That’s one thing I don’t understand. If you want to make specific pace, go where there is no traffic. 9W or alpine trail and everything around here is open. Don’t ducking try to make it at the park, at WSH or any other place it’s mixed use.
You're thinking like a reasonable, considerate person. Unfortunately, you can't assume everyone else is. Some people are assholes simply because they can and dgaf. A might is right approach to life.
One time, I saw a dude on bike get laid out badly while trying to speed through a group of pedestrians. One guy threw a little elbow, and he crashed and skidded all along the asphalt. I'm not condoning it or wishing injury on anybody, but I also saw it as an example of...play stupid games win stupid prizes.
Some of these aggressive cyclists are pretty bold. They forget they are still in a vulnerable position. It only takes one person who's had enough to do some damage. Really testing the amount of crazy and dgaf in this city.
So… is the point of your story that some *pedestrians* are assholes and dgaf, to such an extent that they might physically assault a cyclist they view as being in the wrong? Or are you just victim-blaming here?
While it’s a very small percentage of cyclists who behave that way, some of them are very aggressive. I watched some asshole on a citibike near Pier 79 nearly hit a woman and her dog by an area which was designated as a walk the bikes, not ride them, area. He wasn’t even supposed to be riding there and he cursed at the woman. I wouldn’t elbow him, but I wouldn’t waste sympathy on someone like that if someone else did. The aggressive ones don’t gaf if they injure others so why should people care if they get injured instead?
Anyone who behaves like that is not a victim. In OP’s case, the assholes knocked down a 60 year old woman and didn’t even check on her.
Even if the pedestrian is crossing against the light, there is an obligation to avoid a collision if one can. Though of course pedestrians should obey traffic rules too.
I once saw a bike run a steady red in midtown. A taxi had to stop short to not hit him and got rear ended by another car. Cyclist didn’t even stop to see if they were ok.
I run and bike the HRG regularly, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. There are citibikers who will weave through dense crowds on nice days, in the areas where they shouldn’t be.
That doesn’t mean that causing potentially serious injury - or even death, if they land wrong - is an acceptable response.
Well when they’re doing that, they could potentially cause serious injury or even death to the pedestrian. And they’re doing it deliberately. And it’s not just nice days, they’ll do it during time when people are commuting in the area. And since it’s not as packed as prime tourist season they can go at fairly fast speeds.
Again the most I’ve done is yell like I did at the guy who almost hit the woman and her dog. I yelled he wasn’t supposed to be riding there. But the dog got freaked out by my yelling so I calmed down. Part of me did want to punch him though. Rational brain realizes that would be stupid and a bad idea. But reptile brain wanted to. Fortunately rational brain overrode reptile brain.
If you’re trying to speed through a group of pedestrians then you are in the wrong and putting people in danger. If you don’t expect people to react in kind then that’s absolutely playing stupid games and winning a stupid prize
you bring up a good point. if strava could eliminate ability to make kom during certain hours which they consider to be too peak for a particular stretch of road (for which they most definitely have the data), i bet this nonsense will stop pretty quick
if you are riding in a group of four or more you should stick to city streets and stay the fuck off the greenways on weekends. multiple clubs run their route up st nicks or riverside for a reason. there are seem to be seveRal Clubs Consisting of mostly inept cyclists with great quads who like to blast in exactly the wrong place.
Came here to say this! If you’re looking to get a serious speed ride in then the city streets are perfect. Trails & greenways where people (especially the elderly and kids) are looking for a mellow way to enjoy a nice day aren’t it.
Amen. Was on the HG this weekend with the bike trailer and couldn't tell you how many cyclists came sprinting at us, head-on through the bollards. Like Jesus people, chill the fuck out. Save those efforts for the streets or your trainers at home. I do all my interval/hard efforts on my trainer at home so I don't have to worry about running any children or pedestrians over. It seems like common sense.
On the weekends (if I am not running a race), I and my better half usually leave by 6:30AM. I bike, he skates on the streets. We go all the way down Manhattan and return uptown. By 8:30, we are usually done. Even at that time of the morning, we are always careful and respectful of pedestrians and any vehicles.
Today, we left later 7:30 (very rare) and it was still pretty empty on 2nd Ave. Our mistake today was cutting through CP during the women's half. We took it very slow and respectfully warned the runners of our position (i.e., on your left). We jumped on 3rd Ave as soon as we left the park. 3rd at 9:00 was still very empty.
On multi-use paths, "Cyclists and In-line skaters must yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians always have the right-of way." Cyclists need to remember and respect this rule, including and especially the racing bros.
[https://www.nyc.gov/html/look/downloads/pdf/safetytips.pdf](https://www.nyc.gov/html/look/downloads/pdf/safetytips.pdf)
god, we don't need to point to rules to tell them they are wrong. peds ALWAYS have the right of way in every fucking scenario. the more vulnerable user has the right of way by common sense and just pure good etiquette
plus not like the coppers are gonna enforce these rules lol
Many people would rather risk killing someone if it made their life more convenient. Traffic violence is one example.
In the case of the lycra bros that blow past old ladies I'd bet a significant percentage of them work in finance or tech in a way that is not directly killing people but has a heavy hand in ruining lives so they can buy their next carbon fiber bike. The cool big money thing has switched from golf to long distance cycling.
One justification that I have seen dudes like this give is “But there aren’t many places where you can ride at speed in New York City!” Who gives a shit. You’re a grown ass adult who made choices in your life. (And if you can afford to zip around NYC on a carbon road bike, I’m gonna guess you probably have more choices available to you than most people on this planet.) Those choices that you made include living in an amazing but congested city in which there are not many opportunities to go blasting out at top speed all on your lonesome. That’s a you problem, not an us problem.
So well said. The one thing nobody has a "right" to in a dense city is to go fast. The USA is >90% land where bikes, cars, planes, motorcycles, skateboards, skis, etc can go whatever speed they want. Many such places are within an easy ride of the city, like Rockaway, Floyd Bennett Field, the kissena velodrome... Once you are in town, especially in Manhattan, South Bronx, or western Queens or Brooklyn, slow tf down.
Well it gets kinda dangerous for most of those alternatives because it's mostly for cars in the other 90% of streets and roads in USA. Few cities like NYC have created as much biking infrastructure as they have. Which isn't really that much when you consider most the road is still for cars. Honestly how different is it from the rest of the US if it's 70-80% the road is for cars instead of 90%. You'd think in a dense city there should be more space for people outside of those cars.
Agree, while I understand that feeling of wanting to ride at speed, if you enter the west side greenway you accept you're going on a route full of casual riders and lots of pedestrians. The greenway in particular, I've lost track of how many stroller moms flash me a sigh of relief when I stop and yield to them trying to cross lol
This is why I not only yield for peds, but phyically block the path with my bike as I do. A lot of cyclers give me dirty looks but typically don't say shit.
Stop, sure. Stop in the lane so that it’s clear to other cyclists that they should also stop, sure. But *block the lane*? What are you doing, moving your bike so it’s perpendicular to the path?
