Hearing last week that a bit of East River Park had re-opened, we took a look-see Thursday evening. It was fine.
Big problem is that only 0.25 miles of path along the shoreline is open. And that bit is hexagonal pavers with a slight edge bevel. So not the best #InlineSkating.
There is a marked #bikeNYC lane inland near the FDR, but it's even shorter.
Only access is via a snazzy new pedestrian bridge at the end of Delancey St. (south side).
Looks like a great place for a picnic.
That doesn't belong there.
Photo illustrates how every inch of bike/ped infrastructure in #bikeNYC is co-opted by giant delivery and mobility corporations.
This four-wheeled Amazon delivery vehicle is classified as an "ebike" and has no license plate. I suspect its driver is using the busy sidewalk to make a u-turn after loading up at the truck in the background, which itself is illegally using a turn lane to unload packages into last mile vehicles.
#nyc #biketooter #logistics
Cyclists get thousands of criminal court summonses.
Drivers get this. (12/n)
None of this excuses the reason for the ride which was the recent decision by NYPD to issue criminal summonses to bike users who violate even the most minor traffic laws, and many who have violated no law such as leaving a bike unlocked for a minute, proceeding with the walk indicator, or riding with no helmet. #bikenyc
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/05/30/cyclist-cop-pulled-a-taser-during-summons-chase
#StreetsblogNYC just published a piece on a new class action lawsuit in federal court against the #NYPD, for its well-documented practice of ticketing cyclists who follow the leading pedestrian interval or #LPI.
#NYC cyclists have been instructed BY LAW to do this since 2019, but cops continue ticketing #bikenyc — and now summonsing them to criminal court — for this LEGAL and SAFE behvaior.
The attorney is seeking additional plaintiffs to join the case.
(11/n)
@samuelsantaella.bsky.social South of my house is fucking No Man's Land
If they're going to make running a red light a fucking *criminal* violation, when is #BikeNYC getting the #IdahoStop legalized?
#TransportationAlternatives has published a digital petition against the criminalization of #bikenyc here: https://act.transalt.org/a/repeal-the-criminalization-of-biking-policy
(h/t @akadouri )
I’ll post future developments to this thread so that the Fediverse remains aware. As always, if you’re able to buy or scrounge an action camera to use when biking, please do! It could save you a lot of trouble later.
(10/n)
#StreetsblogNYC is actively seeking #bikenyc who have been summonsed to criminal court. They have made flyers in multiple languages but right now they are only on IG (sorry)
https://www.instagram.com/streetsblognyc/p/DJXN6HdoExW/?img_index=1
9/n
…but stats continue to show that drivers are the real danger. Drivers have killed 40 people in #NYC YTD, including at least 3 members of the same family killed by a #superspeeder with a suspended license.
There’s been at least one cyclist-caused death this year, still one too many.
Yet, *almost* getting hit by a bike apparently remains a huge problem, while people *actually* getting maimed, paralyzed, or killed by drivers is just…..fine.
(8/n)
#biketooter #bikenyc #nyc
Peds appear to perceive higher risk when they are outside a steel cage--are there any published studies that dive into this?
Evidence of this perception shows up in fact-free reporting and man-on-the-street interviews (neither trope worth linking to) where people say that they are more afraid of the bike lane than the car lane….
(7/n)
#biketooter #bikenyc
Organized backlash will be severe. And it may come from criminal court judges, in addition to cycling advocates and everyday cyclists getting caught up in the blanket enforcement action. Petitions and letter writing campaigns have already started—probably well before the first cyclist appears in criminal court.
(6/n)
The NYPD is already famous for applying racial bias in the enforcement of cycling and pedestrian policy. For example, when it was revealed that more than 75% of jaywalking tickets went to POC, NYC's jaywalking law was overturned to stop its use as a weapon.
The NYPD is also incapable—perhaps by choice--of applying the law with discretion. So even cyclists who DO posses valid drivers' licenses are being sent to criminal court.
(5/n)
Reading between the lines, this is an obvious attempt to target #deliveristas, or delivery e-cyclists, who are mainly migrant workers from all continents. Many do not possess valid drivers' licenses, so their cases cannot be handled by the state DMV Traffic Violations Bureau. Already subject to relentless exploitation by the giant delivery app companies, they now face the prospect of deportation when they come to criminal court.
(4/n)
As chronicled by #StreetsblogNYC, those offenses include:
*reckless driving
*operating under the influence of alcohol or drugs
*driving the wrong way
*disobeying a red light
*failure to stop at a stop sign.
The police say this is in response to 311 complaints, but decline to cite data.
(2/n)
I haven't seen much on Mastodon about what the #NYPD are doing in #bikenyc to criminalize cycling, so I'm going to start a thread to chronicle it. Under the direction of the embattled Adams administration, the NYPD has started writing criminal court summonses for six traffic infractions when committed by cyclists--but not by drivers. (1/n)
This is exactly the kind of low-hanging fruit that ebikes are perfect for and could make a massive difference in our transportation system. The majority of car trips in the US are less than 3 miles, and there are plenty of people for whom owning a car is a huge (often insurmountable) cost burden. Make bikes & ebikes free (or close to it) for those folks. The benefits pay for themselves. #BikeNYC
https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2025/04/28/first-new-yorker-to-get-a-subsidized-e-bike-its-perfect