Alec Baldwin arrested for salmoning
 

Actor Alec Baldwin arrested after riding bike wrong way - CNN.com

If we want to get the respect of drivers, this includes us being cited etc for breaking the rules. Even Alec Baldwin.

riding the wrong way w/o ID in NYC? Alec baldwin news story - you see it?
 

Yeah, he got arrested for mouthing off, really. If he had just taken the ticket he could have walked away. Dumb.

It's generally a bad idea to ride against traffic to start with, but if you do it and get caught, just deal with it. Being a jerk just means the cop is going to come down harder on you.

HaHa. I love when famous people get in trouble. This is why I am not a famous actor. This and....I can't act.

+1, There's no obligation to carry ID in NYS. It is necessary to establish your identity if the officer has reason to need it, such as to issue a citation. In the past, this might have meant a trip to the police station, where some means of confirming ID was done. In one case many years ago, in upstate NY, it meant a phone call to my bank, whereby the branch manager identified me by voice and conversation and relayed this info to the desk sergeant.

These days, it rarely comes to that. Most police cars (including, I'm sure, this one) have computers, and can link to various databases to establish ID on the spot. The easiest is for NYS drivers, who need only provide correct name, address and date of birth, and the cop will have the driver's license photo to compare.

Alec's problem was problem that he's who he is, and doesn't know when to shut up.

As I said in the other thread, he got arrested because he mouthed off. He could have walked away with the ticket if he kept his trap shut. It's a bad idea to ride against traffic, but if you get caught, just take the ticket and shut up.

Getting ticketed doesn't earn us respect, it just confirms the opinions of those who hate us. There's not much a racist likes more than seeing a black man in handcuffs, but seeing that doesn't magically make him less of a racist.

+1, this whole idea that we need to be perfect ambassadors of cycling is bunk.

Fifth Avenue would not have been made one-way, had anyone but drivers had city officials' "respect."

I don't see drivers offering to obey speed limits, pass bikes safely, not stop in bike lanes, etc. out of respect, as a quid pro quo for not salmoning. Drivers did not get "respect" from city officials by obeying the existing rules. They got it by pushing the envelope. That's been codified into the MUTCD. Speed limits should be set by the 85-percentile. That's a target that's moving in the upward direction regardless of how many pedestrians and cyclists are are killed. If 85% of cyclists salmoned, city officials might start considering cyclists needs as well as motorists.

I'm not advocating this course. I merely wish to expose what I consider to be the absurdity of the "respect" argument.

Maybe I'm in the minority, but I generally feel if we want to have a right to use the road, we should follow the rules of the road. I see comments all the time on why can cyclists ignore stop signs etc (and I'm not talking Idaho), etc. Use the road follow the rules or be subject to a fine etc, drivers and cyclists alike.

There's already enough calls to prevent us from using the roads. We don't need to give them another reason.

To hell with the whether or not obeying the rules of the road increases respect in this case (normally, I DO believe it does, and that not obeying the rules gives the anti-cycling/anti-bikelane crowd ammunition to fight against expanding biking infrastructure), I am glad someone got tivcket for riding the wrong way up 5th Ave today. While riding DOWN 5th today, I was appalled by the number of riders going the wrong way today, playing chicken with me, expecting me to veer into auto traffic to get out of their way. Sorry that I interjected my personal frustration here, but I needed to vent it. All that being said, I am not sure why so many city cyclists find it so diffecult to ride one Avenue or Street over so they can travel with traffic. It adds 30 to 60 seconds to their trip. Again sorry for the rant.

Yeah, and we should disallow cars from using the road, since roughly 99% of them speed and roll stop signs!

Give me a break, man. If people break the rules and are caught, fine. But people are individuals, and should be treated as such.

I've seen your videos of you riding in NO. Who says you can't act? ;)

I sort of understand why people in NYC might ride avenues the wrong way sometimes. The separation between avenues is pretty large, so if going say 2-3 blocks from 5th and 8th street to 5th and 10th street, going around by way of 5th avenue can triple the trip distance.

IMO the right solution is simply to walk the 2 blocks on the sidewalk, but people will do what they do. One of the nicest things about a bicycle in NYC is that we can hop on the sidewalk and walk the last 1/2 block, or slightly farther rather than going around to follow the one ways.

