http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/24/sf_cyclist_felony_manslaughter_chris_bucchere_believed_to_be_first_ever.html
good riddance.
QuoteAround 8 a.m. I was descending Divisadero Street southbound and about to cross Market Street. The light turned yellow as I was approaching the intersection, but I was already way too committed to stop.
in other words, you were
going too fast.
hopefully this sends a message to San Francisco's bicyclists, who in my observation are the most dickish, out of the bicyclists in any city, in their disregard for traffic control devices. I've had maybe 5 incidents in my life of "holy shit, I have right of way but this bicyclist ain't stopping - I have to perform an abrupt maneuver to avoid a crash". three of them were in San Francisco. (two within about five minutes of each other!)
Cyclists have a right to use the roads. They also have a legal obligation to follow traffic laws. That includes not intentionally plowing through a group of pedestrians. If a car driver made statements like that it wouldn't have been a manslaughter charge, it would be murder.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 24, 2013, 01:05:03 PM
hopefully this sends a message to San Francisco's bicyclists, who in my observation are the most dickish, out of the bicyclists in any city, in their disregard for traffic control devices. I've had maybe 5 incidents in my life of "holy shit, I have right of way but this bicyclist ain't stopping - I have to perform an abrupt maneuver to avoid a crash". three of them were in San Francisco. (two within about five minutes of each other!)
Come to Washington, D.C. sometime. Many of the bike riders around downtown D.C. are crazy and reckless.
The D.C. municipal police force almost never enforces traffic laws against anyone, except maybe a few motorists, and definitely not bike riders.
The only police that make an effort to get bike riders to behave on D.C. streets are the U.S. Park Police and the U.S. Capitol Police.
While I am glad that guy was convicted of a felony, I was a little disappointed that he didn't get any jail time but got community service instead. I think 90 days in the pokie and community service would have been an appropriate punishment for running over and killing a pedestrian.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on July 24, 2013, 01:36:37 PMCome to Washington, D.C. sometime. Many of the bike riders around downtown D.C. are crazy and reckless.
Both downtown and in the suburbs. I can't remember the last time I saw a bicyclist (apart from myself and my partner) stop for a stop sign, even when a sign right before the stop sign says that bicyclists must obey the stop sign.
Quote from: Doctor Whom on July 24, 2013, 01:43:39 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on July 24, 2013, 01:36:37 PMCome to Washington, D.C. sometime. Many of the bike riders around downtown D.C. are crazy and reckless.
Both downtown and in the suburbs. I can't remember the last time I saw a bicyclist (apart from myself and my partner) stop for a stop sign, even when a sign right before the stop sign says that bicyclists must obey the stop sign.
I have seen county and municipal police outside of D.C. (several agencies) stop and cite bike riders for blatantly busting STOP signs.
I'm confused. He entered the intersection on a yellow, and the peds started walking before checking if traffic had cleared?
Quote from: NE2 on July 24, 2013, 02:45:41 PM
I'm confused. He entered the intersection on a yellow, and the peds started walking before checking if traffic had cleared?
He claims he entered on a yellow, which doesn't seem to be supported by the witnesses. However, what most likely did him in was his statement "way to committed to stop". I see this quite often from cyclists who post on blogs in the Boston area - "justfying" their actions with statements like this to cover up the fact they can't (or don't want to) properly control their vehicles on public streets.
Sounds like the argument that red light cameras cause rear-end crashes.
(Yes, he should have stopped on the yellow. But if someone behind him was following too closely, he could have been rear-ended.)
Quote from: roadman on July 24, 2013, 02:52:28 PM
Quote from: NE2 on July 24, 2013, 02:45:41 PM
I'm confused. He entered the intersection on a yellow, and the peds started walking before checking if traffic had cleared?
He claims he entered on a yellow, which doesn't seem to be supported by the witnesses. However, what most likely did him in was his statement "way to committed to stop". I see this quite often from cyclists who post on blogs in the Boston area - "justfying" their actions with statements like this to cover up the fact they can't (or don't want to) properly control their vehicles on public streets.
In addition, from what I read in the paper, the bicyclist also blew through another three or four red lights before striking the pedestrian.
I say he should get the same punishment a motorist would for killing a pedestrian.
Quote from: NE2 on July 24, 2013, 02:45:41 PM
I'm confused. He entered the intersection on a yellow, and the peds started walking before checking if traffic had cleared?