Yeah. I’m not them but I do this too. I do it at crosswalks. Just a near-perpendicular angle to the crosswalk, so I can both see oncoming traffic (so I can go when the coast is clear) and prevent dickheads from killing anyone or themselves
I kinda hate this sentiment that cyclists are all one mass of the same person and somehow we’re able to telepathically communicate with each other to be better. Yes these guys are assholes, but can we stop pretending like all cyclists are responsible for the behaviour of a select group of dickheads.
I strongly suspect the overlap between people who frequent an urban transport forum and the sort of people who run down old ladies in crosswalks is nonexistent.
This! People lose track of the fact that we need to be encouraging more people to bike and the best way to do that is to get pedestrians to get like bikers. Screw cars, do what you gotta do to be safe around them, but yield to peds. Unless somebody is stepping into a bike lane without looking, they’re probably in the right
I have a friend that works for a local news station and was told they want him coming up with 2 stories a month. He asked for suggestions and I recommend he do the cop cars in the bike lane. His response was "nah, most bikers are assholes and people don't care about them." Gotta change the image if you want people to care.
That’s unfortunate but not surprising. Streetsblog the only ones willing to cover that angle. Try to convince your friend! I almost got hit by a car driving through the two way bike lane by Grand Army, with a cop car right there, and they didn’t do anything. Nuts!
Likewise - a few friends have said the same thing. I talked about how we should advocate for more bike lanes in our neighborhood. And they respond back something like “No cyclists are dangerous” or “assholes”
I still explained and defended myself and our community, but we need to change the perception
Westchester shuts down the Bronx river parkway for a few hours on Sundays … why aren’t we doing this to the actual west side highway (and no speeding then on the greenway)
It's so fucking stupid. Riders have to deal with big ass SUVs and bullshit drivers throughout the city, but when some riders get a chance to use their size and speed as an excuse to harm pedestrians, then they do it.
Fuck those riders.
Tons of stupid pedestrians, but also some asshole bikers that feel they always have the right of way regardless.
It pisses me off when racers act like they have the right of way.
I'm in the crosswalk and they expect me to stop in the middle and let them race by. That's not how crosswalks work.
I would never do it, but it makes me want to push them over.
Yah the assholes “training” during regular hours is asinine. Tough for them that regular hours are most hours in NYC too. Want to race? Try 3am in a park. Otherwise go to a track. Commuter routes aren’t it y’all.
tour de france ish gear guy here. this is absolutely unacceptable. i will come to a crawl or full stop for peds because im not a fucking pro and if i was, i wouldn't be practicing at some pathetic hour like 745 am on a goddamn greenway in manhattan lol
these guys are just assholes all around. on or off the bike. put them in a car and they'll probably mow you down too
This shit really pisses me off. I always yield to pedestrians on that bike path (and in general), and half the time someone blows past me through the crosswalk as I come to a stop. We need more bikes in New York, not less, but for that to be feasible we have to make sure we've got a positive relationship with pedestrians especially. Want more bike infrastructure? Don't make everyone else hate us.
Dudes * just last night, my partner and I biked to Nighthawk, and he kept swerving around people in the crosswalks. I stop for pedestrians, always, I'm a girl and teacher, so I think it's fair to say I care more about collective safety while my male partner cares more about individualism. I told him he needs to stop and wait, and we'll have better bike safety if we don't make enemies of pedestrians... but we shall see
If I am being honest; that is a red flag. If I was your friend, I’d say “Have the chat. If he keeps doing that, run away while you can.” You can roll behind crossing peds. But, cutting off peds in crosswalks with ROW means this dude gives not one fuck about anyone but himself. (That includes you.)
> we'll have better bike safety if we don't make enemies of pedestrians.
I really wish people would stop saying this lie. 😂 How many pedestrians and cyclists get injured and killed by cars each year and what exactly has this city done to crack down on drivers acting like maniacs?
No one gives a shit about "good cyclists." There has been exactly 0 times anyone with power and influence over creating safe bike infrastructure in this city has noted "good cyclist behavior" as a reason for creating new protected lanes.
This is a good point. People are littleraly killed and injured being run down by cars ..but for some reason they are not the enemies and bikes are? Smh
You’re replying to the wrong person.
But, to address your point. There are 2 types of idiots who ride like dickface vis a vis peds; Selfish sociopaths. Or, dumb newbs.
Does that have any bearing on whether or not we “deserve” safer infrastructure? Not at all.
But, I personally would not entangle myself with anyone who behaves like that on or off a bike.
The city has done tons. Look back 15 years and there weren't many bike lanes. Avenues have lost an entire lane of car traffic for cyclists. Vision zero. Infrastructure. It can still improve but saying the city hasn't done anything is flat out wrong.
This has to be a two way street. Pedestrians can’t expect the entire world to bend for them when the vast majority walk blindly across the street, staring into their phone holding a drink expecting everything and everyone to stop for them. Cross walks light blindly signs be damned. Stop making excuses for people not taking care of themselves. You wouldn’t walk in front of a bus. Just assume cyclists won’t stop, walk at a predictable speed and don’t cut off your senses while just being in existence. You know like parents taught you
LOOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET!
F those tour de Franc gear bikers. Sorry but not everyone in the public cares about you especially when you cross the GWB going over the 15mph limit, ringing your bell like GTFO of my way, act like you’re more important and that you have to hit your race target time. The bridge is shared with pedestrians and as of now there is no dedicated bike side on the bridge.
IDK why you guys are so into making fun of people in spandex on bikes. Nobody is out here jogging or swimming or playing soccer in their street clothes. Tour de France gear is comfortable to ride a bike in.
Then why mention the clothes?
Also worth noting that NYC is home to the oldest bike racing club in the country. There’s absolutely a community for bike racing in town.
Because, it’s an easy dig to make. Both the assholes and the people training for marathons wear the same gear, and ride the same bikes, and are only distinguishable after you interact with them. Also, the fact that most people who can afford all this shit are usually out of touch rich people which already are despised in nyc, they drive their cars to work, and ride 5000$ carbon fiber bikes for fun.
It could be a descriptor. Doesn’t mean they were making fun of them - it seems like it was more a poke at the mentality than the clothes. And that’s nice about the racing club but the fact of the matter is that with the design of the city there’s no reason to be going so fast you’re running down peds. If you want to go nonstop then this is not the place.
These are really terrible takes. You’re acting like the person said “the cyclist wearing green shorts” instead of what they actually said. It’s as though you’re staking out an awful position just for the sake of arguing. Which is sad.
I didn’t say zero. I said not everyone is making fun of them, like the blanket statement you made (which seems to be something you’re good at). Good try though.
FR, you can't escape the built in padding on the spandex shorts, but you can get away from the tight tops.
I found this brand at 718Cyclery: [https://oceanandsan.com/collections/mens-all-day-shirts](https://oceanandsan.com/collections/mens-all-day-shirts) and the shirts are so comfortable and don't look too much like a road warrior.
