Report Confirms Drivers' Citywide Disregard for Bike Lanes

A bicyclist using the dedicated lanes in Manhattan for five or six blocks will find a vehicle in the way 60% of the time, according to a new survey released by Hunter College. The report found that most vehicles obstructing bike lanes do so for less than 10 minutes, but the abuses are widespread, and occur more frequently during morning rush hour. Graduate students conducted the study on 492 randomly selected street blocks with Class II bike lanes (lanes delineated by painted stripes on city streets) in Manhattan on weekdays from September 22nd to October 23rd, and they even pinpointed Manhattan's most obstructed bike lane. Any guesses?

If you said East 90th Street between Fifth and Third avenues, take a bow! Professor William Milczarski, a co-author of the report, said in a statement that, duh, "the data reveal that bike lanes are frequently blocked, and greater efforts need to be expended to restrict the occupation of these lanes by vehicles." The report's co-author, Professor Peter Tuckel, adds, "Cyclists view these obstructed bike lanes as not only representing an infringement on their territory, but also posing a serious safety hazard. In order to avoid cars and trucks parked in bike lanes, cyclists need to swerve into the regular traffic flow, thus putting their safety at risk."

A previous study spearheaded by the same professors in the Department of Sociology found that a large number of cyclists routinely disobey many traffic laws. Their new report also notes that 20 percent of cyclists observed do not ride in the bike lane, and cyclists who ride in the bike lane are more likely to wear helmets than cyclists who ride on the street (72 percent versus 64 percent). Because they're crazy!

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By John Del Signore in News on December 3, 2009 4:21 PM

Comments [rss]

JenChungsBaby

How about citywide disregard for those bike boxes designed to put bikes in front of other traffic at red lights? I don't park or drive in bike lanes but I sure as hell make it a point to fill up the bike box as much as possible whenever I can.

Liam

Awesome! And I'll fill up sidewalks, etc. whenever I want.

Snoopy

"Also, what apartment in the outer boroughs?" Probably your mother's where you have lived since graduating from highschool and still can't afford a car, so you bike.

"Walk around the corner or across the street instead of parking in the bike lane." How about if you bike in traffic? You are just another person moving through the neighborhood and your rights are not any better than someone in a motorized vehicle.

Liam

Very original! 10 points!

Snoopy

Except for the peak hours of going to work and coming home from work, how many bikers actually use the bike lanes compared to those that need to deliver items? Has anyone made a study of that? Probably not. Bike lanes like HOV lanes times need to be studied.

It does not make sense to shut down a lane just for the enjoyment and convenience of a few individuals.

petercow99

It does not make sense to shut down a lane just for the enjoyment and convenience of a few individuals.

How about this.. it doesn't make sense to completely cater to every wish of the minority who own cars, and the even fewer who commute via that method?

FWIW, I'm the author of the blog Ink Lake and an update on the bike-lane battle in my neighborhood (Brooklyn Heights) can be found here: Church v.State (cont.'d).

Snoopy

Duh dude. I am talking about the individuals that are making deliveries or services to the buildings that are being blocked by the bike lanes, not the private car owners, who for the most part park in garages when they use them to commute to work. And I am not talking about the NYPD, FDNY, Sanitation workers etc., city employees that park for free. Those employees should have to pay for parking in private parking lots like everyone else.

petercow99

Snoopy,

The bike lanes should be exclusively for bikes. Let the delivery vehicles park on the other side of some concrete or some bollards.

Only let emergency vehicles use the bike lanes.

Snoopy

How about a delivery lane dedicated to, what else, deliveries?

When your local Starbucks runs out of their supplies where will you be then?

Liam

They have delivery zones but there are not enough of them. Tough shit. Walk around the corner or across the street instead of parking in the bike lane.

Also, what apartment in the outer boroughs?

Liam

What do you mean by businesses that are "blocked" by bike lanes? Is my home "blocked" by the one way street outside it? Is the sidewalk also blocking my door in?

Snoopy

I really don't give a shit about your apartment somewhere in the outer boros. I'm talking about restaurants and other businesses here in the real NYC, Manhattan, that have to deal with the blocking of access for delivery.

Either way, when I am driving I don't brake for cyclists that are chasing the lights. That's why the good Lord gave us cars horns and drivers fingers.

leepresson

I work in emergency medicine and I don't recommend that anyone ride a bike in New York City. It's not the always the driver's fault, or the biker's fault, but if you had seen what I have, you would walk or take the train.

Erk

I live in the united states and I recommend that everyone ride a bicycle. It's not always McDonald's Fault and its not always the fatty's fault, but you have seen what I have, you would ride a bike too.

brooklynmouthoff

Hardass egomaniac cops do whatever the hell they want.

idiots.

juliec

It is pretty astounding how much safer I felt riding to work when everyone was on vacation. Merging into traffic from the bike lane to go around a parked car is definitely one of the most dangerous maneuvers, especially during rush hour, especially since cars never signal and rarely look out for bikes.

pinball29

Gothamist needs to dial down its obsession w/ bike lanes. This is a big, crowded, busy city, not some leafy suburb or university town. If you cant ride a bike in New York w/out safely maneuvering around obstacles in the (newly created) bike lanes, then you shouldnt be riding a bike here. Unfortunately, you dont live in a little protective bubble.

juliec

There have been a lot of bike-related posts lately, but brooklynneedles is right: bike-riding is a very efficient way for a large amt of people to get around the city. It's in our best interest to care about this issue.

Also, I lost 15 pounds when I started biking to work.

Dead Himmler

Based on your comments you need to lose at least 15 more pounds.

juliec

More like a billion pounds, I am way fatter than anyone you will ever know. Some Peruvians offered me a free plane ticket, you know?

brooklynmouthoff

But this city being so crowded and busy is precisely WHY we need the bike lanes to be safe. We need order.

Also, what's the alternative, we crowd the roads even more with cars for everyone?

girodavivere

I noticed some of New York's finest doing this the other night. Two police officers from the 90th prescient parked IN THE BIKE LANE, while they went into Le Barricou to get dinner. The worst part is that while they enjoied their meal, they left their cruiser parked in the bike lane. That entire block of grand street had no parked cars, there was half a block of spaces they could park in, but chose to leave their car in the bike lane, in front of an open space.