Video: Cops Block Bike Lane, Give Ticket for Biking Outside It

OF COURSE Critical Mass has devolved into a confrontational shit-fest. The regular cyclists have been weeded out years ago by escalating police tactics. It used to be something that was barely even mentioned. A group of cyclists, facing a street climate a lot worse than (thankfully) what we have now under the new DOT, took to the streets en masse to show a visible presence. It WAS a non-violent political rally on wheels. Then Ray Kelly decided that as part of militarizing the streets in the wake of the RNC protests, he'd respond with disproportionate force to Critical Mass. Helicopters following cyclists. Motor bikes cutting them off. Cops throwing people off their bikes onto the pavement.

Is there any surprise that the only people left doing this look like rabid zealots? The moderates are just quietly riding their bikes elsewhere.

This thread smells like dirty hair...

:(

well it is kinda sweltering out there. pungent, ain't it?

NYPD hates the citizens of New York. In their eyes we are all perps...

bikers: meow meow meow meow, meow meow meow meow?

cops: ruff ruff, ruff ruff.

ps extremely drunk at the moment.

haaa it's waay more entertaining that way!

(...just stay away from the bi-polar cocktail)

OH YEAH?!!!?? NNNNNNNE'AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGH...

... wait, it wasn't the bi-polar cocktail.

*shrug* and *sigh* :D

I don't know about the chic in the video, but the drag queen in pink in the photo above is fierce. She lead a disco bike ride through the West Village the Friday night of Pride weekend with this huge sound system on her bike trailer. No police, no confrontations, just good, clean fun.

isn't it against the law to videotape protesters?

http://www.nysun.com/new-york/judge-curbs-videotaping-by-police/48774/

Under a court order, police officers can conduct surveillance of political activity only with permission from the police deputy commissioner for intelligence, David Cohen. Furthermore, such surveillance can be conducted only in the context of a criminal investigation or for anti-terrorism purposes, Judge Haight ruled previously.

Judge Haight said the police department has been ignoring these restrictions.

I like this girl. She sounds cute. Oh man, why the hell do the police hate cyclists so much??? Are cyclists the new minority group to target?

Yeah because they stopped targeting blacks and hispanics. Dimwit. God fucking whiny bikers. I've ridden a bike in NYC for years without a problem and never heard all this blowhard nonsense until all the yupsters started cycling.

so why is NYPD videotaping them? This mean they are targeting them. Dont' understand why though. This all comes from the top- Kelly. And Bloomberg supposedly loves cyclists. So i don't understand.

Actual, reasonable question from a cyclist here. So I do my best to follow all the traffic laws, I stay to the right, have lights on the front and back, use hand signals, ride the proper way down the street, wear a helmet, you know, the things I should do to both obey traffic laws and not die.

So my question is whether or not it's legal to ride outside a bike lane if one is present. I was always under the impression that the bike lane was there you didn't have to ride in it, as long as you were following traffic laws. I don't see the grounds for ticketing.

According to NYC DOT, bicycling rules § 4-12 says, "Bicycle riders must use bike path/lane, if provided, except for access, safety, turns, etc."

On the other hand, the very next paragraph says, "Other vehicles shall not drive on or across bike lanes except for access, safety, turns, etc." Because the second condition was not met, there should be a good chance of fighting a ticket for violating the first paragraph.

Thank you.

I'm surprised she knew what TARU was

Good for her! If "cops ticketed a cyclist for riding outside of the bike lane—which other cops were blocking in an SUV so they could videotape everyone participating in the ride" is true, then I don't understand how someone cannot be outraged. Someone, I should clarify, who does not have a weird hate-all-things-bike-related fetish or who thinks all cops are always right.

She saw an injustice and stood up to the cops. She was right, evidenced by the fact that they didn't say shit to her and ultimately obeyed her. She wasn't gonna be bullied, and she sure as shit shouldn't be condemned for it.

But I know I'm being naive. Being judgmental pricks is what commenters are supposed to do. Ya know, her voice is annoying. And she sounds white and from Portland. There gotta be something that my insecure, weak ego can concoct to make me feel better about myself.