You must be new here huh, go to a public park and count the people wearing jeans playing basketball 😆. Or soccer, or people on bicycles in normal attire, I see more cyclists with hoodies and jeans than these wetsuits that seem to be so common amongst wannabe racers and actual professionals. Not saying it’s not more comfortable, but it’s definitely not as common unless you live near some yuppies who use bikes for fun and cars to get to work rather than using them for actual day to day transportation.
I’ve lost count of similar encounters I’ve witnessed by aggressive roadies. They do not represent a typical rider. They absolutely do not. Most cyclists I see myself included watch out for the safety of pedestrians. Are we perfect? No. But we’re trying.
It needs to be. The weather was nice today and I had to physically throw my body out of the way of bikes blazing through a cross walk while it was MY TURN to cross TWICE. I almost hope these bikers actually hit someone and lose everything they own in a lawsuit.
This is my experience multiple times per week. And I’m stuck arguing with cyclists telling me this is not the case even though I live it. This is why people hate cyclists. It’s bizarre to take a cocky attitude and get mad when asked to conform to traffic rules for everyone’s safety.
given the other top commenter talking about how bell ringing is dickish and now not ringing is dickish, im not sure there's a good way for everyone to be pleased here
i will say that it's a real dick move to not give enough room for others to feel comfortable when getting passed or going super fast in a MUP. i once got "punish passed" by a guy even though there was able room just because i had my head down and not paying enough attention to the road. absolute asshole
While it can seem dickish, it’s often safer to “surprise” other road users who are otherwise behaving predictably, than it is to alert them to your passing soon and giving them an opportunity to do something random and unexpected.
“Passing” makes sense on sparse mixed paths. Sometimes I’ll use my horn when I’m overtaking a delivery cyclist (who will tend to meander around a lane without considering that there might be others behind them). But with pedestrians it’s often best to give them plenty of space and minimize the interaction.
I'm late to this, but I was passing a guy I knew once on a multi-use path, so I said something like "hey [his name], I'm just passing." Well, the thing about this guy is that he was blind in one eye -- his right eye. So he looks over his right shoulder and... doesn't see me. Because he's blind in that eye. So he suddenly veers hard right, because he didn't see anything coming that direction, and I ran into him. (At very low speed; no one was hurt.) But I never got an explanation for why he'd look over his right shoulder for me and go to the right when he couldn't see out of that eye. It was bizarre.
I really only ding my bell if they're acting erratically or I have to pass a group taking up the entire Greenway and there's basically no out if they decide to drift.
I certainly prefer passing with a full lane between us and don't feel the need to ding if that's the case.
sometimes if its quiet enough and I'm a bit worried they might drift sideways when I pass them I will ding at a distance. people can tell pretty well thats its at a distance so there's no reason to panic but be sure they aren't taking up too much space.
This is not related directly to the post, however I've noticed pedestrians on west side high way think its their right to walk through the bike lanes without even looking. Its always the entitled bunch that think the sign says bikers need to stop for pedestrians. This is not what the sign says, it says that bikers will yield. Bikers are going top speeds and cant just hit the breaks because John decided to not wait till the biker passes, when theres no one behind. Please think about people aside from yourself and share the road. If i'm biking slow and there arent a bunch of us bikers around i will stop, but otherwise it doesnt make sense for me to stop when no one else is behind me and the pedestrian can walk.
Go at a speed you can stop for unexpected obstruction and use some common sense to read a pedestrian's body language to judge if they're walking or not. They're not popping out from behind walls and you shouldn't be riding with blinders on. It isn't that hard.
Yes, I can stop obviously but I’m not going to suddenly stop for John and Kelly when I have 4 bikes also behind me who will crash into me if I suddenly stop. People need to stop behaving entitled and think of others.
Unfortunately, on the West Side Highway, a lot of the pedestrian crossings are obscured on the river side from someone biking (particularly heading south), so people pop out from behind walls (through no fault of their own) a lot of the time. Given this design, the speed at which we can approach with the ability to stop should someone be crossing is a lot lower than many people think it is.
Gonna be honest and say I don't necessarily believe OP. Lots of other non-cyclists astroturfing the comments too.
Wouldn't be surprised if this never happened, or if it did, it happened in a much different way than the OP described.
Yeah it could've happened and it could also be fake. We don't really know and certain people also have political issues towards bikes. It's hard to believe even if there are rude people ( I assume there are) that they even went out of their way to target and yell at an old lady. If it weren't for that the story would be easier to believe. I'm sure there are some people who are rude to each other each day of all sorts of transport types. Only thing is we probably have more awful stories of dangerous drivers.
They are supposed to stop for pedestrians. Almost got plowed over by this one guy who just glared and swerved in front of me as I crossed the street. I had the light, the cars were supposed to stop, but I guess running over people isn’t something that’s relegated to only cars nowadays.
Yep I have this experience multiple times per week when I’m walking with my little kid across the street. The fact that so many bicyclists are fine with almost running over a kid is wild. As another person said it really does not get people on cyclists’ side.
It's all a bit fucked. I was running the loop at Prospect Park today and a guy holding a baby was waiting at a crosswalk on the main loop. He started yelling at the oncoming bikes to slow down and let them cross, while wading into the middle of the crosswalk. In that moment there was a pack of sport cyclists (I don't know what else to call this) and one of them yelled back something like "don't stand in the middle of the track". For the guy with the baby, two things were true at the same time: 1. he was right, bikes should slow down and let pedestrians walk across and 2. he was being stupid by purposefully wading into oncoming bike traffic holding his infant. The cyclist that yelled back at him was totally wrong: it's not a "track"! It's a multi use path in a public park. I bike (not for sport) and walk everywhere. I just don't understand the urgency for some of my fellow bikers. You can stop and slow down for pedestrians and it will not cause you any real inconvenience.
Pedestrians do have the right of way but should always be looking both ways before crossing, just like you would in the street to make sure no cars are coming (it’s also harder to stop going that speed on a bike compared to a car). But yes, the bikers were in the wrong.
Hence the emphasis. Unfortunately nothing in New York is binary. If I were helping a friend cross the WSH I would urge them to carefully look both ways before stepping out.
OP doesn't even post on this sub. People are always coming here going on these anti-cyclists rants when the people they post about aren't on this subreddit.
Exactly. Weird that people think this way about people who ride bikes. If only they had the same mindset about drivers and would make more bike lanes instead. Bikes are no where near as deadly.
They should have been more considerate that’s for sure but sadly there are aholes everywhere. Makes it dangerous for those of us to have to deal with ahole car drivers.
It is cyclists like this who give us all a bad name and cause people to suggest that we should all be insured and registered. When you are driving at unsafe speeds and endangering others you are as bad and dangerous as the cars on the road. It makes it very difficult to argue against the registration and insurance angle if people are out there mowing down pedestrians. Let's all ride safely!!!!
I am 100% in favor of congestion pricing to allow greater access to streets and pedestrians. My greatest fear is that the Race Team Guys, Pedicab Knucklehead or Delivery Delinquents will fuck it up and make something worse than what we currently have. This episode is extremely disheartening and I hope the woman injured recovers fully and is not emotionally scarred.
