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As an avid cyclist in NYC, this is a huge step forward into cyclist protection. I can't tell you how many times i've almost been hit, or doored, by a car. Somet

As an avid cyclist in NYC, this is a huge step forward into cyclist protection. I can't tell you how many times i've almost been hit, or doored, by a car. Sometimes, it's a lot safer to run a red light to get in front of a car versus waiting for the light to turn- but of course that's not legal. Honestly, as huge and condensed NYC is, I am surprised this hasn't happened years ago. It's much, much more efficient to get from Point A to Point B on a bike vs taking the Subway, bus, or car. Would love to see something like the 14th street car ban to allow buses and cyclists only more widely adopted across the 5 boroughs.

e40 7y ago
As a pedestrian, I've often thought that. There are no cars coming (in the direction that has the right of way), but if I wait, the cars waiting to turn might not yield to me. My threshold for cars entering my personal space is clearly different than drivers. I've had drivers accelerate toward me and pass me with 1-2' of space. Way too close. My rule, as a driver is simple: never accelerate toward a pedestrian. That means I have to stay on the break until they are not in front of me. The law, btw, says that you can't go into the crosswalk until the pedestrian is has made it onto the sidewalk. At least, in CA that is the law. I was warned once, by a LEO about this.
- mumblemumble 7y ago
  There seems to be something about being cocooned in a thousand or so kilos of steel and glass that causes people to forget that some of the things outside of your moving box aren't just obstacles to get around, they're actually sentient beings that deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.
- pedantsamaritan 7y ago
  Leading Pedestrian Interval is what NYC calls the getting ahead of cars. https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/leading-ped-intervals.shtml https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/leading-pe... People riding bikes will be able to follow LPIs at intersections that have them soon (sometime in December, I think)
tombert 7y ago
My biggest pet peeve is when cops treat the bike lane as additional parking. I've seen cops do it just to walk into 7-eleven and buy a snack. I wonder if that will be addressed at some point.
- bobbylarrybobby 7y ago
  Cops all drive into the city from Long Island. They don't understand how New Yorkers actually live and get around; to them a bike lane is a curiosity for weirdos who like to get around on a child's vehicle. Getting change in this regard will require either very serious change in how cops are regulated, or a change in cops' mindsets regarding cars and bikes. Not sure which I'd bet on happening first.
  - milkytron 7y ago
    Is parking in a bike lane illegal? If so, would it be possible to citizen's arrest a cop for that? Or take them to court? Maybe it's an overreaction to a small crime, but it would set a precedent, no? Edit: I do not recommend trying to citizen's arrest a cop.
    - OutsmartDan 7y ago
      bike lane parking is just a form of "double parking", so theoretically it is illegal- however the laws of the road do not apply in NYC :)
      - InitialLastName 7y ago
        Let me adjust that: The rules of the road (and common decency) do not apply to the NYPD.
    - ianleeclark 7y ago
      > Or take them to court? Probably not a viable course of action considering they murdered Eric Garner just for selling loosies.
    - 7y ago
Aaronmacaron 7y ago
In Europe there are separate traffic lights for bicycles that turn green a few second earlier than the car traffic lights. This adds a lot of safety since the bikes have time to get past the first car in line. I think a lot of accidents where the car turns right and overlooks a bike in the blind spot can be prevented through this measure.
- u801e 7y ago
  > I think a lot of accidents where the car turns right and overlooks a bike in the blind spot can be prevented through [the separate bike signal] measure. This can also be prevented by not trying to pass right turning vehicles on the right and only pass them on their left.
  - JoeAltmaier 7y ago
    Typically the car passes the bike which is riding to the right. Then the car turns right directly in front of the bike. Forgetting it was there, even though they just swerved around it.
    - u801e 7y ago
      That's because the driver believes the cyclist is going much slower than they actually are, but this can be mitigated by taking the lane when approaching an intersection such that the driver of the faster vehicle will make the turn from the same lane the cyclist is in. But there's another scenario where a cyclist is passing traffic on the right and then gets right-hooked by a vehicle making a right turn.
  - Aaronmacaron 7y ago
    If bikes drove on the left side of the lane it would be impossible for cars to overtake bikes. (Overtaking on the right is illegal.)
    - u801e 7y ago
      Drivers of vehicles are supposed to pass on the left, so they can switch lanes to pass when safe to do so.
u801e 7y ago
> I can't tell you how many times i've almost been hit, or doored, by a car. Do you try to pass right turning vehicles on the right or left turning vehicles on the left? If you're at risk for getting doored, then you need to ride further away from parked vehicles (at least 6 feet away).
- bobthepanda 7y ago
  A lot of bike lanes in New York do not have six feet of separation from parked cars.
  - u801e 7y ago
    A lane that instructs you to ride in the door zone should be ignored. It's safer to ride in the center of the general purpose lane that's far enough from parked vehicles to avoid the risk of getting doored. Your safety is far more important than someone else's convenience.
    - frabbit 7y ago
      From bitter experience I concur: take the lane! It is safer for everyone.
- physguy1123 7y ago
  This doesn’t do anything when cars decide to park in your bike lane anyways, and your bike lane has maybe a foot clearance to traffic in the other side. It’s also an interesting attitude, that cars are so much more important than bikes that it’s not car drivers who should check the road when opening their door, but bikers who should lose the 6 feet of street space near parked cars which is the only semi-safe place for bikes in New York
  - u801e 7y ago
    > This doesn’t do anything when cars decide to park in your bike lane anyways When there's a stopped vehicle in the lane you're in, you can simply check for traffic in the next lane and switch lanes. > your bike lane has maybe a foot clearance to traffic in the other side. You're not restricted to the bike lane if there's an obstruction. > that cars are so much more important than bikes that it’s not car drivers who should check the road when opening their door No one is saying that they shouldn't check before opening their door, but I am saying that you can eliminate the risk of being doored if you ride far enough away from parked vehicles. It's far easier to take responsibility for your own safety than to rely on others to do it for you. > but bikers who should lose the 6 feet of street space near parked cars which is the only semi-safe place for bikes in New York Riding in the door zone is not safe, period. It's safer to just ride in the general purpose traffic lane far enough away from parked vehicles. There's a reason why drivers of motor vehicles don't typically drive in the door zone.

