NYC Century Bike Tour-Last Year Issues

Riding thru the red signal on Ocean Parkway and Neptune Avenue

This coming Sunday the NYC Century Bike Tour will include thousands of cyclists throughout the five boroughs in various bike tours.  This event is a highlight of the Transportation Alternatives schedule and experienced and recreational cyclists can choose from a variety of routes to participate based upon distance and time.  The fee is $65 to join if you are not a TA member.
Ocean Parkway is not included in the bike tour.  But Neptune Avenue in Brighton Beach is one of the routes that cyclists will follow for some of the longest tours. And as we know Neptune Avenue crosses Ocean Parkway.  Last year I encountered the bike tour as I walked down Ocean Parkway to the Boardwalk.  Many of the cyclists rode in packs and the lack of discipline or consideration of traffic rules and pedestrians was alarming.
Here are two of the photos that I took and the letter that I sent to TA.

Cyclists occupy large areas of the road and cross against the red signal

"While I support the greater use and enjoyment of cycling in the city I must report that during the tour event on Sunday 9/18 too many riders were not obeying traffic rules.  I walk down Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn to the Boardwalk every morning and today part of the tour took crossed Ocean Parkway on the Neptune Avenue route.  Ocean Parkway is a 6 lane highway and Neptune Avenue particularly is one of the most dangerous intersections in Brooklyn.Recently a walk countdown timer was installed at that intersection which indicates our concern for the people in that neighborhood many of whom are elderly.  However, dozens of riders in packs rode through the intersection against the red light.  Also many rode three or four abreast in the traffic lanes.  If they did stop or slow down on Ocean Pkwy it was for a moment until they found a gap in the traffic so they could continue.  Too many riders have little regard to pedestrians and I myself (who is a rider) had to wait to cross even though I had the light and the riders were riding through it and trying to beat the oncoming Ocean Pkwy taffic.  This is not what I consider a safe or responsible way of using the roadways of this city and gives a bad name to cyclists.  Many of these riders were experienced and unfortunately they were the ones who seemed to encourage the rest of the pack of riders to continue in this unsafe manner.  I have photos from this morning that I would like to send to you. Thank you."

Here is the reply from TA.

On Wed, Sep 28, 2011 at 5:56 PM, Ben McRoberts <ben@transalt.org> wrote:

Hello Allen,

Thank you for comments and concern regarding the NYC Century Bike Tour.

Transportation Alternatives is committed to promoting safe and legal bicycling, as evidenced through our Biking Rules! campaign. (www.bikingrules.org)

We also promote it on the NYC Century Bike Tour web site and expect all riders to follow all traffic regulations.

Again I am sorry to hear that some cyclists on our tour were not obeying the rules of the road, and I assure we will continue to promote Biking Rules!.

Best

Ben

City Council cracks down on rogue riders

City Council Puts the Brakes on Commercial Bikers, Delivery Men, Two-Wheeled Speed Demons | Observer

“New Yorkers want what they want, when they want it, but that doesn’t excuse the disregard of safety—this is not the Wild West.”

Bronx Councilman James Vacca was sitting behind the long desk inside the 14th floor hearing room at 250 Broadway as a hearing of the Transportation Committee, which he oversees, was just getting started. He had taken the reins, or rather the handlebars, as he so often doeswhen the committee turns its focus on the state of cycling in the city, a subject that gives Mr. Vacca, along with a few million New Yorkers, a great deal of consternation.

Today, the committee was tackling commercial cyclists and deliverymen—figuratively, though they probably would not mind actually tackling a few scofflaw two wheelers if given the chance.

Specifically, the committee was taking up four commercial biking bills aimed at furthering the education of commercial cyclists and enforcing current regulations. The focus—and when it came to Councilwoman Jessica Lappin, the target—was certainly the DOT and Intro. 910, a proposed law that sought to give the department enforcement power.

Bag check returns to Marathon

In Reversal, New York City Marathon Will Transport Bags - NYTimes.com

After pushback from marathoners, New York Road Runners reversed itself and will now allow runners to check a bag at the starting line of the New York City Marathon on Nov. 4.

Two weeks ago Road Runners said that it would no longer let runners drop off a bag at the starting line in Staten Island and transport their clothing and other belongings to Central Park for pickup after the race. Runners were expected to make other arrangements or leave their clothing behind and carry money and cellphones with them during the race.

Hundreds of runners complained and some created an online petition calling on the race organizers to rethink the policy, which was designed to relieve the crowding in and around Central Park after the race. Groups unaffiliated with Road Runners created their own bag drop services. Last year Road Runners used 76 trucks to ferry belongings from the start to the finish.

On Thursday Road Runners said that it would allow runners to check a bag or choose an “early exit” from the Park for those who did not check bags.

