mark1447 Posted May 30, 2012 Share #1 Posted May 30, 2012 Takeout on two wheels may soon be getting a lot more expensive — for the delivery guy and the restaurateurs. The city is looking to increase the number of enforcement agents and jack up the current $100 fine on annoying commercial cyclists who illegally ride on sidewalks, officials said Tuesday. Legislation being hammered out in the City Council would allow a new cadre of Department of Transportation enforcement officers to ticket transgressors — an army of agents to work alongside the NYPD. The law could also lead to fines for the bikers’ bosses, which in many cases would be restaurant operators and messenger services, officials said. “A lot of the problem has to do with commercial sector,” Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan testified before the Council Tuesday. “Everyone wants their food delivered really fast and they don’t want to wait 10 minutes more for it.” The city has been running a “Don’t be a Jerk” campaign for months, which includes television ads imploring bicyclists to follow the rules, like traveling in the right direction in bike lanes and staying off sidewalks. Sadik-Khan said the city also plans to reach out to businesses that employ commercial bicyclists and educate them on the rules of the road. City Councilman James Vacca (D-East Bronx) said we “always need education.” “But when it comes to the crisis, and it is a crisis, of people’s safety, pedestrians’ safety, that many of the commercial bicyclists do not have regard for, then this city has a legal obligation to protect the law-abiding citizens, who only want to cross a street. “Commercial bicyclists treat it as the Wild Wild West,” added Vacca, chairman of the Council’s Transportation Committee. “That has to stop.” He demanded “civil and criminal penalties” — though how harsh remains unclear. Councilman David Greenfield (D-Brooklyn) said an elderly woman in his district told him her husband’s hip was broken when he was run over by a bicyclist riding on the sidewalk. “Obviously, except for kids, we don’t want folks riding on the sidewalks,” Greenfield said. “What more can be done because it seems like something happening all across the city?” Sadik-Khan, a lightning rod in city government over a proliferation of bike lanes on her watch, said the city was not pursuing criminal penalties. The NYPD kicked off a major campaign last January to put a lock on bikes that broke the rules, fining riders for running lights, going the wrong way and riding on sidewalks. Source: http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/city-increase-fines-delivery-cyclists-ride-sidewalks-article-1.1086475#ixzz1wL8VIICd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanTheTransitMan Posted May 30, 2012 Share #2 Posted May 30, 2012 OH YES!!! OMG this is beautiful, I hate those dumb-ass cyclist. I hope they catch all of the cyclist who use the 86th street transverse walkway as a bike line. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Via Garibaldi 8 Posted May 31, 2012 Share #3 Posted May 31, 2012 Yeah the Asian ones especially the older Asian guys... They just ride like they're in a trance or something... They see a big express bus or another large vehicle coming their way and they don't even move. I'm thinking what are these guys on?? One time I was waiting for the X12 at 45th & 5th and this Asian guy was on his bike coming down the 5th. A guy made him stop and said "See that? Red light means you stop and pointed at the light", but the Asian guy continued to try to go anyway even though he was going against the light, so the guy kept standing in his way blocking him telling him he couldn't go and he kept trying to go anyway. It was so funny because I thought about how they just ride in a trance which explained why that guy was screwing around like that. They should get after those obnoxious bike messengers too. I've used them in the past to send things to clients and they are quick, but they come flying down 5th Avenue in the opposite direction and then yell out utter nonsense damn there startling you if you don't look around good, so they damn there hit you or startle you and make you run the risk of being hit by oncoming traffic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B35 via Church Posted May 31, 2012 Share #4 Posted May 31, 2012 City looking to increase fines for delivery cyclists who ride on sidewalks ...and rightfully so. They should get after those obnoxious bike messengers too. They classify under commercial cyclists. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.