e40 7y ago

As a pedestrian, I've often thought that. There are no cars coming (in the direction that has the right of way), but if I wait, the cars waiting to turn might not yield to me. My threshold for cars entering my personal space is clearly different than drivers. I've had drivers accelerate toward me and pass me with 1-2' of space. Way too close. My rule, as a driver is simple: never accelerate toward a pedestrian. That means I have to stay on the break until they are not in front of me. The law, btw, says that you can't go into the crosswalk until the pedestrian is has made it onto the sidewalk. At least, in CA that is the law. I was warned once, by a LEO about this.

mumblemumble 7y ago
There seems to be something about being cocooned in a thousand or so kilos of steel and glass that causes people to forget that some of the things outside of your moving box aren't just obstacles to get around, they're actually sentient beings that deserve to be treated with courtesy and respect.
pedantsamaritan 7y ago
Leading Pedestrian Interval is what NYC calls the getting ahead of cars. https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/leading-ped-intervals.shtml https://www1.nyc.gov/html/dot/html/infrastructure/leading-pe... People riding bikes will be able to follow LPIs at intersections that have them soon (sometime in December, I think)

tombert 7y ago

My biggest pet peeve is when cops treat the bike lane as additional parking. I've seen cops do it just to walk into 7-eleven and buy a snack. I wonder if that will be addressed at some point.

