Cycling Scofflaws
To the Editor:
Kudos to Joe Bolanos for his “No Café Permits for Cycling Scofflaws” piece (April 8), in which he applauds the decision of Community Board 7 to disapprove a sidewalk cafe permit to a restaurant with “a record of chronic delivery bicycle infractions.” Mr. Bolanos is on the money when he says that, “No matter how popular or successful a restaurant is, its bicycle policies, or lack thereof, are a direct affront to our community.” In this regard, the board’s use of its advisory veto power over outdoor cafe permits is not only appropriate, but necessary. Read more
Praise for Cycling Scofflaw Piece
To the Editor:
Re: “No Cafe Permits for Cycling Scofflaws,” by Joseph Bolanos (April 8)—I would like to give him a big hug for bringing this to the attention of those who choose to ignore what is going on. There is a law on the books and it is not being enforced, no matter what our city administration says. So no, there will be no cafe permits unless you get your bikers to follow the law.
Also, Mr. Bolanos, please add that the deliverers are not the only ones causing heart-stopping moments for our pedestrians in this city—the reckless bikers who should know better and ride on the sidewalks, against the traffic and through the lights [are also to blame]. Read more
No Café Permits for Cycling Scofflaws
As a longtime resident and community advocate, I applaud Community Board 7’s disapproval of a sidewalk café permit last month for a restaurant with a record of chronic delivery bicycle infractions. In a Feb. 9 committee meeting, the permit application had been approved by the committee under the condition that the restaurant begin complying with all bicycle codes immediately. A representative from the restaurant agreed to the condition at that time.
Nearly a month later, the restaurant was found to be non-compliant with bicycle codes, as promised. Among one of the more serious violations was delivery bicyclists continuing to ride on sidewalks. Read more
Changing Lanes
The pedestrian-cyclist-driver saga is familiar to anyone living in Manhattan today. Pedestrians loathe bicyclists who break traffic laws. At public transportation meetings, some residents have called for bicyclists to get licenses, like drivers. Bicyclists, meanwhile, say they just want a safe place to ride, away from motorists, who in turn often see bikers as a nuisance.
But this decades-old story may be about to change, as the city is likely to install protected bicycle lanes on Amsterdam and Columbus avenues. Unlike the painted lanes drawn on asphalt throughout the city, protected lanes are strictly for bicyclists. Read more
BAD CYCLING BEHAVIOR
To the Editor:
Regarding Bunny Abraham’s letter to the editor (“Peds Need Better Advocate”), I am troubled by Ms. Abraham’s conclusion that the specific illegal cyclist behavior she witnessed means that Transportation Alternatives must somehow condone this behavior and/or is doing nothing to try and discourage it. Ms. Abraham’s statement is incorrect: as an organization, we unequivocally believe that cyclists must follow the rules of the road, which means, among other things, Read more