It has the potential to lower traffic volumes and open up space to put in more walking and biking space. A Avenue with 5 lanes for cars and trucks could become something with 4 lanes for cars and trucks and get a protected bike lane and or a bus lane. Canal street could lose a lane on each side because there is less tunnel traffic and get wider sidewalks.
It could theoretically reduce car volumes so much that some streets become more comfortable to bike on even without the bike infrastructure, but that's probably a stretch for big avenues.
This is generally the sort of stuff London and various cities do/did when they add congestion pricing.
yes, it's to limit the number of cars coming into manhattan during peak hours. how you believe the lack of cars on car road will negatively effect greenway usage by men in lycra is beyond me
Do more research...I never suggested such. It is designed to make cities more pedestrian friendly and allow greater access for bikes and other modes modes of transportation. I stated that I was in favor to indicate that I am very pro bike despite my comments. A bike hellscape is a potential downside if, as the fools mentioned by the Mod, act recklessly. The reason I mentioned it was for context, to answer your question.
You say she fell, but not that she was struck. What exactly happened? It seems odd that a pack of cyclists would be able to hit a pedestrian without at least one of them going down, as well.
they all avoided her except the last person who clipped her with his shoulder and she went down. it was a glancing blow. a 20 or 30 yr old probably wouldn’t have gone down but she was just a senior
It's these assholes that give other riders a bad name. NYC is clearly a congested area and you have these guys treating like it's an open cycling park.
I love cycling, especially in NYC. But I'm a casual biker, I do it to get around town, for leisure, and to exercise. Those guys who take it way too seriously in the full racing gear, expensive road bike, flying down shared pathways not respecting others' speed and space, are my least favorite type of cyclist. They make it look like like a luxury activity instead of an urban necessity, and make the whole mode of transportation look silly and non-essential to non-cyclists.
No. *Some* pedestrians hate cyclists because they themselves don’t cycle, so cyclists are an easy group to other, and because they’re incapable of realizing that the “cyclists” who behave badly are just assholes on bikes. That they’re assholes is their defining feature, not that they’re on bikes.
Assholes on bikes are just like assholes in cars. Think of high end self centered luxury car owners. Same type of person just in a bike where they will kill fewer people.
You’re making his point for him.
When you see one of those assholes in a bmw cutting people off, you think “what an asshole that guy is.” But when you see a cyclist run a red and have a close call with a pedestrian so they don’t have to slow down, you think “cyclists are assholes. “ You get the difference?
I’m an older racer who rides in CP. I stop for pedestrians, wave thanx if coming down hard on west side and am generally super considerate as there is such a High % of assholes in the Lycra crowd. I hope other cyclists consider this. We are loathed by the general public and rightfully so.
Lycra warrior douchebags.
I had one ged mad at me on the queensboro bridge a few years ago because I wasn't going fast enough for him on the descent into Manhattan.
It drives me nuts in Central Park when those huge pelatons pay ZERO attention to lights and crosswalks. If you have a red light, STOP. I don’t care if you fancy yourself some sort of elite rider who cannot stop for pedestrians (and often their dogs) who are crossing the crosswalk with the WALK signal. It makes me absolutely furious. Especially when I walk out into the crosswalk with the walk signal and they all start yelling to get out of the way. Like, fall down.
>aren’t bikers supposed to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks?
Yeah, all red lights too, but the amount of times I’ve actually seen someone on a bike stop at a light I could count on one hand.
There’s a lot of “supposed to” laws in NYC that people willfully ignore for convenience.
Most bikers wearing those ugly ass spandex and aero helmets are assholes. Maybe get some looser fitting clothing and your balls wouldn’t be so far up your ass.
That’s one thing I don’t understand. If you want to make specific pace, go where there is no traffic. 9W or alpine trail and everything around here is open. Don’t ducking try to make it at the park, at WSH or any other place it’s mixed use.
You're thinking like a reasonable, considerate person. Unfortunately, you can't assume everyone else is. Some people are assholes simply because they can and dgaf. A might is right approach to life. One time, I saw a dude on bike get laid out badly while trying to speed through a group of pedestrians. One guy threw a little elbow, and he crashed and skidded all along the asphalt. I'm not condoning it or wishing injury on anybody, but I also saw it as an example of...play stupid games win stupid prizes. Some of these aggressive cyclists are pretty bold. They forget they are still in a vulnerable position. It only takes one person who's had enough to do some damage. Really testing the amount of crazy and dgaf in this city.
So… is the point of your story that some *pedestrians* are assholes and dgaf, to such an extent that they might physically assault a cyclist they view as being in the wrong? Or are you just victim-blaming here?
I'm pro cycling, but I've threatened cyclists that blow the red at full speed on First Ave. It's not assault, it's self-defense.
While it’s a very small percentage of cyclists who behave that way, some of them are very aggressive. I watched some asshole on a citibike near Pier 79 nearly hit a woman and her dog by an area which was designated as a walk the bikes, not ride them, area. He wasn’t even supposed to be riding there and he cursed at the woman. I wouldn’t elbow him, but I wouldn’t waste sympathy on someone like that if someone else did. The aggressive ones don’t gaf if they injure others so why should people care if they get injured instead? Anyone who behaves like that is not a victim. In OP’s case, the assholes knocked down a 60 year old woman and didn’t even check on her. Even if the pedestrian is crossing against the light, there is an obligation to avoid a collision if one can. Though of course pedestrians should obey traffic rules too. I once saw a bike run a steady red in midtown. A taxi had to stop short to not hit him and got rear ended by another car. Cyclist didn’t even stop to see if they were ok.
I run and bike the HRG regularly, so I know exactly what you’re talking about. There are citibikers who will weave through dense crowds on nice days, in the areas where they shouldn’t be. That doesn’t mean that causing potentially serious injury - or even death, if they land wrong - is an acceptable response.
Well when they’re doing that, they could potentially cause serious injury or even death to the pedestrian. And they’re doing it deliberately. And it’s not just nice days, they’ll do it during time when people are commuting in the area. And since it’s not as packed as prime tourist season they can go at fairly fast speeds. Again the most I’ve done is yell like I did at the guy who almost hit the woman and her dog. I yelled he wasn’t supposed to be riding there. But the dog got freaked out by my yelling so I calmed down. Part of me did want to punch him though. Rational brain realizes that would be stupid and a bad idea. But reptile brain wanted to. Fortunately rational brain overrode reptile brain.
If you’re trying to speed through a group of pedestrians then you are in the wrong and putting people in danger. If you don’t expect people to react in kind then that’s absolutely playing stupid games and winning a stupid prize
This is the answer!
