Finally...we have some video up from a ride.
I was beginning to think I had to do it all myself.
This is a great video of the NYC July critical mass. So timely and it show how clueless the NYPD really are...so pay close attention folks.
This is a great video of the NYC July critical mass. So timely and it show how clueless the NYPD really are...so pay close attention folks.
posted by Michael Green at 12:00 AM
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7 Comments:
One of those scooter cops didn't have a helmet on! I'm tellin!!
fantastic! i see the bicycle lane liberation brigade enlightened the NYPD on the VTL concerning stopping in a bicyle lane.
the police officer telling the cameraman to stop filming , stating the cameraman was harrassisng by videotaping the NYPD is priceless!
Whaaaaaaaaaaat???? NO Santa???? I WANT SANTA ALREADY!!!
uh, scooters on the sidewalk?!? "you just threatened me with harrassment" "Yes I know"... brilliant. nice job people, keep up the good work.
Awesome work; many thanks!!!!
I love bike riding. I love my bike. I love other bike riders.
I hate bike riders who love to chant "share the road" but they themselves don't share the laws.
Almost everyday in NYC bike riders plow through red lights, don't stop at stop signs, turn without signaling, ride on sideWALKS, inhibit the flow of traffic by not riding in bike lanes when they are available, and nearly run down pedestrians by not yielding to them in cross walks and don't share the laws.
If we expect to be respected as alternative transport we have to start sharing the laws and obeying the basic ones that make everyone safer.
I hear people contantly rant about how in other cities around the world bikers are respected and the laws favor the bikers. I think that's great but I've also noticed that bikers in many of these other places actually obey the lasws too like stopping at red lights, giving signals, and yielding to pedestrians.
SHARE THE ROAD... SHARE THE LAWS
Gren means go if safe
Stop sign means stop
Red traffic light means stop
Yield to pedestians in x walks
Give proper signals
SHARE THE ROAD... SHARE THE LAWS
(otherwise we're just a bunch hypocrites).
Two respones..
First to MLKofcycling
You're 100% correct the lower police officers are not to blame it is those higher in the chain of command. With quick edits, handheld quick camera shooting you can't always show the whole story. I had to pick and choose (and do it quickly). In my next quick vid I'll try to show the responses of the superiors. I also have some clips of Cops saying things like
"I don't want to do this but.."
"This ticket isn't worth the paper its printed on"
My point in choosing these clips was not to disparage the officers or show the NYPD as incompetent but to fully demonstrate that the rules and laws that they are enforcing during Critical Mass are not enforced on a daily basis if at all. If they were enforced regularly the officers would know how to write these tickets.
In my opinion this amounts to harrassment. The tickets aren't written for the legitimate purpose of increasing bicycle, pedestrian or vehicle safety. They are a method of harrassment to discourage a behavior that the higher-ups in the City and the NYPD don't want to occur. Unfortunately this activity is perfectly legal.
Also I don't understand the point of the Police officers backing off when pointed out that they are wrong.. My video probably didn't make it clear (My apologies) but although the officer was shown that he was wrong, he still wrote out the ticket. So.. it was made clear that he was in the wrong.. but.. he still did it.
uugghh. the joys of editting, you can't always get the whole story across. I'll try harder next time.
Ok.. next point.
To the Anonymous poster ranting about how bikes don't stop at Red lights, ride on sidewalks, don't use bike lanes, etc.
First: I agree with you with exceptions. I ride to work almost everyday (Brooklyn to Midtown Manhattan 7miles) and I often ride outside of the bike lane because it is incredibly dangerous to ride in the bike lane most of the time. I tend to feel safer riding in the middle lane of a 4 lane road with cabs on both sides of than in most bike lanes.
Why?
Cabbies dropping off fares frequently block the bike lanes and they pull over abruptly.
People do NOT look when opening their doors (Getting "Doored" is horrible and incredibly scary)
The bike lanes are generally blocked by Fed-Ex trucks, Delivery Trucks, Moving trucks, etc. etc.
So I do my best to follow all of the rules of the road but it is literally impossible for me to make it to work without breaking the rules of the road (and yes I did use the word literally correctly... I'd love to shoot my commutte someday to show how difficult it is to completely follow all the rules on a bicycle)
Now about your other issues.
Sidewalks: Understood.. stay off them (can we get better bike lanes for the newbie and more scared cyclists, though??)
Pedestrians: Always yield!! (no ifs ands or buts.. understood)
Red Lights: Always stop (at least California Stop) but.. I'm sorry.. if there is no traffic I'm running it. When you ride 7 miles each way, every day.. 20 seconds here, 40 seconds there.. adds up quickly. especially going 60 city blocks. As a pedestrian I jaywalk, it illegal but I do it.
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