Because pedestrians don't have to look for cyclists before crossing–only for cars. I mean, do you look for bloody tufts of ferret fur blowing in the wind before walking against a red light? Well, then, why should you be expected to look for cyclists?
[/really weird sarcasm]
I bike to work, i cross with the lights in my little town, i understand that sometimes you're going too fast to stop, i've had it happen on some side streets when going down hill with wet brakes on my bike, but i still do my best to bleed off speed before anything can happen.
Felony kinda screws over the guy in the long run, even if he didn't get anything beyond community service, he cannot vote nor can he legally own a weapon now. Now he will be known as a convicted felon
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
Felony kinda screws over the guy in the long run, even if he didn't get anything beyond community service, he cannot vote nor can he legally own a weapon now. Now he will be known as a convicted felon
On the other hand, the pedestrian can go to heaven and strum a harp and shit.
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
I bike to work, i cross with the lights in my little town, i understand that sometimes you're going too fast to stop, i've had it happen on some side streets when going down hill with wet brakes on my bike, but i still do my best to bleed off speed before anything can happen.
Felony kinda screws over the guy in the long run, even if he didn't get anything beyond community service, he cannot vote nor can he legally own a weapon now. Now he will be known as a convicted felon
He intentionally plowed through a bunch of pedestrians and killed a guy. Your sympathy is misplaced.
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
he cannot vote nor can he legally own a weapon now.
So he'll be forced to be like every other American. :coffee:
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
I bike to work, i cross with the lights in my little town, i understand that sometimes you're going too fast to stop, i've had it happen on some side streets when going down hill with wet brakes on my bike, but i still do my best to bleed off speed before anything can happen.
you're saying you knowingly and willfully ride around with inadequate brakes?
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 24, 2013, 07:56:42 PM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
I bike to work, i cross with the lights in my little town, i understand that sometimes you're going too fast to stop, i've had it happen on some side streets when going down hill with wet brakes on my bike, but i still do my best to bleed off speed before anything can happen.
you're saying you knowingly and willfully ride around with inadequate brakes?
You're saying your bicycle's brakes work just as well wet on a steep downhill as they do dry on level terrain?
Quote from: kphoger on July 24, 2013, 08:30:58 PM
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 24, 2013, 07:56:42 PM
Quote from: SteveG1988 on July 24, 2013, 05:40:55 PM
I bike to work, i cross with the lights in my little town, i understand that sometimes you're going too fast to stop, i've had it happen on some side streets when going down hill with wet brakes on my bike, but i still do my best to bleed off speed before anything can happen.
you're saying you knowingly and willfully ride around with inadequate brakes?
You're saying your bicycle's brakes work just as well wet on a steep downhill as they do dry on level terrain?
30 mph may not be that fast in absolute terms, but if it exceeds your ability to control your vehicle (in this case a bicycle), it's too fast for conditions. If most bicyclists drove their automobiles the same way they rode their bikes, they'd be doing 120 all the time.
I almost wish we had stocks in Union Square–I'd go a block out of my way walking to work so I could hurl some Sierra Blanca gold on this gem of a cyclist.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on July 24, 2013, 01:05:03 PM
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/24/sf_cyclist_felony_manslaughter_chris_bucchere_believed_to_be_first_ever.html
good riddance.
QuoteAround 8 a.m. I was descending Divisadero Street southbound and about to cross Market Street. The light turned yellow as I was approaching the intersection, but I was already way too committed to stop.
in other words, you were going too fast.
hopefully this sends a message to San Francisco's bicyclists, who in my observation are the most dickish, out of the bicyclists in any city, in their disregard for traffic control devices. I've had maybe 5 incidents in my life of "holy shit, I have right of way but this bicyclist ain't stopping - I have to perform an abrupt maneuver to avoid a crash". three of them were in San Francisco. (two within about five minutes of each other!)
There's a hell of a downhill leading into an extremely busy intersection (that always has lots of pedestrian traffic). The cyclist definitely needs to take responsibility for his actions here - there's no doubt in my mind that he was going way too fast down that hill, likely even faster that cars in that spot.
In SF, in general it's accepted that cyclists are going to enrage motorists and pedestrians from time to time. And vice versa. If everyone who lives there gets worked up about minor incidents, we won't have time for anything else! (This major incident is unacceptable, though.) As a pedestrian and motorist, I have to take evasive action for others' dumb shit all the time, and no single mode of transportation seems to stick out to me as more problematic.