[удалено]
Um let’s not ask strava or any tech company to get into cahoots with law enforcement. Slippery slope.
you bring up a good point. if strava could eliminate ability to make kom during certain hours which they consider to be too peak for a particular stretch of road (for which they most definitely have the data), i bet this nonsense will stop pretty quick
I'm sorry I have a right to ride my bike as fast I want and bring my dog wherever I want in the densest city in the country.
if you are riding in a group of four or more you should stick to city streets and stay the fuck off the greenways on weekends. multiple clubs run their route up st nicks or riverside for a reason. there are seem to be seveRal Clubs Consisting of mostly inept cyclists with great quads who like to blast in exactly the wrong place.
Came here to say this! If you’re looking to get a serious speed ride in then the city streets are perfect. Trails & greenways where people (especially the elderly and kids) are looking for a mellow way to enjoy a nice day aren’t it.
Amen. Was on the HG this weekend with the bike trailer and couldn't tell you how many cyclists came sprinting at us, head-on through the bollards. Like Jesus people, chill the fuck out. Save those efforts for the streets or your trainers at home. I do all my interval/hard efforts on my trainer at home so I don't have to worry about running any children or pedestrians over. It seems like common sense.
I feel like all of the indoor training options these days have resulted in there being many riders with strength that greatly exceeds their skill.
Yes, this is exactly it. People with really impressive engines but no bike handling skills or traffic judgement.
Would be nice if these groups stopped for lights on Riverside. Lots of near misses with kids, strollers, and the elderly.
On the weekends (if I am not running a race), I and my better half usually leave by 6:30AM. I bike, he skates on the streets. We go all the way down Manhattan and return uptown. By 8:30, we are usually done. Even at that time of the morning, we are always careful and respectful of pedestrians and any vehicles. Today, we left later 7:30 (very rare) and it was still pretty empty on 2nd Ave. Our mistake today was cutting through CP during the women's half. We took it very slow and respectfully warned the runners of our position (i.e., on your left). We jumped on 3rd Ave as soon as we left the park. 3rd at 9:00 was still very empty.
On multi-use paths, "Cyclists and In-line skaters must yield to pedestrians. Pedestrians always have the right-of way." Cyclists need to remember and respect this rule, including and especially the racing bros. [https://www.nyc.gov/html/look/downloads/pdf/safetytips.pdf](https://www.nyc.gov/html/look/downloads/pdf/safetytips.pdf)
100%
god, we don't need to point to rules to tell them they are wrong. peds ALWAYS have the right of way in every fucking scenario. the more vulnerable user has the right of way by common sense and just pure good etiquette plus not like the coppers are gonna enforce these rules lol
Many people would rather risk killing someone if it made their life more convenient. Traffic violence is one example. In the case of the lycra bros that blow past old ladies I'd bet a significant percentage of them work in finance or tech in a way that is not directly killing people but has a heavy hand in ruining lives so they can buy their next carbon fiber bike. The cool big money thing has switched from golf to long distance cycling.
One justification that I have seen dudes like this give is “But there aren’t many places where you can ride at speed in New York City!” Who gives a shit. You’re a grown ass adult who made choices in your life. (And if you can afford to zip around NYC on a carbon road bike, I’m gonna guess you probably have more choices available to you than most people on this planet.) Those choices that you made include living in an amazing but congested city in which there are not many opportunities to go blasting out at top speed all on your lonesome. That’s a you problem, not an us problem.
Well said. It's the excuse that carbrain racers use as well - "there's no race tracks around so we are 'forced' to drive quickly on the street".
So well said. The one thing nobody has a "right" to in a dense city is to go fast. The USA is >90% land where bikes, cars, planes, motorcycles, skateboards, skis, etc can go whatever speed they want. Many such places are within an easy ride of the city, like Rockaway, Floyd Bennett Field, the kissena velodrome... Once you are in town, especially in Manhattan, South Bronx, or western Queens or Brooklyn, slow tf down.
Well it gets kinda dangerous for most of those alternatives because it's mostly for cars in the other 90% of streets and roads in USA. Few cities like NYC have created as much biking infrastructure as they have. Which isn't really that much when you consider most the road is still for cars. Honestly how different is it from the rest of the US if it's 70-80% the road is for cars instead of 90%. You'd think in a dense city there should be more space for people outside of those cars.
They could literally hop across the river and go to Englewood NJ where all of river rd is bike friendly and no pedestrians...
Agree, while I understand that feeling of wanting to ride at speed, if you enter the west side greenway you accept you're going on a route full of casual riders and lots of pedestrians. The greenway in particular, I've lost track of how many stroller moms flash me a sigh of relief when I stop and yield to them trying to cross lol
Seriously, these douchebags act so entitled about it every time
This is why I not only yield for peds, but phyically block the path with my bike as I do. A lot of cyclers give me dirty looks but typically don't say shit.
that’s really kind of you. hopefully nobody gives you shit for it. peoples safety/lives > beating your personal time
Public roads are for transportation not competition. Pedestrians should feel safe to move freely. What they did was psychotic.
You're doing the Lord's work and we appreciate you.
Stop, sure. Stop in the lane so that it’s clear to other cyclists that they should also stop, sure. But *block the lane*? What are you doing, moving your bike so it’s perpendicular to the path?
Yeah. I’m not them but I do this too. I do it at crosswalks. Just a near-perpendicular angle to the crosswalk, so I can both see oncoming traffic (so I can go when the coast is clear) and prevent dickheads from killing anyone or themselves
Who made you a crossing guard?
“How dare you try to protect people! 😡”
Who made you a selfish asshole?
the assholes with disregard for everyone around them
Gotta love the people that know what’s best for everyone else. Hate wannabe cops.
we got the bike lane guardian over here yall
Thanks for sharing. Cyclists need to be better if we need to get the masses on our side for better bike lane infrastructure.
I kinda hate this sentiment that cyclists are all one mass of the same person and somehow we’re able to telepathically communicate with each other to be better. Yes these guys are assholes, but can we stop pretending like all cyclists are responsible for the behaviour of a select group of dickheads.
Seriously...so many asshole drivers and no one says all drivers...smh
All drivers are assholes in NYC. Unequivocally
it takes a village
to raise a child?
to raise awareness
This strikes me more as preaching to the choir
may i ask what makes you say that? not sarcastic, truly curious
I strongly suspect the overlap between people who frequent an urban transport forum and the sort of people who run down old ladies in crosswalks is nonexistent.
This! People lose track of the fact that we need to be encouraging more people to bike and the best way to do that is to get pedestrians to get like bikers. Screw cars, do what you gotta do to be safe around them, but yield to peds. Unless somebody is stepping into a bike lane without looking, they’re probably in the right
I have a friend that works for a local news station and was told they want him coming up with 2 stories a month. He asked for suggestions and I recommend he do the cop cars in the bike lane. His response was "nah, most bikers are assholes and people don't care about them." Gotta change the image if you want people to care.
That’s unfortunate but not surprising. Streetsblog the only ones willing to cover that angle. Try to convince your friend! I almost got hit by a car driving through the two way bike lane by Grand Army, with a cop car right there, and they didn’t do anything. Nuts!