“We’ve heard your feedback regarding the No-Baggage policy we announced recently, and we understand your concerns,” Mary Wittenberg, the president of Road Runners, said in a note to club members. “You’ll now have the option of either checking a bag for this year’s race or choosing a No-Baggage ‘Early Exit’ option.”

Runners who do not check a bag will receive a poncho and a long-sleeve T-shirt, and will be able to use Call Home stations. Those who check bags will receive bags that are smaller than in the past. The bags will be large enough to hold shoes, warm clothing and some personal items.

Lincoln High School Season Opener

Opening day at Lincoln

Abraham Lincoln High School

Waiting for bus on Ocean Parkway

Abraham Lincoln High School located on Ocean Parkway in Brighton Beach has been spared the fate of similarly large traditional high schools such as nearby Lafayette, Sheepshead Bay and Dewey that are targeted as "turnaround" candidates.  Like Lafayette these schools will first close and then be reinvented and then sliced up into smaller themed high schools.  Student enrollment at Lincoln is expected to top 2500.

Comment on "If Kant were a NY Cyclist"

Pissin’ In The Wind: Walking Man Talks « Bored and Thirsty
I want to make this perfectly clear –  I’ve never liked the ethical column in the New York Times, nor the smarmy writing of its original host, Randy Cohen. To me, Cohen was the very worst of that great publication – arrogant, specious and glib. This didn’t stop him over the weekend from writing one of the worst editorials I’ve had the displeasure of reading, “If Kant Were A New York Cyclist.”

I’m not going to lie to you – I am a proud pedestrian and over the years have often found myself directly at odds with cyclists. Their constant encroachment on the streets is a threat is a personal affront. Cohen represents my greatest fear – a cyclist who proudly defends his transgressions. For years, the violations of bicycle riding buffoons were whispered and hinted at. People weren’t proud of running red lights, going the wrong way down streets or cruising down a sidewalk. People did it, but they knew it was wrong. Not any more. He writes, “The rule breaking cyclist that people decry: that’s me. I routinely run red lights, and so do you.”

He’s referring to the rules of the road and the veritable anarchy in the Big Apple. Yes, pedestrians break the law. We’ve all done it. There is one big difference though, I do not twist my personal transgressions and pretend they are righteous acts. He continues, “… although it is illegal, I believe it is ethical.” This is where Cohen shifts into a highest gear – chutzpah overdrive. According to the modern day Aristotle, his actions are not only not wrong, they are fundamentally right. He’d have you believe running red lights are victimless crimes akin to drinking Schaefer on a stoop. Do not buy into his web of lies.

I have the right to run red lights

If Kant Were a New York Cyclist - NYTimes.com

THE rule-breaking cyclist that people decry: that’s me. I routinely run red lights, and so do you. I flout the law when I’m on my bike; you do it when you are on foot, at least if you are like most New Yorkers. My behavior vexes pedestrians, drivers and even some of my fellow cyclists. Similar conduct has stuck cyclists with tickets and court-ordered biking education classes.

But although it is illegal, I believe it is ethical. I’m not so sure about your blithely ambling into the intersection against the light while texting and listening to your iPod and sipping a martini. More or less.

I roll through a red light if and only if no pedestrian is in the crosswalk and no car is in the intersection — that is, if it will not endanger myself or anybody else. To put it another way, I treat red lights and stop signs as if they were yield signs. A fundamental concern of ethics is the effect of our actions on others. My actions harm no one. This moral reasoning may not sway the police officer writing me a ticket, but it would pass the test of Kant’s categorical imperative: I think all cyclists could — and should — ride like me.

GoPro HD: Coney Island Boardwalk to Brighton Beach Boardwalk Time Lapse

Accident. What happened?

This single car accident occurred on East 6 street off   Avenue Z. Looks like the car making a left from Z took the turn too fast wiping out a traffic signal pole and ending on its side on the sidewalk.  That new traffic signal had just been installed a few months ago. No updates yet.

Ocean Parkway gateway to the beach gets new tenant and new look

Brighton Beach To Lose Met Foods, Gain Fancy Development Targeting National Retailers

Where is the elevated subway?  Will the footprint be the same as before? The buildings on Ocean Pkwy from Brighton Beach Avenue to Seabreeze Avenue are nicely set back with landscaping.  There is no buffer between the sidewalk and the building as you can see in the photo.  It looks that the building may be too high profile to fit naturally in that corner.  The first photo shows how the modern building clashes with the existing architecture of the arch. The second photo is misleading since it doesn't include the Ocean Pkwy platform.  Won't the size of the building reduce the amount of light that is already lacking in that area.  This may be a corner where a real modern facade won't work. Just a few observations but it looks like a poor fit and should be redesigned

Took a walk to the location this morning and saw that the large mural that faces the boardwalk will now be blocked by the new building.  See their drawing above and here is a photo of what will will be hidden. When will this project be presented to the community board?  This design should be voted down.  We should expect a design that integrates well with the existing structures and keeps the symmetry of that corner in a visually pleasing way.