The NYPD officer pictured below was parked in the bike lane, and then he ticketed cyclists who left the bike lane to get around him.
I talked with “RA” (the cyclist in the picture). He tells me he moved out of the bike lane and into the street just like he’s supposed to do. He told Gothamist:
The lane was being blocked by a cop car and as I pulled around it a cop pulled me over and informed me of my infraction. About 5 or 6 other cyclists got the same treatment. The cop later moved his car so that it wasn’t in the bike lane (but was now parked squarely in the turning lane).
A couple of other cyclists got pulled over, but argued with the cop that they had to leave the lane because he was parked there—those people were allowed to ride on. After pulling a bunch of us he must of realized how stupid his logic was and decided to cross to the other side of the road.
NY City has a mandatory bike lane law, but stopped motor vehicles in the lane are specifically listed as an exception. Here’s the kicker, though: RA was cited for violating 19-176, which is New York City’s sidewalk riding code, and he never touched the sidewalk.
More at The Gothamist.
Photo used with permission.
…to serve and protect?
…their job interests.
If I were their supervisor/boss, I’d reprimand them or fire them if it continued. I can’t believe how corrupt this system is.
Blatant abuse of Police powers. Yikes.
You don’t need a bike lane to ride your bike. You just need…. a bike.
You don’t need a bike lane to ride your bike. You just need…. a bike.
They should be after the real criminal, who painted the bike lane to the left of a left turn lane.
Ha. This actually happened in Portland. Only the cop that was blocking the lane hit the cyclist, who was left the bike lane to go around the obstructor, as he pulled away. The cop then proceeded to ticket the cyclist for not using the bike lane. Amazing.
NYCDOT does everything right by installing wonderful infrastructure making the rest of the country jealous. Then, last week, they announce alongside the Police Department the police’s campaign to ticket more often people riding bikes.
And then we get this horse manure.
i am no longer surprised by such things. it’s filed mentally under ‘the united states’. it is a dictatorship where the police can do what ever they want. it’s funny how the citizens get up in arms about it.
I once was nearly ticketed by a Santa Clara cop when I yelled “Watch it!!” at a driver so he wouldn’t hit me, but after the cop pulled out his book he couldn’t figure out what to ticket me with. I asked him if he was citing the driver for failing to yield and failing to signal a turn, but he was mad at me because I “whizzed by him in the bike lane” (I was doing ~5 MPH coming up to the red light as verified by my GPS). He actually went over to the driver and apologized and said he’d done nothing wrong. I congratulated him on his parenting skills.