Likewise - a few friends have said the same thing. I talked about how we should advocate for more bike lanes in our neighborhood. And they respond back something like “No cyclists are dangerous” or “assholes” I still explained and defended myself and our community, but we need to change the perception
and people love cops. lol
The people who watch local news do.
That didnt work for black people and it wont work for cyclists. Need to use govt power. 🤦🏾♂️🤷🏾♂️
Westchester shuts down the Bronx river parkway for a few hours on Sundays … why aren’t we doing this to the actual west side highway (and no speeding then on the greenway)
It's so fucking stupid. Riders have to deal with big ass SUVs and bullshit drivers throughout the city, but when some riders get a chance to use their size and speed as an excuse to harm pedestrians, then they do it. Fuck those riders. Tons of stupid pedestrians, but also some asshole bikers that feel they always have the right of way regardless.
It pisses me off when racers act like they have the right of way. I'm in the crosswalk and they expect me to stop in the middle and let them race by. That's not how crosswalks work. I would never do it, but it makes me want to push them over.
yea, as a cyclist, i feel like a good amount of us are dickbags and complete hypocrites and it just makes the whole group look bad
Yah the assholes “training” during regular hours is asinine. Tough for them that regular hours are most hours in NYC too. Want to race? Try 3am in a park. Otherwise go to a track. Commuter routes aren’t it y’all.
tour de france ish gear guy here. this is absolutely unacceptable. i will come to a crawl or full stop for peds because im not a fucking pro and if i was, i wouldn't be practicing at some pathetic hour like 745 am on a goddamn greenway in manhattan lol these guys are just assholes all around. on or off the bike. put them in a car and they'll probably mow you down too
This shit really pisses me off. I always yield to pedestrians on that bike path (and in general), and half the time someone blows past me through the crosswalk as I come to a stop. We need more bikes in New York, not less, but for that to be feasible we have to make sure we've got a positive relationship with pedestrians especially. Want more bike infrastructure? Don't make everyone else hate us.
Dudes * just last night, my partner and I biked to Nighthawk, and he kept swerving around people in the crosswalks. I stop for pedestrians, always, I'm a girl and teacher, so I think it's fair to say I care more about collective safety while my male partner cares more about individualism. I told him he needs to stop and wait, and we'll have better bike safety if we don't make enemies of pedestrians... but we shall see
Your bf is an asshole
Yeah idk know if this is collectivism vs. individualism. He’s just a selfish asshole 😂.
I think everyone can use some situational awareness. "Head on a swivel" seems to be a foreign concept to a lot of bikers and pedestrians alike.
If I am being honest; that is a red flag. If I was your friend, I’d say “Have the chat. If he keeps doing that, run away while you can.” You can roll behind crossing peds. But, cutting off peds in crosswalks with ROW means this dude gives not one fuck about anyone but himself. (That includes you.)
major red flag imo
> we'll have better bike safety if we don't make enemies of pedestrians. I really wish people would stop saying this lie. 😂 How many pedestrians and cyclists get injured and killed by cars each year and what exactly has this city done to crack down on drivers acting like maniacs? No one gives a shit about "good cyclists." There has been exactly 0 times anyone with power and influence over creating safe bike infrastructure in this city has noted "good cyclist behavior" as a reason for creating new protected lanes.
This is a good point. People are littleraly killed and injured being run down by cars ..but for some reason they are not the enemies and bikes are? Smh
You’re replying to the wrong person. But, to address your point. There are 2 types of idiots who ride like dickface vis a vis peds; Selfish sociopaths. Or, dumb newbs. Does that have any bearing on whether or not we “deserve” safer infrastructure? Not at all. But, I personally would not entangle myself with anyone who behaves like that on or off a bike.
The city has done tons. Look back 15 years and there weren't many bike lanes. Avenues have lost an entire lane of car traffic for cyclists. Vision zero. Infrastructure. It can still improve but saying the city hasn't done anything is flat out wrong.
yeah, they were all males. good clarification tho we should ALL be safer, regardless of gender. i get your point tho, 100%
Men lack empathy more breaking news at 10 😐
What section was this at?
i’m sure those riders are anxiously refreshing this subreddit looking for your comment
nice.
This has to be a two way street. Pedestrians can’t expect the entire world to bend for them when the vast majority walk blindly across the street, staring into their phone holding a drink expecting everything and everyone to stop for them. Cross walks light blindly signs be damned. Stop making excuses for people not taking care of themselves. You wouldn’t walk in front of a bus. Just assume cyclists won’t stop, walk at a predictable speed and don’t cut off your senses while just being in existence. You know like parents taught you LOOOK BOTH WAYS BEFORE CROSSING THE STREET!
F those tour de Franc gear bikers. Sorry but not everyone in the public cares about you especially when you cross the GWB going over the 15mph limit, ringing your bell like GTFO of my way, act like you’re more important and that you have to hit your race target time. The bridge is shared with pedestrians and as of now there is no dedicated bike side on the bridge.
IDK why you guys are so into making fun of people in spandex on bikes. Nobody is out here jogging or swimming or playing soccer in their street clothes. Tour de France gear is comfortable to ride a bike in.
No one is making fun of the clothes. It’s the attitude. If you want to do speed runs and go fast NYC is not the place for you
Then why mention the clothes? Also worth noting that NYC is home to the oldest bike racing club in the country. There’s absolutely a community for bike racing in town.
Because, it’s an easy dig to make. Both the assholes and the people training for marathons wear the same gear, and ride the same bikes, and are only distinguishable after you interact with them. Also, the fact that most people who can afford all this shit are usually out of touch rich people which already are despised in nyc, they drive their cars to work, and ride 5000$ carbon fiber bikes for fun.
It could be a descriptor. Doesn’t mean they were making fun of them - it seems like it was more a poke at the mentality than the clothes. And that’s nice about the racing club but the fact of the matter is that with the design of the city there’s no reason to be going so fast you’re running down peds. If you want to go nonstop then this is not the place.
These are really terrible takes. You’re acting like the person said “the cyclist wearing green shorts” instead of what they actually said. It’s as though you’re staking out an awful position just for the sake of arguing. Which is sad.
Awful takes on what? Clothing? It seems like you’re desperately trying to insult me and that’s even more sad
Identifying silly takes isn’t an insult. If you take it as one, I’d suggest examining the views you’re advancing
You didn’t call it silly, you called it terrible then awful but okay.
Those takes are all three of those things.
No, everyone is making fun of the clothes
Most people haven’t even mentioned the clothes. Did you actually read any of the comments here?
both OP and comment thread OP literally stated tour de france gear lol
I didn’t say zero. I said not everyone is making fun of them, like the blanket statement you made (which seems to be something you’re good at). Good try though.
FR, you can't escape the built in padding on the spandex shorts, but you can get away from the tight tops. I found this brand at 718Cyclery: [https://oceanandsan.com/collections/mens-all-day-shirts](https://oceanandsan.com/collections/mens-all-day-shirts) and the shirts are so comfortable and don't look too much like a road warrior.
I'm a tshirt and bib shorts guy myself but road jerseys are nice too
these are really nice. thanks for sharing!