BTW- the best argument against salmoning in NYC isn't th law, or auto traffic. It's pedestrians. New Yorkers wait to cross at the car line (door land) not the curb, and when crossing one ways (including against the light) look upstream. Salmoning cyclists are therefore very prone to having pedestrians step out in front of them.

I try to stay behind the camera for a reason. Anonymity being that reason. If I get a citation, arrested, or flat out steam-rolled I won't be plastered all over ET or some Malibu News-rag.

That's what friends are for; we'll spread the video around BF lickety split once you become famous . . . .

Actually you NYers have two issues. Salmons get what you mentioned above - a pedestrian in their laps. Law abiding cyclists get taxi doors thrown open in their faces from any lane of traffic, especially if traffic is all jammed up. In New Orleans where I ride you never see pedestrians exiting or entering a vehicle more than one lane distant from the curb i.e. "double parked". In NYC they jump out from everywhere and anywhere the taxi might stop - right lane, center, or left lane does not matter to them. It's a free-for-all. So I can't really blame the salmons too much. At least the taxi door is open in a direction where it gives a little when a bike hits it and the occupants might actually SEE the cyclist coming and refrain from throwing the door open on a whim.

I'm sure that there's more than 2 issues, but given the numbers and congestion we seem to manage OK. Over many years or riding in NYC I've never been doored, not by a taxi, not otherwise. Nor have I ever had a collision with a car within the city limits.

The generally lower traffic speed makes it possible for cyclists to be part of the flow, and that's a big advantage because it allows for easier, safer lane changes when necessary. Also, sine most of NYC is one ways, it means we can keep left, eliminating having to play tag with buses.

Long before bicycles were trendy and people spoke of "bicycle friendliness" or bicycles vs. cars, NYC already had an active thriving urban cycling community, and was possibly the most bike aware city in the USA.

YOUR right to use the road does not depend upon ME following the law, and vice versa. You have every RIGHT to use the road. You have the RESPONSIBILITY to follow the law. If you do not follow the law, YOU suffer the consequences. It's a pattern that all marginalized groups suffer, that the actions of (often a very small number of) individuals are used to deny rights to the group. However the privileged and/or majority group does not apply that same standard to themselves.

Its good to see someone has the balls to stand up against all the idiotic rules and laws the US citizens are obsessed with. Its a flippin bicycle people, freedumb.

There have been calls here for the law to be changed to ban bicycles from the road due to the minority that do not follow the law, along with the holding up of traffic etc. Of course I see the irony that the a good number of drivers are violating laws by being on cell phones etc. I just see those that are on the roads and are not following the laws are not doing the rest of us any favors. Drivers see all cyclists as lycra clad weight weenies that feel they are above the law.

Have I gone over the speed limit on my bike? I admit I have, even while I'm being yelled at for slowing down traffic. I also admit it was fun :)
But not many drivers complain about us going too fast.

+3

The idea that I have to earn respect, or be an ambassador, because otherwise bad behavior is justified is outright inane. It also assumes that incidents happen because of intentional driver behavior. In my experience intentional behavior is a tiny minority. Usually it's just negligence/errors.

Moving this back to the Alec Baldwin comedy show. I have no sympathy for him here. Not because I endorse (or decry) salmoning per se, but because I suspect that Mr. B. brings this kind on nonsense on himself intentionally. He can afford the ticket, and the consequences of the arrest. This is his schtick, and I'm sure will be fodder for his next late night talk show appearance.

In his world any press is good press (within reason), and this kind of no harm/no foul story is free media exposure that he can work to his advantage.

Baldwin is a tremendous actor and he's funny as hell, but he clearly has some temper issues. I have the feeling that he's one of those extremely bright, talented guys who gets frustrated easily. I'm finding it hard to be especially sympathetic towards him.

I'm an anti-salmon. I won't speak towards NYC, but in Philly they are a menace and they do put me in danger. I'm not going to claim I've never taken a short cut up an alley, but it's almost always inappropriate. If I did get a ticket one of the few times I did that, I'd fight it in court or pay it - I wouldn't mouth off to the police.

It might be his temper, but as I said, I think it's part of his public persona. All part of the act.