4 ms·

It is a real problem that NYC street design gives so much space to cars while people walking, cycling and scootering are left to fight over the scraps. GP is co

It is a real problem that NYC street design gives so much space to cars while people walking, cycling and scootering are left to fight over the scraps. GP is correct that things are getting harder although I think they are wrong to blame individual behaviors instead of faulty infrastructure.

mancerayder 4y ago
But there are bike lanes available. And markings that say yield to pedestrians. And lights for bikes in some cases. These things are generally completely ignored, leaving the pedestrian with the burden of watching everyone else. It's fine to have a preference for a bike-friendly city over a car-centric one, but one has to consider that almost any vehicle is going to be dangerous to a pedestrian, not just cars. Would you feel comfortable with an older member of your family taking a walk on a Sunday while trusting e bikers not to bowl them over turning around a corner on the sidewalk, going the opposite way on a one-way street, or running a red light?
- actionablefiber 4y ago
  > But there are bike lanes available. "Available" is a strong word. There are many streets in NYC that lack them, and Casey Neistat's infamous video on bike lanes illustrates what happens in places where they exist. I am already jaded to the point of having no trust in people to adhere to lights or signs when they believe it is in their interest to do otherwise. Anyone could jaywalk, drive in the bike lane, blow a red, or take a rolling stop, or make an illegal right-on-red. If you do not have infrastructure that violently enforces those rules, such as concrete bollards, or make them extremely convenient and desirable for individuals to choose to follow, such as detection loops that turn the light green as soon as it is safe to cross, those rules may as well not exist. > Would you feel comfortable with an older member of your family taking a walk on a Sunday while trusting e bikers not to bowl them over turning around a corner on the sidewalk, going the opposite way on a one-way street, or running a red light? If you ask me why I'd feel uncomfortable, it's because of cars, by a long shot, every time. The risk profile in both probability and magnitude is just so much worse with cars. Take space away from cars and give it back to people; it creates tons of additional space for everyone to maneuver, improves visibility, and calms the streets, all of which filters down to preventing accidents that people on bikes and scooters cause as well.

mancerayder 4y ago

But there are bike lanes available. And markings that say yield to pedestrians. And lights for bikes in some cases. These things are generally completely ignored, leaving the pedestrian with the burden of watching everyone else. It's fine to have a preference for a bike-friendly city over a car-centric one, but one has to consider that almost any vehicle is going to be dangerous to a pedestrian, not just cars. Would you feel comfortable with an older member of your family taking a walk on a Sunday while trusting e bikers not to bowl them over turning around a corner on the sidewalk, going the opposite way on a one-way street, or running a red light?

actionablefiber 4y ago
> But there are bike lanes available. "Available" is a strong word. There are many streets in NYC that lack them, and Casey Neistat's infamous video on bike lanes illustrates what happens in places where they exist. I am already jaded to the point of having no trust in people to adhere to lights or signs when they believe it is in their interest to do otherwise. Anyone could jaywalk, drive in the bike lane, blow a red, or take a rolling stop, or make an illegal right-on-red. If you do not have infrastructure that violently enforces those rules, such as concrete bollards, or make them extremely convenient and desirable for individuals to choose to follow, such as detection loops that turn the light green as soon as it is safe to cross, those rules may as well not exist. > Would you feel comfortable with an older member of your family taking a walk on a Sunday while trusting e bikers not to bowl them over turning around a corner on the sidewalk, going the opposite way on a one-way street, or running a red light? If you ask me why I'd feel uncomfortable, it's because of cars, by a long shot, every time. The risk profile in both probability and magnitude is just so much worse with cars. Take space away from cars and give it back to people; it creates tons of additional space for everyone to maneuver, improves visibility, and calms the streets, all of which filters down to preventing accidents that people on bikes and scooters cause as well.