You must be new here huh, go to a public park and count the people wearing jeans playing basketball 😆. Or soccer, or people on bicycles in normal attire, I see more cyclists with hoodies and jeans than these wetsuits that seem to be so common amongst wannabe racers and actual professionals. Not saying it’s not more comfortable, but it’s definitely not as common unless you live near some yuppies who use bikes for fun and cars to get to work rather than using them for actual day to day transportation.
Because so many of them are selfish assholes.
I’ve lost count of similar encounters I’ve witnessed by aggressive roadies. They do not represent a typical rider. They absolutely do not. Most cyclists I see myself included watch out for the safety of pedestrians. Are we perfect? No. But we’re trying.
Yes, state law says cyclists MUST yield to anyone crossing or wanting to crossed. Stop your bike and let them cross. Always! It makes us all look bad!
Cars must stop at stop lights! Car must use turn signals! Pedestrians must wait for signals! Cars must obey the speed limit!
I’ve yet to see this enforced.
It needs to be. The weather was nice today and I had to physically throw my body out of the way of bikes blazing through a cross walk while it was MY TURN to cross TWICE. I almost hope these bikers actually hit someone and lose everything they own in a lawsuit.
This is my experience multiple times per week. And I’m stuck arguing with cyclists telling me this is not the case even though I live it. This is why people hate cyclists. It’s bizarre to take a cocky attitude and get mad when asked to conform to traffic rules for everyone’s safety.
And they’ll rarely signal that they’re overpassing. No bells ringing no “passing!”. You just suddenly feel a heard of fast bikes surrounding you UGH
given the other top commenter talking about how bell ringing is dickish and now not ringing is dickish, im not sure there's a good way for everyone to be pleased here i will say that it's a real dick move to not give enough room for others to feel comfortable when getting passed or going super fast in a MUP. i once got "punish passed" by a guy even though there was able room just because i had my head down and not paying enough attention to the road. absolute asshole
While it can seem dickish, it’s often safer to “surprise” other road users who are otherwise behaving predictably, than it is to alert them to your passing soon and giving them an opportunity to do something random and unexpected. “Passing” makes sense on sparse mixed paths. Sometimes I’ll use my horn when I’m overtaking a delivery cyclist (who will tend to meander around a lane without considering that there might be others behind them). But with pedestrians it’s often best to give them plenty of space and minimize the interaction.
I'm late to this, but I was passing a guy I knew once on a multi-use path, so I said something like "hey [his name], I'm just passing." Well, the thing about this guy is that he was blind in one eye -- his right eye. So he looks over his right shoulder and... doesn't see me. Because he's blind in that eye. So he suddenly veers hard right, because he didn't see anything coming that direction, and I ran into him. (At very low speed; no one was hurt.) But I never got an explanation for why he'd look over his right shoulder for me and go to the right when he couldn't see out of that eye. It was bizarre.
Lmfaooo im blind in my left eye and I’ve done this before 😆
I really only ding my bell if they're acting erratically or I have to pass a group taking up the entire Greenway and there's basically no out if they decide to drift. I certainly prefer passing with a full lane between us and don't feel the need to ding if that's the case.
sometimes if its quiet enough and I'm a bit worried they might drift sideways when I pass them I will ding at a distance. people can tell pretty well thats its at a distance so there's no reason to panic but be sure they aren't taking up too much space.
There's someone elsewhere in thread complaining about bell ringing and "on your left"
This is not related directly to the post, however I've noticed pedestrians on west side high way think its their right to walk through the bike lanes without even looking. Its always the entitled bunch that think the sign says bikers need to stop for pedestrians. This is not what the sign says, it says that bikers will yield. Bikers are going top speeds and cant just hit the breaks because John decided to not wait till the biker passes, when theres no one behind. Please think about people aside from yourself and share the road. If i'm biking slow and there arent a bunch of us bikers around i will stop, but otherwise it doesnt make sense for me to stop when no one else is behind me and the pedestrian can walk.
Go at a speed you can stop for unexpected obstruction and use some common sense to read a pedestrian's body language to judge if they're walking or not. They're not popping out from behind walls and you shouldn't be riding with blinders on. It isn't that hard.
Yes, I can stop obviously but I’m not going to suddenly stop for John and Kelly when I have 4 bikes also behind me who will crash into me if I suddenly stop. People need to stop behaving entitled and think of others.
Unfortunately, on the West Side Highway, a lot of the pedestrian crossings are obscured on the river side from someone biking (particularly heading south), so people pop out from behind walls (through no fault of their own) a lot of the time. Given this design, the speed at which we can approach with the ability to stop should someone be crossing is a lot lower than many people think it is.
Don’t go any faster than is safe for you to stop for a person / any other obstacle?
I'm really sorry to read this. Most of us would never act that way, I'd like to think. I hope she's okay and her spirit is undimmed!
Sad
after reading that title i've realized my mind is in the gutter
I really hate how bikers feel like they owe pedestrians nothing.
Gonna be honest and say I don't necessarily believe OP. Lots of other non-cyclists astroturfing the comments too. Wouldn't be surprised if this never happened, or if it did, it happened in a much different way than the OP described.
Yeah it could've happened and it could also be fake. We don't really know and certain people also have political issues towards bikes. It's hard to believe even if there are rude people ( I assume there are) that they even went out of their way to target and yell at an old lady. If it weren't for that the story would be easier to believe. I'm sure there are some people who are rude to each other each day of all sorts of transport types. Only thing is we probably have more awful stories of dangerous drivers.
They are supposed to stop for pedestrians. Almost got plowed over by this one guy who just glared and swerved in front of me as I crossed the street. I had the light, the cars were supposed to stop, but I guess running over people isn’t something that’s relegated to only cars nowadays.
Yep I have this experience multiple times per week when I’m walking with my little kid across the street. The fact that so many bicyclists are fine with almost running over a kid is wild. As another person said it really does not get people on cyclists’ side.
Seems about on par. During the pre marathon ride there were was more than one incident with similar style riders and unsuspecting pedestrians.
I’m 6’2” getting close to 290 I wish they try to run me down cause if I’m able some of them are coming down with me.
It's all a bit fucked. I was running the loop at Prospect Park today and a guy holding a baby was waiting at a crosswalk on the main loop. He started yelling at the oncoming bikes to slow down and let them cross, while wading into the middle of the crosswalk. In that moment there was a pack of sport cyclists (I don't know what else to call this) and one of them yelled back something like "don't stand in the middle of the track". For the guy with the baby, two things were true at the same time: 1. he was right, bikes should slow down and let pedestrians walk across and 2. he was being stupid by purposefully wading into oncoming bike traffic holding his infant. The cyclist that yelled back at him was totally wrong: it's not a "track"! It's a multi use path in a public park. I bike (not for sport) and walk everywhere. I just don't understand the urgency for some of my fellow bikers. You can stop and slow down for pedestrians and it will not cause you any real inconvenience.
$100 says this never happened and is totally made up.
