My thoughts on the move today involve my perspective and opinion about bicycles and congestion in Manhattan - somewhat related.
First, I would not ride a bicycle on the roads of Manhattan if someone paid me a million dollars - well, maybe if it were for a VERY limited time and I could choose the place! NYC drivers of ALL vehicles - private cars, buses, trucks, taxis, vias, ubers - are just not used to sharing the road with bicycles. It is a forced cohabitation that is quite a dangerous one.
Frankly, I have become more concerned about being hit by a bicycle than a vehicle. Just yesterday I was standing on the corner waiting for the light to change and out of a direction from which I was not expecting anything to be moving, I felt the wooosh of a man on a bicycle pass my body as I was about to move forward to cross the street. Had I moved forward slightly faster, I would be writing this from a hospital bed instead of my desk!
I also loved that NYC was so very fast to throw out the bicycle helmet laws, hence, safety - it was such a huge deal when the laws were put in place - when having the chance to rake the $$$ in from Citi Bikes.
Now I see bicycle lanes crosstown on midtown streets…!? What??
We have had the bicycle lanes on the avenues when they were narrowed significantly under a previous mayor with even special bicycle traffic lights! Really????
Sure take more space away from vehicles...anything to help create congestion. NYC has always been quite good with traffic moving well. The times there are issues are, of course-yes-ok around rush hours, when a president or other major dignitary is in town, and most especially when there are live traffic cops on the corners… 🤪 NYC traffic lights have always worked well to keep traffic flowing. Our city is quite efficient in the way the streets and avenues were planned and organized.
In countries where bicycles and vehicles do cohabitat, there are no special bike lanes. Drivers are aware of the bicycles and other small 2 wheelers like Vespas, etc. and vice versa. They respect each other on the road. Bicycles rarely hit pedestrians. They do not come from the wrong direction at breakneck speeds. Pedestrians do not fear them.
NYC and bicyclists simply do not mix well.
For CPW to now feel the need to create a “Protected” Bike Lane 😲 is blatant proof. Will the next step be to ban vehicles from Manhattan? Two wheelers only on the streets of Manhattan!
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