Anyone who lumps together entire groups of diverse people, e.g., bicyclists and cops, should just be ignored. If one cannot grasp that large groups are comprised of individuals with free will, then your commenting privileges should be revoked. I know, I know, nuance is hard.

if "cops ticketed a cyclist for riding outside of the bike lane—which other cops were blocking in an SUV so they could videotape everyone participating in the ride" is true,

Actually, the video doesn't show that to be true at all. It starts with the guy who was ticketed for not being the bike lane, and then shows the cops in the SUV pull into the bike lane.

So there may have been cars in the lane earlier, and they may have been police cars, but there's no evidence of that here. Nor is there an accusation that anyone was ticketed for riding out of the lane while that SUV was in it.

Fair enough. But tell that to JDS, who I was quoting. I assumed he had some reason for writing that, as if he knew more of the facts than the video demonstrates.

On the other hand, the video does at least support two facts: that people were being ticketed for riding outside the bike lane, and this same group of cops chose to park in the bike lane.

So, can you at least acknowledge that there's something awry with this picture?

And I've seen enough of your comments to say that I'm a fan of yours, as you often well articulate what I wanna scream to the knuckle-draggers here. So I by no means want to start a pissing match.

Then you've seen enough of my comments to know that what I'm generally trying to do is to bring some degree of accuracy to, or illuminate inaccuracies in, both Gothamist's reporting and the ensuing comments.

That's all I was doing this time. No pissing match intended or desired.

new york police badges are like licenses to be a complete asshole. i feel like all the fuck ups and bullies who barely made it through public school ended up becoming police officer so they can continue being fuck ups and bullies, but instead now they get paid for it. someone in their family knew someone else, they got their named moved up on a gigantic list. now they're "working hard" to get their three best years so they can retire early and collect a sick six figure pension. ugh.

i participated in a critical mass once, back in 2004. it was my last time, too. there's nothing about that "ride" that promotes cycling in the city. it was a bunch of jagoffs just trying to piss people off and block traffic because they could.

at one point, a car blocked at a side street up in e. harlem was pleading to be let through the mass because they were trying to get their asthmatic daughter to the doctor's office. the CM guys just pounded on the dudes hood and told him you have to wait like all the other cars. me and another guy saw this, pedaled over and stopped the flow so the guy could drive on. i then turned around and rode down to central park, where i took a few nice spins around the loop just to get the stench of the experience off me.

bunch of self-righteous, self-centered douchebags, really. never again.

blame bloombag and his RNC, don't forget the guys in blue.

haha keep trying dude

like I said before, I could care less if I will arguments or not.

my avatar is of barney rubble crapping into a pelican's beak or mouth pouch.

i was out there protesting the RNC too. but bloomberg and the RNC had nothing to do with a bunch of hipster a-holes blocking a dad from getting his sick kid to the doctor's office. and there wasn't a cop in sight that night.

I hope you're this concerned when cars block traffic and an ambulance can't get through.

Quoting Manitoba

"The best way to protest for the rights of cyclists is to ride your bike to work, obey all traffic signals, wear a helmet, be safe, and shut up. The more cyclists out there NOT be annoying, the more respect we will get."

I would like to emphasize, since you're quoting me, that I do ride my bike everywhere, and 99% percent of the time, I abide by all traffic laws. The only times I do not is when it would be more dangerous for me and others not to. If a spot is too dangerous, and there are too many pedestrians or cars about, I just dismount and walk on the sidewalk with my bike.

The point of my original comment was that I think CM has made conditions worse since 2004. I rode in a couple of CMs before that in 2000-2002, and I really thought it was a nice way to make sure cars knew that cyclists were out there, and we had rights to the rode as well. At that time, cops were also pretty helpful with the ride. We often also struck up conversations with drivers while we were all caught in traffic, and the situation was rarely antagonistic.

Since ~2004, though, the rides have become overfilled with unemployed trust fund dipsters who think they're making a mark on the world and have basically destroyed the original spirit of the rides. The behavior of these transplants to New York has also worsened the attitudes of drivers and cops towards cyclists, and I really doubt they have helped to raise any awareness to anything aside from how big of tools they are.

Is there anyway the good cyclists can get together for a "Courteous Mass"? I would ride in that. Thousands of single-file cyclists observing all traffic laws? That would be a way to show pedestrians and drivers that most cyclists are good at cohabitating the streets.

