentious red/green light question and the self-admitted one way infraction (he wasn't complaining about the latter, I question the validity of the non-lane using ticket.

The bike lane is next to the parking lane and appears to be of substandard width. Cyclists are therefore in the door zone and accidents caused by dooring can result in fatalities as the rider falls in front of overtaking traffic. Consider therefore the NY DOT laws:
§ 4-12 (p) – Bicycles
• Bicycle riders must use bike path/lane, if provided, except for access, safety, turns, etc.
• Bicyclists may use either side of a 40-foot wide one-way roadway.

Breaking the law in order to ride safely seems, in this instance, pretty much built in by the bike lane postioning and design

CB HI

I guess because you exceeded the speed limit once, you must be guilty of breaking all other laws. That mind set "seems pretty damn dumb to me".

LemondFanForeve

Nooooo...cops dont do that do they?(sarcasm), of course they do, which is why I've said from the beginning, I dont trust cops.

Also, yes, he did admit to breaking the law...but 3 tickets? that just proves the cops have nothing else better to do, and DEFINITELY use their credentials, to mess with people. No reason for 3 tix being issued.

LemondFanForeve

Not against the law to tell people this......a similar case, involving a motorist tipping off folks to a speed trap, yielded, a ticket to the driver(which eventually was dropped). Even the judge in the case admitted(as well as the cop issuing the citations), that it wasn't against the law.


Being a dumb dumb, doesnt warrant multiple tickets though, especially for something as stupid as him :"sticking around to warn others of the cops presence". It also shows poor judgement on the cop(s), and reiterates the fact that more and more people distrust cops, b/c cops try to skirt the law, by using their badge, in their aid. 1 ticket would have sufficed, but now the cop(s), opens himself up for more scrutiny, which is unneeded.