Dubai Debt Issues Push Stocks Down
Report: Wife Scratched Tiger Woods' Face, Chased His SUV; Update: Police Unable To Interview Couple Today
GMA: Adam Lambert, No; Chris Brown, Yes
Family Gets Early Christmas Gift From Ellen DeGeneres
Street Artist Proposes on Subway Signage
Mayor Bloomberg may like closing down streets to vehicular traffic for pedestrians and bicyclists and creating more bike lanes, but he doesn't think bikes belong on subways. On his radio program, when asked if anyone considered turning the subway into a "freight delivery system" during non peak hours, Bloomberg said, "There are messengers who do it. Some of them take their bikes, which drives me crazy, cause I’ve just never agreed with the M.T.A. I know bicyclists will now ring the phones off the hook, but they are just too big, particularly at rush hours — I just don’t think they should allow it. But I’m not running the M.T.A..." (the MTA allows bikes). This is not the first time Bloomberg has called out bikes on subways—last summer, he said (also on radio show), "I don't run the subway system, I don't run the MTA, but if I did - if I had total power - I guess I'd say it's too crowded for bikes." Next, will the Mayor go after baby strollers on the subway?
Bloomberg Still Down On Bikes On Subways
add to stumble upon
add to reddit
tweet this
post to facebookComments (36) [rss]
Post a comment (Comment Policy)
Tips
Newsmap
Contribute
I'm waiting for the day (near future) that they ban people on the subway.
no lie that shit is annoying during rush hour.
Bikes on the subway are a bad idea (which isn't to say that they shouldn't be allowed). They are a pain to maneuver around during rush-hour, and you'll possibly get someone else dirty which will totally piss them off.
But seriously - is this a major problem? Are there a lot of people complaining about this?
I'm complaining about it. Fuckin' bike during rush hour. It blocks the flow in and out of the train. So it takes longer for people to get off the train, which in turn makes trains stay in the station longer, which causes delays. I agree with Mayor Mike.
i agree with no bikes on the subway even though i'm a cyclist but this is a non-issue cuase you don't see many people with bikes on the subway. I see maybe one in a blue moon.
I don't see what the big deal is. IT IS way too crowded for bikes!!! Seriously, get off the train and start pedaling if you have a bike on you.
It is a HUGE pain to bring a bike on the subway, and yes, it is very annoying to everyone else. The few times I've had to do it -- reluctantly -- have been when my bike has broken down during my commute home. Fortunately my commute is slightly off-peak, but I still tried to make sure I chose a subway car that doesn't have a lot of people in it.
Also, I watch the weather very closely to make sure I'm not caught in adverse weather that could affect my ride home at the end of the day. Overall, I really don't want to be "that person."
That being said, I honestly don't know what to think of people who bring their completely-functioning bikes onto a crowded train. A lot of people think that the MTA requires that you use the first or last car -- however, I think this is a Metro North rule. Even so, having that rule for the MTA doesn't even make sense, as there are a number of major transfer points (Broadway-Lafayette and 51st Street to name but two) where everyone crowds into the front or back of the train to be nearest the transfer.
However, Bloomberg is still kind of a douche for being ostensibly anti-bike. If he's really all that concerned about congestion, he should be encouraging bikes, not dissing them (e.g. via essentially unnecessary comments like this, the city's refusal to punish out-of-control drivers who kill cyclists, etc.)
Remember to call Bloomberg an "anti-bike douche" as you roll down one of the many new growing bike lanes in the city... or take your bike out during Summer Streets this August.
Between lugging it up and down stairs and finding a booth clerk to open the gate for you, it's generally a serious pain in the butt to move your bike on the subway, so I don't think many people are doing it unless they really have a good reason to. That said, they should be banned during rush hour.
The only bikes that I've seen on the subway during rush hour are ones that have flats or are broken in some other way. I don't know why anyone else would try to squeeze a bike on the train during rush hour.
bloomie is 100% right on this. a bike is a conveyance, try riding it.
amen brother.
there is a ban on bikes during rush hour, my housemate was ticketed for it and I've met other people who said they were ticketed too.