Keep changing that argument until you find one you can win.

Going to a be awhile, I think.

hey, that's what you do and then some.

have you been behaving?

hating police officers is such an adolescent trait

They're such douches. They prey on the general public. They are predators.

Please go back where you are from!

These fresh-from-Portland bike types are so annoying.

I ride a bike and drive in NYC, bikes would be better off with the old rules (stay right) than with all this intervention (bike lanes, dumb bike signals, cops, tickets).

There are too many types of bike lanes and too many bikers who think riding in NYC is like riding in the park. The cars and trucks will always be a danger, but one set of rules would make collisions less likely.

Though you refuse to believe it, bikers demanding maximum safety and access to roads are actually from right here in New York. There are tens of thousands of NYC bikers who want this. This ain't just a couple annoying stoner bikers from Portland. It's a trend all over the country. And there are bikers in every city demanding bike lanes and alternatives to driving. In St. Louis. And Tampa. And LA. And East Bumfuck. And anywhere people are seeking non-car ways to get to around.

The bike lanes are taking away car lanes, yes. Many people think this is a good thing, both to increase space for bikes, but also to reduce car lanes. Say, have you heard about the BP spill? There's a connection.

While your points are quite valid, and cars give zero respect ... until the bikers stop behaving like hypocrites, barreling through red lights, sidewalks, and crosswalks, thinking they have the right of way over pedestrians, then they'll sympathy. Until then, f()ck 'em and their demands.

that's bs. people on bicycles are a variety of people, just like car drivers. car drivers don't have to obey laws for people driving cars to be respected or for drivers' requests for safety measures to be taken seriously. car drivers break laws every day, see those pictures taken by cameras at red lights for evidence. not to mention plain old speeding. and people in cars breaking laws is much more often deadly than a cyclist acting like a red light is a stop sign.

Well, as a pedestrian, and thus member of a group far more numerous in the City than drivers or cyclists, I can safely say that I have been nearly run over or injured by cyclists FAR more than I have ever been by drivers, including cabbies, and this is both by cyclists ridding on the sidewalk (illegal) and on the street when they flagrantly fail to stop at the red light as us pedestrians are crossing (wth the right of way).

Because of this, I fund cyclists to be a great pest, and hope most of them grow up and follow the rules. I am someone who strenously keeps out of bike lanes as not to impeded cyclist and I expect them to act with the same respect for the rules towards pedestrians.

Meanwhile in Harlem four people were shot and one overdose.

I was about 20' ahead of this whole thing. It was my first CM ride, and most certainly my last. Everything I had heard about CM talked about it celebrating bike culture, and I really got into riding my bike over the past year so hey, why not meet like minded people right? It's not about that at all. It's like when you were a kid and you put your finger half an inch from your brothers face and keep saying "I'm not touching you! I'm not TOUCHING YOUUUUUUUU!!!!" Except in this scenario, mom isn't there to keep your brother from hitting you. This whole thing was to antagonize the cops. My friend and I bailed on the whole thing about 5 minutes later. I thought I'd be safer and less likely to get into any trouble riding in CM, exact opposite. The guy getting the ticket was playing "Killing in the Name Of" by RATM on those speakers hanging around his neck.

what's wrong with Rage against The Machine?

suppose it would be better if it were from a booming, thumping car stereo. just ride.

Nothing wrong with Rage, just that it was just another way to antagonize the cops. I think I heard Fuck Tha Police on after it, but I could be wrong.

but don't you think the fact that the police are there in such numbers may have something to do with all the animosity? they all look like law abiding cyclists to me.

When I first showed up at Union Sq, a cop in a suit came over and talked to me and this other guy that was waiting by me (we happened to both be the only ones dressed in all black with plenty of tattoos.) He was really nice, laid back, we talked about current events, growing up, etc. Before he moved onto the next group of people he explained that every cop there was in a bad mood for having to be there and that they would be handing out tickets and that they would probably arrest some people. He wanted to make sure that everyone was aware of this and to just be calm, don't try to run, don't try to make a scene, just let it happen. Not the kind of thing you want to hear right?

There were at least 20 scooter cops, and 5+ of those 3 wheel interceptor things.