Quote from: cpzilliacus on July 24, 2013, 02:41:32 PMI have seen county and municipal police outside of D.C. (several agencies) stop and cite bike riders for blatantly busting STOP signs.
I wish I had seen that in Alexandria even once when I lived there.
Quote from: kphoger on July 24, 2013, 08:30:58 PM
You're saying your bicycle's brakes work just as well wet on a steep downhill as they do dry on level terrain?
no. which is why I'm not gonna be bombing down the hill at reckless speeds.
Quote from: kphoger on July 24, 2013, 05:31:40 PM
Because pedestrians don't have to look for cyclists before crossing–only for cars. I mean, do you look for bloody tufts of ferret fur blowing in the wind before walking against a red light? Well, then, why should you be expected to look for cyclists?
[/really weird sarcasm]
Point is, we are trained as children to look for
cars when we cross the street. When a bicycle comes barreling along it defies our expectations no matter how many times we see it because it wasn't something we dealt with in our formative years.
I know I, for instance, have to make a conscious effort to look both ways before crossing a bike lane since instinctively I 1) don't expect a fast moving vehicle in a space too small for a car to fit in, and 2) expect that a fast moving vehicle will make a lot of noise and that I will
hear it coming without looking. Bicycles are mostly silent and can fit into some small spaces at decently high speed. Combine this with the fact that people aren't trained to expect them and cyclists can be goddamn
ninjas.
I had a close encounter with a ninja cyclist recently where I was crossing a street and the car traffic was stopped due to congestion. I didn't have the walk signal but since traffic wasn't moving I, like any New Yorker would, started walking across the street, figuring that I'd be plainly visible and any stopped cars would stay stopped until I was out of their way. Well, next thing I know all of a sudden out of nowhere a guy on a bike blows by six inches in front of me, barreling along in the space between stopped traffic and parked cars. Goddamn ninja!
Now, legally the cyclist had the right of way. But it is well understood in the unwritten New York City traffic code that pedestrians are entitled to the crosswalk regardless of what the traffic signal says if there are no cars coming or if traffic is not moving. This means if car traffic is stopped then any cyclist should be prepared to stop as well.
Of course, the unwritten New York City traffic code also says that the right of way belongs to whomever most aggressively asserts their claim to it, so I'd be at fault by that rule. :P
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2013, 03:28:46 PM
I say he should get the same punishment a motorist would for killing a pedestrian.
Sadly, that "punishment" is usually nonexistent. Too many cyclists get killed by automobile drivers with next to no penalties, barely a ticket is even issued most of the time, locally anyway. I'm glad to see this cyclist is getting punished for what he did, but considering the numbers - why no major backlash against the thousands that kill every year with autos through negligence on the drivers part?
Quote from: sdmichael on July 24, 2013, 10:04:26 PM
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2013, 03:28:46 PM
I say he should get the same punishment a motorist would for killing a pedestrian.
Sadly, that "punishment" is usually nonexistent. Too many cyclists get killed by automobile drivers with next to no penalties, barely a ticket is even issued most of the time, locally anyway. I'm glad to see this cyclist is getting punished for what he did, but considering the numbers - why no major backlash against the thousands that kill every year with autos through negligence on the drivers part?
I don't think you're right on any level.
The total number of bicycle fatalities for entirety of 2011 (the most recent year we have stats for) is 677, so it would be mathematically impossible for thousands to be killed every year.
(Taken from R.C. Moeur - http://bit.ly/14K0ChR (http://bit.ly/14K0ChR)) The vast majority of bicycle crashes–69%–do not involve a motor vehicle at all. Of the remaining 31% that do, it's nearly a wash between "cyclist's fault" (11%), "motorist's fault" (14%), and "other circumstances" (6%). I was also startled to see NHTSA data indicating that over a third of bicycle fatalities involved the cyclist being under the influence of alcohol, with most of those being over the legal limit (http://1.usa.gov/1bPhir1).
I'm a cyclist myself–one of the few that obeys traffic laws. And I think we'll all agree that even one cyclist being injured or killed by a careless motorist is one too many, but I also think the reality is a far cry from innocent motorists being ground under the wheels of evil automobiles.
As to motorists at fault for cyclist deaths "barely getting a ticket", do you have any stats to back that up? Let's ask some defense attorneys; I doubt they'll agree.