Now that it's spring I'd wager all these complainers will see bicycles even less on the subway. Have a good time down there, mole people!
You re 100% right, and did you know there is also a stroller bn during peak hours 7am to 10am and 4 to 7pm.
Also the deliver guys with boxes and hand trucks are banned all the time.
then again so is food and drinks, yet everybody drinks coffee on the train. and then there are the smelly food eaters tht stink out the place.
maybe if they used those cops looking through your bags, to patrol the system... ahhh nevermind, they are just looking to catch people with weed and guns.
how often does this happen? are there still bicycle messengers anymore? has to be less than before.
let's bring horsies into the subway for your daughter, mr. mayor.
Seriously? How big of an issue is this? I agree that bikes on the subway can be annoying, but I think I see a bike on the subway maybe once a month, maybe two, and I see one on the train during rush hour maybe once or twice a year.
I agree withe the above poster that as a cyclist myself, taking a bike on the subway is a huge pain because of the stairs, turnstiles/gates, etc., so I've done it maybe twice because of a flat, etc.
I do think they could ban bikes during rush hour (maybe 7-10 am and 4-7 pm), but would they then ban strollers? Sometimes those (especially the double-wides) are just as irritating, and I see those way more often than bikes. But, I don't get mad at the parents or kids; it's not their fault that there's an inadequate number of trains.
By the way, Mikey could actually do something about this by putting in secure bike parking near subway stations. If it were raining, people could safely leave their bikes and get them the next day. Or, he could force office buildings to provide secure space for bikes. Of course, it's easier for him to whine. As usual.
Before dealing with bikes, ban the homeless pycho who hasn't bathed in years (and urine doesn't count). He's taking out a lot more space than any full sized bike.
mr. guy, there is almost always a reason we aren't riding it, believe me, if you ever see me lugging it down the steps and on a train, it is due to mechanical problems. i would much rather be outside. commenter 10 =-check mta website, definitely not against the law. impossible he was ticketed. too many idiotic points to address here, but first and foremost, it just makes the mayor incredibly duplicitous, and douchy to encourage cycling and commuting by bike, and then to pull out this gem. And folks, by riding my bike every day, i am freeing up a seat, so don't give me this crap, this is absurd.
as an avid bike rider, i hate it when someone brings their bike onto a crowded subway car. dont these morons realize its a crowded car!? either go to the one of the last cars or wait for another subway that isnt as crowded. whenever i take my bike into the city, i try to avoid rush hour and take my biek all the way to the bike. i hate to be "THAT GUY".
and he is full of it to try to square this stance with his stated stance below:
"The Bloomberg administration says it wants to develop cycling as a viable transportation alternative to ease traffic congestion, reduce carbon emissions and encourage physical activity."
Only stolen bikes on the subways, please.
It's always a beautiful day when all the gothamist commenters can agree on something
The subway in DC has a designated area in a few cars for bicycles, but the whole issue is silly. I see a bike on a train like once a month. Besides, what if someone, to avoid driving to work, has finally decided to take the subway, but he must bike to the subway. You can't expect grown adult people with jobs to start riding the buses in the boroughs, too. (Snark aside, I'd generally rather jog the entire route than stand and wait for a bus.)
I'm with the motion to get the people who stink up an entire car and render it uninhabitable into some sort of program, and off of my 7:17 F train.
People who put their wet umbrellas on seats should be arrested.
Also, the guys who sit with their legs spread like they can't put their thighs anywhere near their ball sacks and the people who put their feet up, or their numerous bags on seats during rush hour need to be dealt with waaaaay before an occasional bicycle.
Those guys! Those douchebags that need to sit on the subway, in a theater, and everywhere else like they're sitting on the goddamn toilet! Don't you just want to drive a stake through their crotch?