So the cops presence is enough to excuse acting like a scumbag...

take's one to know one, they're the best at it.

Waiiiit. People actually listen to cops on fucking vespas?

there is nothing wrong with what the cyclists are doing, they're off to the right in the bike lane. cars can go by from what I can tell. what about the illegal parkers on the left? oh wait, they look like cop cars. surprise!

there faces tell the whole story, what did I tell ya about can't even look you in the eye. I bet that taser cop is feeling bad bout now. if he only knew how he can get away with anything in this town. his conscience got the best of him. I've give him credit for that.

that chick is mad cool.

having a camera and being a girl probably kept the cops from shooting her.

In my life and all the experiences I've had with cops, I've been ticketed, harrassed, punched even, but not once can I remember being helped by a cop. Strange.

That womans voice personifies every Gothamist article about vehicles in bike lanes, whiny and annoying

You people are fucking idiots.

Fucking tools always blame the victims.

And then complain when their taxes go up to pay out the billions in lawsuits.

Critical Mass has become a joke.

The best way to protest for the rights of cyclists is to ride your bike to work, obey all traffic signals, wear a helmet, be safe, and shut up. The more cyclists out there NOT be annoying, the more respect we will get.

All CM is doing is making life worse for those of us who ride our bikes to and from work responsibly. Over the last 12 years, cars and cops have been treating me worse and worse, not better! Thanks CM!

You're a stupid liar. I can show you many people killed, maimed, and who had their bikes stolen who obeyed all laws, you fucking LIAR. Of course you need to lie. 100% of videos prove the cops lied about everything in every Critical Mass. And we innocent taxpayers shell out millions to settle the lawsuits because of you criminals.

I agree about much of what you say, but I think helmets are politically detrimental. They give people the idea that there is something reckless, dare-devilish and childish about riding a bicycle in the streets. This gives police, bureaucrats and other piggy types a license to do bicyclists harm with impunity.

As to the cops getting better or worse, I think they're about the same. It seems pretty dumb for them to focus on CM as much as they do and I wonder what's behind it. There are lots of things obstructing traffic in New York City besides CM.

Maybe you're right about the cops being just as crappy as before in some ways, but I remember 10 years ago that cops used to actually facilitate the ride and help stop cars. Those days are long gone.

As for not wearing a helmet, that's just plain stupid, and I hope you were joking with your "politically detrimental" comment. Drivers don't wear helmets because they are surrounded by 3000 lbs of metal and plastic. I know two people, for whom wearing a helmet saved their lives. One of them had his head run over by a car, and the helmet kept his skull from being crushed - hard to believe but true. I have another friend, who used to make fun of me for wearing a helmet, and she ended up in a coma for a week after getting bumped off of her bike and smacking her head on the pavement; after 4 months of rehab, she was back to normal, but a helmet could have saved her a lot of time and trouble.

And, there is something slightly reckless and dangerous about riding a bicycle in New York, or any major U.S. urban center, which is partly why some people enjoy it so much. To refuse to wear a helmet because you think it makes drivers respect you more just makes you an idiot. Protect your noggin, and you can live to fight another day.

Thank you! How about just riding your bike to where ever you are going and not acting like a child? Oh I forgot CM is to draw attention to something or other.

+1000000

The best way to protest for the rights of cyclists is to ride your bike to work, obey all traffic signals, wear a helmet, be safe, and shut up. The more cyclists out there NOT be annoying, the more respect we will get.

Nailed it.

Is this supposed to be a protest or is it just now a party with a bunch of spoiled hippies?

I mean really, the point of this when it started was to go down a main avenue such as Broadway and disrupt friday evening traffic.

You people make me want to retch - you don't whine when the cops get after you - you shut up and sit down and shout "you are here to protect the people why are you carrying a gun?"

What did our parents protest in the 60s then turned cynical and yuppie scum by the 80s for nothing?

Hey stupid cop... you are only making more people HATE cops, you dumb fuck, and for what? To harass cyclists? The video clearly shows the cops being dickheads, clearly breaking the law (blocking a bike path to endanger cyclists) and ignoring YOUR BOSS, the taxpayer shooting the video. No wonder most people hate cops. Fuckwads.

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