As I discussed just lately, the NYPD is cracking down on motor scooters on the bike paths, so I used to be tremendously excited yesterday as I adopted a moto-scooterist off the Brooklyn Bridge and proper into the open arms of the regulation:
Alas, the regulation was preoccupied with what seemed to be a phone-shaped object, and so the motor-scooterist rode proper by him:
I’m pretty positive the NYPD officers stationed on the Brooklyn bridge are on counterterrorism element (I’ve shrewdly deduced this as a result of they’re normally sporting vests that say “counterterrorism” on them), so it is sensible that they wouldn’t spend a bunch of time stopping individuals on motor scooters–particularly now given what’s happening on this planet in the mean time. On the similar time, right here’s a man driving a motor scooter with a big container on it throughout a well-known landmark that’s teeming with vacationers, proper previous an officer who appears to be on his cellphone. Then once more, he’s coming off the bridge, so if he was going to do one thing I suppose he’d have achieved it already. And for all I do know the officer’s studying an essential message from headquarters or one thing:
Regardless of the case, one factor I’ve realized over time is that whenever you trip across the metropolis on a motorcycle you begin to suppose you already know every little thing. You’re neither driver nor pedestrian nor transit rider, and you progress via neighborhoods and previous countless tableaus of metropolis life in a manner that makes you’re feeling concurrently omniscient and above all of it. Nevertheless, this isn’t true, and identical to the drivers and the pedestrians and the transit riders you actually don’t know shit both–although that doesn’t cease you from forming opinions about how everybody else must be doing their jobs.
Nonetheless, I’d actually have preferred to see that motor-scooterist get a ticket, even when his risk degree does barely rise to the extent of “meh-orrism” at finest.
After all, one motive advocates give for the preponderance of motor scooters on the bike paths is that their riders don’t really feel protected within the streets:
I couldn’t agree extra. Simply watch how terrified these riders appear to be as they trip via a crimson mild and into the trail of an oncoming automotive:
How scary that will need to have been for them.
Then there’s the entire cars-are-worse-and-all-we-need-is-more-space factor:
Because it occurs, the one that tweeted that just lately printed this piece on Curbed:
There are undoubtedly elements of the bike community the place lack of house is a serious situation, and the Queensboro Bridge is one in every of them. Nevertheless, a much bigger situation is that individuals are driving a wide selection of contraptions that journey at a wide selection of speeds they usually don’t all the time know the way to work together with one another–particularly when passing:
Situation one feels like what occurs whenever you overtake somebody too shortly, which is what these e-bikes usually do. This particular person doesn’t say whether or not or not the “child” was on an everyday bike, or in the event that they have been going uphill on the time, however anybody who does trip over the bridges unassisted is aware of e-bikes have a manner of showing in your wing on inclines whenever you don’t anticipate them. Situation two sounds lots like state of affairs one, besides right here the passer was on a good quicker bike, so this time the particular person wound up because the sufferer. Sure, the quicker e-bike did cross on the appropriate, and it’s protected to imagine anybody on a Super73 is a douche, however on the Central Park roadway the slower bike visitors is meant to be on the left so who is aware of?
[Pic from here.]
Speeds aren’t the one factor that varies broadly between e-bikes, both. There’s additionally the matter of lighting. For all of the craziness on the streets of huge cities all over the world the one factor we’ve all managed to agree upon is that the white mild goes within the entrance and the crimson mild goes within the again. Not anymore! Due to e-bikes, now that mild might be inexperienced…
…and even blue!
Not solely is it arduous to guage how briskly this stuff are going, however the lights don’t even clue you in on what route they’re touring.
As for me, I do issues the old style manner:
Whereas the Homer is my common commuter, on occasion it’s enjoyable to trip one thing slightly racier, particularly now that it’s cool sufficient to put on a backpack with out sweating via your garments:
Not like the Homer, the Faggin doesn’t have a correct headlamp, however this child is sufficient to get me dwelling:
“So what’s with the paper?” Effectively, I transfer this mild from bike to bike, and as I headed dwelling within the night I noticed I didn’t have the required screwdriver to regulate the dimensions of the clamp. So I made a shim out of some scrap paper in my bag. No downside!
Most of my commute is well-lit, however there are a few stretches the place you really want a headlight, and this one in every of them:
Whereas I didn’t get to see a motor scooter rider pulled over that morning, I did get to see this on the way in which dwelling:
Even higher.
