a painful way to make a point!

[ilanarama]

Apparently the NYPD has been cracking down on cyclists for not riding in the bike lane, issuing tickets for as much as $130. A guy was stopped and tried to tell the cop that sometimes the bike lane isn't safe, but the officer still ticketed him. So he made a video showing what happens when you ride in the bike lane ALL THE TIME. Warning for OW OW OMG OW.

Comments

[darkemeralds]

Brilliant video. But sweet mother of God, don't read the comments.

[ilanarama]

I find that to be the smart move when it comes to YouTube no matter what the subject!

[darkemeralds]

I meant to add that it pays to be familiar with bike-lane law in your area. Here (and, I imagine in most cities), it's perfectly legal to leave the bike lane for all kinds of reasons having to do with safety and navigation.

I'm sort of surprised the guy didn't check before paying his fine.

[iosonochesono]

Is... Is that a lane for cars to park on one side of the bike lane?

We have police here that try to enforce using the bike lane when the bike lane is also often the street parking lane. As in, people are legally permitted to obstruct the bike lane, but bikers aren't supposed to leave. (And even if we are/do, it is not safe at all because the lanes aren't big enough to give a biker several feet in width.)

I hate laws regarding bicycles on the street. They should all involve having a healthy-sized bike lane and safety from obstruction :/ When I heard about cops in my city cracking down on bikes not in the bike lane, I was really shocked because the bike lane was mostly synonymous with 'parking lane' and the bike lane was often like... A white line on the ground. I mean, you couldn't even write 'Bike Lane' in it, they would just have a sign on [the sidewalk] indicating it.

[vlion]

Ah, yes, the lovely traffic laws.