bobbylarrybobby 7y ago
Cops all drive into the city from Long Island. They don't understand how New Yorkers actually live and get around; to them a bike lane is a curiosity for weirdos who like to get around on a child's vehicle. Getting change in this regard will require either very serious change in how cops are regulated, or a change in cops' mindsets regarding cars and bikes. Not sure which I'd bet on happening first.
- milkytron 7y ago
  Is parking in a bike lane illegal? If so, would it be possible to citizen's arrest a cop for that? Or take them to court? Maybe it's an overreaction to a small crime, but it would set a precedent, no? Edit: I do not recommend trying to citizen's arrest a cop.
  - OutsmartDan 7y ago
    bike lane parking is just a form of "double parking", so theoretically it is illegal- however the laws of the road do not apply in NYC :)
    - InitialLastName 7y ago
      Let me adjust that: The rules of the road (and common decency) do not apply to the NYPD.
  - ianleeclark 7y ago
    > Or take them to court? Probably not a viable course of action considering they murdered Eric Garner just for selling loosies.
  - 7y ago

Aaronmacaron 7y ago

In Europe there are separate traffic lights for bicycles that turn green a few second earlier than the car traffic lights. This adds a lot of safety since the bikes have time to get past the first car in line. I think a lot of accidents where the car turns right and overlooks a bike in the blind spot can be prevented through this measure.

u801e 7y ago
> I think a lot of accidents where the car turns right and overlooks a bike in the blind spot can be prevented through [the separate bike signal] measure. This can also be prevented by not trying to pass right turning vehicles on the right and only pass them on their left.
- JoeAltmaier 7y ago
  Typically the car passes the bike which is riding to the right. Then the car turns right directly in front of the bike. Forgetting it was there, even though they just swerved around it.
  - u801e 7y ago
    That's because the driver believes the cyclist is going much slower than they actually are, but this can be mitigated by taking the lane when approaching an intersection such that the driver of the faster vehicle will make the turn from the same lane the cyclist is in. But there's another scenario where a cyclist is passing traffic on the right and then gets right-hooked by a vehicle making a right turn.
- Aaronmacaron 7y ago
  If bikes drove on the left side of the lane it would be impossible for cars to overtake bikes. (Overtaking on the right is illegal.)
  - u801e 7y ago
    Drivers of vehicles are supposed to pass on the left, so they can switch lanes to pass when safe to do so.

u801e 7y ago

> I can't tell you how many times i've almost been hit, or doored, by a car. Do you try to pass right turning vehicles on the right or left turning vehicles on the left? If you're at risk for getting doored, then you need to ride further away from parked vehicles (at least 6 feet away).

bobthepanda 7y ago
A lot of bike lanes in New York do not have six feet of separation from parked cars.
- u801e 7y ago
  A lane that instructs you to ride in the door zone should be ignored. It's safer to ride in the center of the general purpose lane that's far enough from parked vehicles to avoid the risk of getting doored. Your safety is far more important than someone else's convenience.
  - frabbit 7y ago
    From bitter experience I concur: take the lane! It is safer for everyone.
physguy1123 7y ago
This doesn’t do anything when cars decide to park in your bike lane anyways, and your bike lane has maybe a foot clearance to traffic in the other side. It’s also an interesting attitude, that cars are so much more important than bikes that it’s not car drivers who should check the road when opening their door, but bikers who should lose the 6 feet of street space near parked cars which is the only semi-safe place for bikes in New York
- u801e 7y ago
  > This doesn’t do anything when cars decide to park in your bike lane anyways When there's a stopped vehicle in the lane you're in, you can simply check for traffic in the next lane and switch lanes. > your bike lane has maybe a foot clearance to traffic in the other side. You're not restricted to the bike lane if there's an obstruction. > that cars are so much more important than bikes that it’s not car drivers who should check the road when opening their door No one is saying that they shouldn't check before opening their door, but I am saying that you can eliminate the risk of being doored if you ride far enough away from parked vehicles. It's far easier to take responsibility for your own safety than to rely on others to do it for you. > but bikers who should lose the 6 feet of street space near parked cars which is the only semi-safe place for bikes in New York Riding in the door zone is not safe, period. It's safer to just ride in the general purpose traffic lane far enough away from parked vehicles. There's a reason why drivers of motor vehicles don't typically drive in the door zone.