MTA-Hired Cyclists Will Annoy Absolutely No One

Sample ads from MyAdsOnBikes. Seriously.

The MTA has been trying everything to get you to stay out of the East Side bus lanes. It has posted misspelled PSA signs. It has threatened fines and camera enforcement. But apparently, this isn't enough to keep everyone from partying it up in those sweet lanes. So the MTA is turning to the enemy of its enemy, cyclists, to keep everyone in line.

Starting Monday, eight cyclists carting informative billboards will be deployed along First and Second Avenues to remind drivers, pedestrians and other cyclists that chilling in the bus lane will earn you a $115 ticket, and that the lanes are protected by camera surveillance. Raymond Villani of MyAdsOnBikes, the company the MTA hired to make the announcements, said, "It's a wonderful, green method of advertising. It's nonpolluting. There's no carbon footprint. Just a unique way of getting attention." Yeah, but won't the bus drivers be getting frustrated with the bikers and their giant signs clogging up the streets, especially since Second Avenue doesn't have a designated bike lane? We've contacted MyAdsOnBikes to see if they have a statement, but in the meantime let's try to make the introduction of cyclists carting billboards in Second Avenue traffic as peaceful as possible, OK?

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

By Jaya Saxena in News on November 20, 2010 12:44 PM

Comments [rss]

Aunt_Bike

This pointless exercise reminds me of an anti speeding promotion we saw on Staten Island a few years ago. They put up posters telling motorists they shouldn't speed. However, the giant minds behind it put them up in the bus shelters. I don't think the motorists even noticed them.

The Guardrail

Where is John Del Signore to write a story when you need him? I am sure he would have a field day with this one!

The Guardrail

So basically being a "jerk" will cost us. They might as well put that on the ads...lol

http://theguardrailblog.blogspot.com

blue maze

ahaha thts um neccecery?? well not really

longacre

I hope the signs are multi-lingual...From my observations, the majority of cyclists on 2nd Ave are food delivery men who cannot read English.

Spirit of 76

Absolutely no one? Think again. The fact of their mere existence is a bane to "thefacts."

Diocletian

I think it's more to protect the MTA from liability because some of their bus drivers just don't give a damn.

Two years ago, I was riding my bike down 21st street in Queens (Astoria/LIC) and was hit from behind by an MTA bus that drove off. As I was ahead of the driver for several blocks, there's no reason he shouldn't have seen me and shouldn't have been able to not hit me.

CR

Are cyclist riding in the bus lane a problem? I enter 1st ave in the bus lane and then cross over to the bike lane on the other side of the street. Only once has there been a bus coming so I moved out of the bus lane to ride between the bus lane and the lane next to it. The bus zipped by and that was that... Are other cyclist riding in the bus lane expecting that they'll set the pace of traffic for the buses (and usually cars that are behind them?)

"to remind drivers, pedestrians and other cyclists that chilling in the bus" - New York needs a "don't step off the curb until the "walk" sign" campaign. People hang out in the street all the time waiting to cross and I don't get it. Is that extra step closer to the other side of the street that puts you in serious danger going to get you where you're going any faster? Why does everyone feel the need to step up in front of everyone else while waiting for the signal?

Erk

Yeah, a lot of people ride in the bus lane on 1st Ave. City planners retardedly put the bike lane on the wrong side of the street, which is mostly to blame. Far more people turn left off of 1st than turn right because it's on the east side, so you have to deal with far fewer people not respecting your right-of-way by riding on the bus lane side.

I totally agree with your "wait for the walk signal campaign" idea but maybe first they need a "logic" campaign. The single dumbest thing pedestrians do is step into the street and THEN look for traffic. I have no reservations about shoulder checking people who do that...