In Dallas, on the Katy Trail, a female jogger was killed when she made a sudden U-turn in front of a cyclist. I don't think the cyclist faced any charges (nor should he have)
I'm wondering what the frequency of bike vs pedestrian accidents is on these trails. My experience is that pedestrians are completely unaware of approaching cyclists until you ring a bell. They act like they have the road to themselves. The most foolish thing they do is walk in pitch dark with no lights. Bicycle headlights only shine so far, and not around curves. When cycling, I've kinda come close to hitting pedestrians on several occasions at night due to their lack of lights.
Quote from: briantroutman on July 24, 2013, 11:53:47 PM
Quote from: sdmichael on July 24, 2013, 10:04:26 PM
Quote from: Brandon on July 24, 2013, 03:28:46 PM
I say he should get the same punishment a motorist would for killing a pedestrian.
Sadly, that "punishment" is usually nonexistent. Too many cyclists get killed by automobile drivers with next to no penalties, barely a ticket is even issued most of the time, locally anyway. I'm glad to see this cyclist is getting punished for what he did, but considering the numbers - why no major backlash against the thousands that kill every year with autos through negligence on the drivers part?
I don't think you're right on any level.
The total number of bicycle fatalities for entirety of 2011 (the most recent year we have stats for) is 677, so it would be mathematically impossible for thousands to be killed every year.
(Taken from R.C. Moeur - http://bit.ly/14K0ChR (http://bit.ly/14K0ChR)) The vast majority of bicycle crashes–69%–do not involve a motor vehicle at all. Of the remaining 31% that do, it's nearly a wash between "cyclist's fault" (11%), "motorist's fault" (14%), and "other circumstances" (6%). I was also startled to see NHTSA data indicating that over a third of bicycle fatalities involved the cyclist being under the influence of alcohol, with most of those being over the legal limit (http://1.usa.gov/1bPhir1).
I'm a cyclist myself–one of the few that obeys traffic laws. And I think we'll all agree that even one cyclist being injured or killed by a careless motorist is one too many, but I also think the reality is a far cry from innocent motorists being ground under the wheels of evil automobiles.
As to motorists at fault for cyclist deaths "barely getting a ticket", do you have any stats to back that up? Let's ask some defense attorneys; I doubt they'll agree.
I've been personally involved in three cycling collisions - all three entirely the drivers fault. All three were not cited despite the evidence. I am aware of at least three cyclists that have been killed in the past year in San Diego - no citations whatsoever for the offending driver. Perhaps you should reread your statement. I was referring to deaths caused by motorists, not other issues. The usual excuse is "I didn't see them", one was driving their car in the bicycle lane.
Quote from: Brian556 on July 25, 2013, 12:05:10 AM
My experience is that pedestrians are completely unaware of approaching cyclists until you ring a bell. They act like they have the road to themselves. The most foolish thing they do is walk in pitch dark with no lights. Bicycle headlights only shine so far, and not around curves. When cycling, I've kinda come close to hitting pedestrians on several occasions at night due to their lack of lights.
This is a problem for drivers as well as cyclists. I've never actually come close to hitting someone but I have on many occasions been driving at night and been startled because "holy shit there's a person there", wearing dark clothing with no light source, in the roadway, and thus not noticed by me as soon as I would like. The most common offenders seem to be people walking their dogs. Joggers too to some degree, but they're usually smart enough to make themselves them more visible. I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2013, 07:43:44 PM
I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
An intelligent human being? How shocking!
Quote from: Kacie Jane on July 25, 2013, 07:48:09 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2013, 07:43:44 PM
I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
An intelligent human being? How shocking!
NERDS!!!
Quote from: realjd on July 24, 2013, 01:27:13 PM
Cyclists have a right to use the roads. They also have a legal obligation to follow traffic laws. That includes not intentionally plowing through a group of pedestrians. If a car driver made statements like that it wouldn't have been a manslaughter charge, it would be murder.
If a car driver killed a bicyclist, they likely wouldn't be prosecuted at all.
Quote from: bandit957 on August 01, 2013, 10:40:59 PM
Quote from: realjd on July 24, 2013, 01:27:13 PM
Cyclists have a right to use the roads. They also have a legal obligation to follow traffic laws. That includes not intentionally plowing through a group of pedestrians. If a car driver made statements like that it wouldn't have been a manslaughter charge, it would be murder.
