4 ms·

Even in NYC, which generally does have pretty good bike coverage in theory, people will still treat them as extra parking. Frustratingly, the most frequent off

Even in NYC, which generally does have pretty good bike coverage in theory, people will still treat them as extra parking. Frustratingly, the most frequent offenders of this appear to be cops. I used to confront the cops when they did this but I've grown far too lazy for that now.

repelsteeltje 3y ago
From a driver's perspective it makes sense: park your car on the bike lane or side walk to avoid blocking car traffic. Never mind blocked cyclists or pedestrians. I've sometimes considered (but never followed through) parking my bicycle on the car lane. (Ie. Next to a police car.) As a passive aggressive gesture hoping to be forced to explain to a cop that I was just trying to avoid blocking the bike lane and side walks.
- singhrac 3y ago
  Parking on a sidewalk is a violation of many rules and norms, but the one that matters the most to me is that people in wheelchairs cannot maneuver around these. I tried reporting some in my local neighborhood via 311 but it's pretty much useless (I'm fairly confident the car was an unmarked cop car anyway). I have yelled (successfully) at ebike riders that go on the sidewalk; they ended up apologizing to me even though I speak no Spanish and they spoke little English. There are tons of kids in my neighborhood and it takes a village etc.
  - tombert 3y ago
    Yeah, I don't have a wheelchair, but I do occasionally have one of those fold-up shopping carts that I use for getting groceries. When cars are parked on the sidewalk, it makes it extremely difficult to do anything, because there's not a ton of twisting I can do to maneuver around them. I often have to awkwardly lift the cart to put on the street, and then lift it again to put it back on the sidewalk. I hadn't even considered how bad it would be for people in wheelchairs.
    - repelsteeltje 3y ago
      Or a stroller.
- ildjarn 3y ago
  Nice post but “car lane” is automobile propaganda
Gigachad 3y ago
In Australia this doesn't seem to happen nearly as much. The rules are enforced by the council rather than the police. It'll just be an employee of the council who walks down the street and prints off a fine for everyone parked incorrectly. Which presumably makes money for the council and covers the cost of the worker.

repelsteeltje 3y ago

From a driver's perspective it makes sense: park your car on the bike lane or side walk to avoid blocking car traffic. Never mind blocked cyclists or pedestrians. I've sometimes considered (but never followed through) parking my bicycle on the car lane. (Ie. Next to a police car.) As a passive aggressive gesture hoping to be forced to explain to a cop that I was just trying to avoid blocking the bike lane and side walks.

singhrac 3y ago
Parking on a sidewalk is a violation of many rules and norms, but the one that matters the most to me is that people in wheelchairs cannot maneuver around these. I tried reporting some in my local neighborhood via 311 but it's pretty much useless (I'm fairly confident the car was an unmarked cop car anyway). I have yelled (successfully) at ebike riders that go on the sidewalk; they ended up apologizing to me even though I speak no Spanish and they spoke little English. There are tons of kids in my neighborhood and it takes a village etc.
- tombert 3y ago
  Yeah, I don't have a wheelchair, but I do occasionally have one of those fold-up shopping carts that I use for getting groceries. When cars are parked on the sidewalk, it makes it extremely difficult to do anything, because there's not a ton of twisting I can do to maneuver around them. I often have to awkwardly lift the cart to put on the street, and then lift it again to put it back on the sidewalk. I hadn't even considered how bad it would be for people in wheelchairs.
  - repelsteeltje 3y ago
    Or a stroller.
ildjarn 3y ago
Nice post but “car lane” is automobile propaganda

Gigachad 3y ago

In Australia this doesn't seem to happen nearly as much. The rules are enforced by the council rather than the police. It'll just be an employee of the council who walks down the street and prints off a fine for everyone parked incorrectly. Which presumably makes money for the council and covers the cost of the worker.