Bikes on the subway are rare, as everyone seems to agree. But the stroller thing has gotten totally out of hand. Whatever happened to folding those things? Isn't that what you're supposed to do with them underground? Not only that, but how many times have I seen parents with strollers blocking the doors during rush hour with an attitude of total entitlement, as though their offspring is some kind of free pass? If you have a baby, get one of those baby slings, they prefer to be carried anyway. Must I listen to your infant's howling on my morning rush hour commute? Is it that difficult to carry a 15 lb baby for 15 minutes? Chances are, if you were holding your baby, someone would have given you a seat by now. If you have a near school-age child who is awake, make them get up. Believe me, they can take it. And it's never too early to teach them how to behave on the subway. They're New Yorkers, for fuck's sake. If you want your kid to sit on his/her ass all day, move to suburbia.
The only parents who have any excuse to use strollers on the train are solitary ones with toddlers. These should be treated like gold. They are going to have a rough day in the service of the mini tyrant. Give them your seat, help them carry their shit up the stairs, hold doors for them. Don't be such a selfish prick. Also, parents of 4-5-and-6-year olds who are passed out, no, I don't expect you to wake your child. But I do expect you to find a way to get out of the way so others are not impeded by your doublewide, unmaneuverable bulk. Don't be such a selfish prick.
Rant out. Next time: If This Is How You Ride the Subway, It's Hard to Imagine Your Shitty-Ass Driving.
Speaking of strollers during rush hour...I recently got onto a subway car during rush hour and there were two women blocking the entire aisle with their strollers. I squeezed past one and slightly jostled one of the strollers as I did so... and the woman started bitching me out. WTF? It's rush hour, you dumbass! The least you could've done is put the stroller so it wasn't right next to the other lady's stroller...I actually said "It's rush hour you know" and she said she didn't care. Well then you just lost your right to complain!
In any case, I feel sorry for that kid because the mom clearly has issues.
Once again Midget Mike finds something obscure to pontificate about. How about addressing the growing mass of bums stinking up the joint? Nope-let's pick on bike riders on the subway! When there is a filthy bum stinking up an entire car, or a ranting panhandler terrorizing the train, nothing is done. You can't find a cop anywhere. Nope there are usually chucking to themselves at these baggage checkpoints. How about addressing the fucking animal kids who get out at 2:45 and terrorize the entire train? Nope pick on the poor slob lugging their bike around. yes it is an imposition to deal with bikes on the train-I prefer them to the rest of the mutants that ruin the commute for everyone. But Midget Mike needs to bully someone...
it should be common sense. Rush hour- Billions in the subway. Stay away or get stabbed or shot at close range. This is not some little town where people smile & say its ok. i've seen someone get slapped because their leg was up & hit the person next to them. Is it right no . but its real.
Instead of worrying about bikes on subways, why doesn't Bloomberg work on food delivery bikes that speed by with complete disregard to anyone's safety.
Amen Mike. Bringing a bicycle on the subway is completely selfish and obnoxious. Particulary during rush hour.
These people are bringing a mode of transportation onto a crowded mode of transportation.This is nuts! Why I dont I just drive my mini cooper onto the subway platform and into a subway car?!"Beep beep."
I'm always getting run over by bikes on the subway or my pants get all greasy when one of them backs up into my leg. And the people carting them around are often times completely oblivious and inconsiderate. The damn things have wheels. Hop off the train and onto the banana seat and pedal your ass back to Williamsburg, hipster.
The MTA has experimented with BUSES as a bike freight service. In the summer of 1977 they ran some buses with the seats removed over the Verrazano Bridge to Staten Island; Robert Moses thought the only proper mode of transit was the automobile, hence the VNB was never designed to carry a subway and never received bike lanes or sidewalks. With this bike shuttle service, I was able to bike all over Staten Island on the weekends in the summer of 1977.
www.forgotten-ny.com
The only time I brought my bike on the subway was the day I flipped over my handlebars and was too injured to make it home.
Bleeding bikers should get a pass.
Bikes, seriously? What about these people?
If you're going to bring a bike on the subway, at least make it a folding bike. Something like the Strida is good because there's no greasy chain to dirty people's clothes.
Bike racks on MTA buses would also go a long way to keeping bikes above ground.
man baby strollers are a way bigger problem than bikes... especially when the retarded mother/nanny ignores the "fold up and hold" rule.