If a car driver killed a bicyclist, they likely wouldn't be prosecuted at all.
Bunk. They get prosecuted quite often in Chicago.
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2013, 07:43:44 PM
This is a problem for drivers as well as cyclists. I've never actually come close to hitting someone but I have on many occasions been driving at night and been startled because "holy shit there's a person there", wearing dark clothing with no light source, in the roadway, and thus not noticed by me as soon as I would like. The most common offenders seem to be people walking their dogs. Joggers too to some degree, but they're usually smart enough to make themselves them more visible. I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
when I worked late and took a bus home for a particular job, I wore a reflective vest to walk home from the bus stop.
I've been known to yell "wear something darker, asshole!" at idiots who are walking down the middle of the road, wearing all black. you know you're failing at life on so many levels if all I can see of you is the burning end of your cigarette.
QuoteI've been known to yell "wear something darker, asshole!" at idiots who are walking down the middle of the road, wearing all black.
Good for you. These morons need to be corrected.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 02, 2013, 10:01:53 AM
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2013, 07:43:44 PM
This is a problem for drivers as well as cyclists. I've never actually come close to hitting someone but I have on many occasions been driving at night and been startled because "holy shit there's a person there", wearing dark clothing with no light source, in the roadway, and thus not noticed by me as soon as I would like. The most common offenders seem to be people walking their dogs. Joggers too to some degree, but they're usually smart enough to make themselves them more visible. I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
when I worked late and took a bus home for a particular job, I wore a reflective vest to walk home from the bus stop.
I've been known to yell "wear something darker, asshole!" at idiots who are walking down the middle of the road, wearing all black. you know you're failing at life on so many levels if all I can see of you is the burning end of your cigarette.
Maybe these morons are trying hard to avoid breeding. Nature has a way of selecting against morons. Unfortunately, trial lawyers tend to select for them.
Quote from: Brandon on August 02, 2013, 11:29:32 AM
Maybe these morons are trying hard to avoid breeding. Nature has a way of selecting against morons. Unfortunately, trial lawyers tend to select for them.
alas, they seem to be of the demographic which does a lot of recreational breeding.
a lot of society's problems would be reduced if we could just somehow make condoms be the latest "cool trend, bro!"
Quote from: Doctor Whom on July 24, 2013, 09:21:25 PM
Quote from: cpzilliacus on July 24, 2013, 02:41:32 PMI have seen county and municipal police outside of D.C. (several agencies) stop and cite bike riders for blatantly busting STOP signs.
I wish I had seen that in Alexandria even once when I lived there.
Police busting bicycle riders? Never heard of such a thing.
Seriously, when I lived in Los Angeles, I wished I had seen police giving these ding-a-lings tickets. Honestly, I've seen people on bicycles running red lights right in front of the cop and the cop looks the other way and pretends he didn't see anything. (Though to be fair to the cop, he might've been on his way to a radio call.)
Now I live in Phoenix and it's the same way here with people on bikes just refusing to obey the traffic laws. Just yesterday I was taking one of my neighbors to the doctor and a kid on a bike just crossed the street right in front of us when we had the green light.
Quote from: Kacie Jane on July 25, 2013, 07:48:09 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on July 25, 2013, 07:43:44 PM
I've even seen people jogging at night in reflective vests!
An intelligent human being? How shocking!
Hmmmm. Don't beam me up yet, Scotty; we may have been wrong about no intelligent life on Earth. :D
Quote from: hm insulators on August 07, 2013, 04:42:29 PM
Police busting bicycle riders? Never heard of such a thing.
NYPD has become known to do so in recent years.
Of course, it's treated as an excuse to grab money and meat quotas rather than actually do anything about safety. Here's one example. (http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/07/22/how-nypd-bike-enforcement-is-making-streets-less-safe/) There have also been stories of police setting up shop near a vehicle illegally parked in a bike lane and, rather than ticketing the illegally parked vehicle, stopping and ticketing any cyclists who come by and go around it for biking outside of the bike lane - but none of those have been substantiated.
Quote from: Duke87 on August 07, 2013, 07:18:34 PM
Quote from: hm insulators on August 07, 2013, 04:42:29 PM
Police busting bicycle riders? Never heard of such a thing.
NYPD has become known to do so in recent years.
