This morning, I was ticketed while engaging in lawful acts, then observed police engage in a much more dangerous act than what I was accused of. I received a $25 ticket this morning for operating a bicycle on a sidewalk, an inappropriately inscrutable phrase for what should have been a clear description of my alleged law breaking. In fact, I was going at 3mph, about walking speed, and had one foot on the ground while using a 50 foot path to enter Central Park. Some friendly tourists were kind enough to take a picture of me breaking the law - I say this facetiously, to be clear - before my relaxing bike ride though the park. The ticketing officers first asked whether I saw a no biking sign. As you can see, the signs they referenced cannot be read when approached from certain angles of the sharply curved park entrance at 59th Street. More importantly, the officers strongly suggest[ed] that I plead not guilty and go to traffic court, where, they explained, the ticket is likely be thrown out. They were very polite, and, with disappointment showing in their faces and voice, they admitted that they would rather police the north end of the park, where there is sometimes violent crime. Instead, they were assigned to ticket bicyclists in the south end, which they said was not a big deal at this time of morning, and they did not even believe their own ticket would be upheld in court. I felt sympathy for these officers, who obviously resented being required to write questionable or even frivolous tickets when there was more urgent police work to be done. Within minutes of being ticketed, incredulously, I observed and photographed two city vehicles - TWO of them, suggesting a pattern or practice - one NYPD SUV (license plate 5613) and one Parks pickup truck drive over the same path at about triple my speed, about 5-10mph. I posed no danger to anyone, but city vehicles driving in dedicated pedestrian lanes certainly do. There was no enforcement priority that would have necessitated police or parks use of the pedestrian walkway. I am particularly offended by this ticket after I was hit by a Mercedes just five days ago while lawfully riding a Citibike in the bike lane. That driver, who could have killed me but for my good reflexes and swift breaking, received no ticket for endangering a humans life and probably never will. Mayor de Blasio, for the love of human life, please prioritize ticketing MOTORISTS, not cyclists. There have been two deaths caused by cyclists since 2009, but cars kill a cyclist in our city every other week. Please also consider prohibiting city motor vehicles from endangering pedestrians on pedestrian pathways unless there is a work-related reason for them to drive over these pathways. Convenience is no more a reason for police to drive over pedestrian pathways than it would be for bicyclists to ride over them. Safety is my priority - is it yours? From my experience this week, I would say Vision Zero needs some ironing on this issue. I sincerely hope no one was hurt or robbed somewhere else in the park because these officers were required to look for technical but harmless biking violations instead of violent offenders. Of course, when taking my bike to the park, I will make sure to have two feet on the ground instead of just one from now on. #mynypd The New York Times Mayor Bill de Blasio
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 14:55:59 +0000
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