The city is looking to increase the number of enforcement agents and jack up the current $100 fine on annoying commercial cyclists who illegally ride on sidewalks, officials said Tuesday.
Legislation being hammered out in the City Council would allow a new cadre of Department of Transportation enforcement officers to ticket transgressors — an army of agents to work alongside the NYPD.
The law could also lead to fines for the bikers’ bosses, which in many cases would be restaurant operators and messenger services, officials said.
“A lot of the problem has to do with commercial sector,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan testified before the Council Tuesday. “Everyone wants their food delivered really fast and they don’t want to wait 10 minutes more for it.”
The city has been running a “Don’t be a Jerk” campaign for months, which includes television ads imploring bicyclists to follow the rules, like traveling in the right direction in bike lanes and staying off sidewalks.
Sadik-Khan said the city also plans to reach out to businesses that employ commercial bicyclists and educate them on the rules of the road.
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2 Responses
I’d like to see them beheaded, but will settle for a fine, confiscation of the bike and some jail time. They are a menace to society. The saqme goes for all those illegal electric bikes.
That photo is awesome though.