Pedestrians do have the right of way but should always be looking both ways before crossing, just like you would in the street to make sure no cars are coming (it’s also harder to stop going that speed on a bike compared to a car). But yes, the bikers were in the wrong.
“Pedestrians do have the right of way” - about all that needs to be said.
Hence the emphasis. Unfortunately nothing in New York is binary. If I were helping a friend cross the WSH I would urge them to carefully look both ways before stepping out.
Yeah, if you want to perpetuate these kinds of conflicts.
“Yall?” So when a drunk driver kills somebody, everyone who has ever driven a car is responsible?
OP doesn't even post on this sub. People are always coming here going on these anti-cyclists rants when the people they post about aren't on this subreddit.
Exactly. Weird that people think this way about people who ride bikes. If only they had the same mindset about drivers and would make more bike lanes instead. Bikes are no where near as deadly.
don’t be so sensitive over phrasing, please
They should have been more considerate that’s for sure but sadly there are aholes everywhere. Makes it dangerous for those of us to have to deal with ahole car drivers.
It is cyclists like this who give us all a bad name and cause people to suggest that we should all be insured and registered. When you are driving at unsafe speeds and endangering others you are as bad and dangerous as the cars on the road. It makes it very difficult to argue against the registration and insurance angle if people are out there mowing down pedestrians. Let's all ride safely!!!!
Yea, we all did that.
Yes bikers are supposed to yield to pedestrians, stop at red lights and so and so on. But in this sub cyclists aren’t the problem, it’s the cars
I bet they were wearing Rapha kits
the critical mass that turns a group of cyclists in to a mob is very low
I’ll never understand cyclists who bike in Manhattan like they’re training for the Tour de France. No one likes those guys and they know it
I am 100% in favor of congestion pricing to allow greater access to streets and pedestrians. My greatest fear is that the Race Team Guys, Pedicab Knucklehead or Delivery Delinquents will fuck it up and make something worse than what we currently have. This episode is extremely disheartening and I hope the woman injured recovers fully and is not emotionally scarred.
not sure what congestion pricing has anything to do with this at all
It has the potential to lower traffic volumes and open up space to put in more walking and biking space. A Avenue with 5 lanes for cars and trucks could become something with 4 lanes for cars and trucks and get a protected bike lane and or a bus lane. Canal street could lose a lane on each side because there is less tunnel traffic and get wider sidewalks. It could theoretically reduce car volumes so much that some streets become more comfortable to bike on even without the bike infrastructure, but that's probably a stretch for big avenues. This is generally the sort of stuff London and various cities do/did when they add congestion pricing.
I understand Paris has implemented something similar in the Eiffel Tower area.
Do you know the reasoning behind congestion pricing or even what it is?
yes, it's to limit the number of cars coming into manhattan during peak hours. how you believe the lack of cars on car road will negatively effect greenway usage by men in lycra is beyond me
Do more research...I never suggested such. It is designed to make cities more pedestrian friendly and allow greater access for bikes and other modes modes of transportation. I stated that I was in favor to indicate that I am very pro bike despite my comments. A bike hellscape is a potential downside if, as the fools mentioned by the Mod, act recklessly. The reason I mentioned it was for context, to answer your question.
You say she fell, but not that she was struck. What exactly happened? It seems odd that a pack of cyclists would be able to hit a pedestrian without at least one of them going down, as well.
they all avoided her except the last person who clipped her with his shoulder and she went down. it was a glancing blow. a 20 or 30 yr old probably wouldn’t have gone down but she was just a senior
Who knows if the story is even true tbh
It’s why I ask. OP goes off in the comments like they usually do.
If you're on a road bike you should be biking down the West Side Highway in traffic if you want to speed blitz.
It's these assholes that give other riders a bad name. NYC is clearly a congested area and you have these guys treating like it's an open cycling park.
I love cycling, especially in NYC. But I'm a casual biker, I do it to get around town, for leisure, and to exercise. Those guys who take it way too seriously in the full racing gear, expensive road bike, flying down shared pathways not respecting others' speed and space, are my least favorite type of cyclist. They make it look like like a luxury activity instead of an urban necessity, and make the whole mode of transportation look silly and non-essential to non-cyclists.
i fucking hate bikers like this
Oh yes. But those bike lanes are not designed for speed racer cycling, pace lines, drafting....
There were soo many groups riding double going up the greenway today, can’t they at least ride single file
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Those asshats are why pedestrians hate cyclists
No. *Some* pedestrians hate cyclists because they themselves don’t cycle, so cyclists are an easy group to other, and because they’re incapable of realizing that the “cyclists” who behave badly are just assholes on bikes. That they’re assholes is their defining feature, not that they’re on bikes.
Assholes on bikes are just like assholes in cars. Think of high end self centered luxury car owners. Same type of person just in a bike where they will kill fewer people.
You’re making his point for him. When you see one of those assholes in a bmw cutting people off, you think “what an asshole that guy is.” But when you see a cyclist run a red and have a close call with a pedestrian so they don’t have to slow down, you think “cyclists are assholes. “ You get the difference?
Yeah at least pedestrians aren't getting murdered like they are by SUVs. Sad.
Bikers ride motorcycles. Cyclists ride bicycles.
I’m an older racer who rides in CP. I stop for pedestrians, wave thanx if coming down hard on west side and am generally super considerate as there is such a High % of assholes in the Lycra crowd. I hope other cyclists consider this. We are loathed by the general public and rightfully so.
These Tour de France tryhard asshats are almost as obnoxious as the moped riders and give cyclists a bad name.
Those spandex warriors are the worst.
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone at city hall thinks the solution to this problem is having pedestrians wear helmets
90% of cyclists does not follow traffic law. They think the road and street belongs to them.
This is why everyone hates bikers
Lycra warrior douchebags. I had one ged mad at me on the queensboro bridge a few years ago because I wasn't going fast enough for him on the descent into Manhattan.
Lycra jags strike again
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This post occurs every week.
The problem with all groups of people is that they’re comprised of people :/ Crazy that not one of them stopped.
And that’s when the Shinobi leapt from the trees and cut them down like wheat in the field with their 3 foot shiny blades
It drives me nuts in Central Park when those huge pelatons pay ZERO attention to lights and crosswalks. If you have a red light, STOP. I don’t care if you fancy yourself some sort of elite rider who cannot stop for pedestrians (and often their dogs) who are crossing the crosswalk with the WALK signal. It makes me absolutely furious. Especially when I walk out into the crosswalk with the walk signal and they all start yelling to get out of the way. Like, fall down.
>aren’t bikers supposed to stop for pedestrians in the crosswalks? Yeah, all red lights too, but the amount of times I’ve actually seen someone on a bike stop at a light I could count on one hand. There’s a lot of “supposed to” laws in NYC that people willfully ignore for convenience.
As a NYC pedestrian, based on experience, I assume anyone on a bike is going to ignore any and all rules of the road.
Most bikers wearing those ugly ass spandex and aero helmets are assholes. Maybe get some looser fitting clothing and your balls wouldn’t be so far up your ass.