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I was just driving a car up 1st avenue in manhattan and saw a woman riding her bike in the left lane. there is a designated bike lane on 1st ave which she was not using. I shouted out to her”why don’t you use the bike lane” and drove past her. As luck would have it the light changed and she pulls up next to me screaming that she won’t use the bike lane coz they are not clean and there is garbage there and people stand in the bike lane. She then proceeds to tell me that I am lucky taht she is nice coz other bikers would have taken their bike lock (the U shaped one ) and broken my side mirror.
I was and still am shocked. Had something like that happened what does one do? The biker has no identifying license plate. He/she could just ride off and not be seen or caught.
It’s already one thing that millions of dollars were spent on those bike lanes that some but not all bikers could use. But it’s another thing to think that bikers have decided if they don’t like what you say to them ( and I assure you, I did not use any improper language when I called out to her)they can break your mirror with their lock.
Any constructive thoughts?
welcome to NY 😉
but seriously if that happens if there’s anyone around then have them as witnesses
Bicyclists are a menace to society. It should be illegal to ride a bicycle in the street.
And if you hit one, it should automatically be the bicyclist’s fault unless you did it on purpose.
I second popa,
As an avid cyclist, I can tell you that some of us can get quite nasty. (I’ve seen cars whipped with the bike chain, leaving a memorable dent).
Still, for the most part, we and the car drivers get along pretty well. We try to stick to specific streets and drivers know to give us space on those few blocks.
And FYI, we are just as at risk of getting a ticket, and paying the same price, for “car like” offenses (running red lights, switching lanes without signaling, ect) so, like or not, we have the same rights to be on the road as cars do.
bpt – do you cycle to work?
We need to ban those things ASAP. they take up valuable parts of the road and waste valuble money building them
When the Blizzard hit, the bike lanes were plowed before the streets
As strange as it sounds, I would write to the mayors office about what you were told and advocate for “mini” license plates for bikes. There’s no reason why they shouldn’t have one.
” do you cycle to work? “
Yes, whenever practical, and weekends as well. Over the summer season, I log close to 100 miles a week. But have (so far) only gotten into 1 shouting match with a driver (she started, so I fired back)
And so far, no tickets. I don’t project the attitude that irritates cops and drivers, so for the most part, I have / cause little grief when on the road.
And to all the bike haters out there (ban the bikes, rip out the bike lanes, ect) most cyclist are car owners / drivers, as well (not to mention, tax payers) so we have the same say as you do
The worst I would ever do is flip someones mirror. I ride with my tzitis out so I must behave however I do take chances on the road and that will bother most drivers(especialy the distracted ones). Btw 4 wheeled people please signal and keep 3 feet away. You can save a bikers life.
If it’s so dangerous, why bike on the roads?
yes,
but you can knock him over or try to pop a tire
in the same vein what stops anybody from walking up to someone’s car and damaging it
I’m a cyclist (and a driver) and i feel that drivers don’t understand cyclists, don’t understand that a hill is hard work for a cyclist, whereas a car just presses the gas a bit more, that when a cyclist has built up momentum it is extremely frustrating to have to start again because of a thoughtless/careless driver, that it annoys a cyclist when you honk in his ear as if he doesn’t know you’re there. Whatever, don’t worry i’m just ranting
Is cycling on the roads with cars safe? I hear of many accidents involving cyclists that it gives one a shudder to think of cycling with cars.
Shein:
Cycling on the sidewalk/pavement is usually not an option, and endangers/angers pedestrians and makes a chillul H’Shem…
That may be true, but still doesn’t address my comment.
Gummy: While I do sympathize with cyclists for having to deal with some crazy drivers, I happen to think that having cars and bicycles on the street is unsafe to both parties, and that one should be illegal. Since cars are more necessary than bikes, I say outlaw the bikes.
Poppa bar abba:
Frankly, I can’t afford to buy/run a car and i’m sure i’m not the only cyclist who can’t, so outlawing bikes probably wouldn’t be fair on us:-)
I hear you. And I’m planning to get a bike myself pretty soon. But still, I am in favor of outlawing it.
In NYC, in all 5 boroughs, there are many designated bike paths.
Shein:
I apologise for misunderstanding your query in its simplicity. In my opinion it is safe to ride on the road with cars but precautions must be taken. I make a point of making eye contact with drivers when necessary and it helps that i’m a driver so i understand the concepts of ‘blind spots’ etc
I read a Teshuva in Kol Hatorah that stated ‘obey the laws of the road’.
The funny thing is that when the irrate bicyclist explained to you that she cannot ride in the bike lane because people stand in the bike lane, or throw garbage there, she could have screamed and threatened THEM with throwing her bike lock at THEM.
But it all came out at your BECAUSE you challenenged her by intelligently confronting her with the question.People do not like that. They become animal very quickly.
Only when I first became frum did I find there was finally a nation of people (us yidden) who could ask and answer safely in a non threatening atmosphere.
That idea would make it illegal to be a casual or infrequent cyclist. It would make it too expensive to ride a bike infrequently, since it wouldn’t be worth registering a bike and having insurance to ride a bike a couple times a year.
Mewho, wow!
You have a good idea. I like it. I really do. I would vote for that idea.
…yeah and every person should need to wear a licence plate when they walk in public…
If you had a tana you should have taken it up with the proper authorities and not started up with the bicyclist. That was rude of you. Had you been walking in the street would you have told a burly man that he crossed the line and taken up two parking spots? It is just as wrong and as illegal. You were rude and got your face slapped for it. You did not like the answer you received and you brought it here because you felt wronged. But had you NOT screamed out your window feeling so righteous you would not have received that angry and what seemed to you abusive reply. To that bicyclist you were just as abusive.
People need to be more respectful to each other. She noted to you that she can’t use the bike lane because people don’t respect it and block it by standing in it and throwing garbage in it. You don’t seem to care about that. That is NOT your problem or your issue. Your only issue is your rights and not the rights of the bicyclists. You felt that you had the right to speak your mind to that particular cyclist. You did NOT expect her to respond to you, nor did you expect to hear how frustrated the cyclists are when people like yourself speak up to them or react to them. There are two sides to every story and issue and that is something to consider before you scream out your window. I suppose that this time you were lucky that it was only her and NOT someone that would have acted in the manner she described.
I can’t argue with that aries, however it doesn’t give a bicyclist a right to damage someone’s car (just because you can’t track them)
No one has the right to damage anyone’s anything, and the woman involved didn’t. But the poster feels he was wronged and doesn’t see that he was WRONG. And that is the shame of it. He is angry that bicyclists have “nerve” to even feel that way and yet, he doesn’t see the other side of the coin that motorists have “nerve” to yell out the window at bicyclists. What right do they have and did he have to do so? Why does he feel “HIS” perceived right supersedes theirs?
That is the point here and that is a lesson for everyone to learn before you just jump in feet first. Why do your needs supersede someone elses’? He is just looking to fault others but has not taken responsibility for being wrong in yelling out the window at her. What right did he have to yell at her?
Aries are you really an aries in horoscope world? Because you are really full of fire and energy tonight no?
Many years ago I lived in London and cycled to work. One thing drivers don’t realize that that when you are on a bike you see things that drivers don’t. Many things like say a storm drain or broken glass on the road are real hazards to someone on a bicycle, while can be ignored for the driver of a car.
zachkessin:
I second that.
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