Of course, it's treated as an excuse to grab money and meat quotas rather than actually do anything about safety. Here's one example. (http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/07/22/how-nypd-bike-enforcement-is-making-streets-less-safe/) There have also been stories of police setting up shop near a vehicle illegally parked in a bike lane and, rather than ticketing the illegally parked vehicle, stopping and ticketing any cyclists who come by and go around it for biking outside of the bike lane - but none of those have been substantiated.
Is it even illegal to not use a bike lane when one is present? That seems nuts to me.
Quote from: wphiii on August 08, 2013, 02:24:08 PM
Quote from: Duke87 on August 07, 2013, 07:18:34 PM
Quote from: hm insulators on August 07, 2013, 04:42:29 PM
Police busting bicycle riders? Never heard of such a thing.
NYPD has become known to do so in recent years.
Of course, it's treated as an excuse to grab money and meat quotas rather than actually do anything about safety. Here's one example. (http://www.streetsblog.org/2013/07/22/how-nypd-bike-enforcement-is-making-streets-less-safe/) There have also been stories of police setting up shop near a vehicle illegally parked in a bike lane and, rather than ticketing the illegally parked vehicle, stopping and ticketing any cyclists who come by and go around it for biking outside of the bike lane - but none of those have been substantiated.
Is it even illegal to not use a bike lane when one is present? That seems nuts to me.
Even if it is, it seems like "the bike lane is physically impassible" ought to be a rather obvious defense...
Quote from: wphiii on August 08, 2013, 02:24:08 PM
Is it even illegal to not use a bike lane when one is present? That seems nuts to me.
I would imagine there is precedent. using a slower form of transportation on a surface designed for faster forms is, generally speaking, classified as "jaywalking". I wonder if there is a "jaybiking" for not using the provided lane.
it would indeed be silly to have - and enforce - such a law, but it may be legally kosher.
Quote from: agentsteel53 on August 08, 2013, 06:30:46 PM
Quote from: wphiii on August 08, 2013, 02:24:08 PM
Is it even illegal to not use a bike lane when one is present? That seems nuts to me.
I would imagine there is precedent. using a slower form of transportation on a surface designed for faster forms is, generally speaking, classified as "jaywalking". I wonder if there is a "jaybiking" for not using the provided lane.
it would indeed be silly to have - and enforce - such a law, but it may be legally kosher.
Apparently the law in New York says that cyclists are required to ride in the bike lane if there is one
and the street is less than 40 feet wide. If the street is more than 40 feet wide they are allowed to ride along either side, but not in the middle. And since the law says nothing about if the bike lane is illegally blocked, those tickets are legally kosher as well, albeit absurd to anyone with common sense.
http://72.0.151.116/nyc/rcny/Title34_4-12.asp
Quote(1) Bicycle riders to use bicycle lanes. Whenever a usable path or lane for bicycles has been provided, bicycle riders shall use such path or lane only except under any of the following situations:
(i) When preparing for a turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(ii) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, pushcarts, animals, surface hazards) that make it unsafe to continue within such bicycle path or lane.
Asshole cops can and do ignore the 'except' part.
Quote from: NE2 on August 08, 2013, 09:42:10 PM
http://72.0.151.116/nyc/rcny/Title34_4-12.asp
Quote(1) Bicycle riders to use bicycle lanes. Whenever a usable path or lane for bicycles has been provided, bicycle riders shall use such path or lane only except under any of the following situations:
(i) When preparing for a turn at an intersection or into a private road or driveway.
(ii) When reasonably necessary to avoid conditions (including but not limited to, fixed or moving objects, motor vehicles, bicycles, pedestrians, pushcarts, animals, surface hazards) that make it unsafe to continue within such bicycle path or lane.
Ah, there's the rub; it says "unsafe", not "impossible". You could always dismount and carry your bike on foot over the top of a parked vehicle. :-)
The city of New York now actually distinguishes commercial bicyclists from the other kind, and regulates them:
http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/bicyclists/commercial-cyclists.shtml
Since that happened, I have noticed an improvement in commercial bicycle behavior. I don't know if that's because it's actually happening, or because I read about the new enforcement and thus had it mind.
Interesting that that page says riding an electric bicycle is illegal, as lots of people have them, especially the takeout delivery boys. There is an "e-bike" shop not too far from my apartment. Don't know of anyone ever getting called out for any of this.
I suspect that this is one of those things that's technically true (adding a motor makes it a motor vehicle and thus means it has to be registered with the DMV to be street legal) but just never enforced because it makes no sense to.