Here's your Monday afternoon gripe. Enjoy!

[azrider]

Originally Posted by charliedid

420 Bake and Race. LOL

Alleycats are so 1990. And so lame...

Sorry no sympathy here.

RIGHT?!?

Good grief......I'm wondering how many people are actually reading the article/background story or just reading the 'title'....

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by azrider

RIGHT?!?

Good grief......I'm wondering how many people are actually reading the article/background story or just reading the 'title'....

Seriously

Back in the early days it was an invite only thing and you didn't invite someone who couldn't hold their #$@^ together on a bike. The route was "reasonably" safe and thought out so not to disrupt things too much and ruin everyone's day. It was mostly racers/riders and really great messengers on fixies who always blew my mind. So much control. Now it's out of control.

Thankfully we didn't have Facebook back then but I remember the first time I saw a flyer actually posted on a shop or bar bulletin board. I knew it was all over.

Grumble Grumble...waves fist.

[CNY rider]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

http://gothamist.com/2019/04/22/vide...ikes_bells.php

My friend, you need to get out of NYC, and we have lots of room for you up here in Otsego County.
It's time.

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by charliedid

Seriously

Back in the early days it was an invite only thing and you didn't invite someone who couldn't hold their #$@^ together on a bike. The route was "reasonably" safe and thought out so not to disrupt things too much and ruin everyone's day. It was mostly racers/riders and really great messengers on fixies who always blew my mind. So much control. Now it's out of control.

Thankfully we didn't have Facebook back then but I remember the first time I saw a flyer actually posted on a shop or bar bulletin board. I knew it was all over.

Grumble Grumble...waves fist.

Haha! Now they post youtube videos of them being dumb@$$e$, and they expect the cops to leave them alone.

[GOTHBROOKS]

so which one of yall “old heads” run that messmemescollective ig account

[merckxman]

btw, NJ bike law:
39:4-11 Audible Signal.
A bicycle must be equipped with a bell or other audible device that can be heard at least 100 feet away, but not a siren or whistle.

Originally Posted by tctyres

Yes. A bell is required. They do this "enforcement" every now and again. Typically, you have something like 24 or 48 hours to buy a bell, put it on your bike, and then go to the precinct office with your receipt. The summons is then waived.

We had a rider go down in NJ on Saturday on our group ride. We called 911, and the local sheriff responded first. I was shocked --- shocked that he was so nice. I've become used to cops giving cyclists a hard time.

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by merckxman

btw, NJ bike law:
39:4-11 Audible Signal.
A bicycle must be equipped with a bell or other audible device that can be heard at least 100 feet away, but not a siren or whistle.

NJ's section 39 is pretty close to the original UVC, so it wouldn't surprise me if that's the standard for all states.

The problem in NYC is the way it's enforced. Instead of writing tickets for moving violations, they stop all bikes and have them jump through these petty hoops.

Ideally, we'd want a set of usable bike lanes that are neither overrun with dog walkers and runners (like the Hudson Greenway) or delivery trucks double parked (like anything in midtown). It takes a lot of political wrangling to get a bike lane put in.

[charliedid]

Originally Posted by tctyres

Haha! Now they post youtube videos of them being dumb@$$e$, and they expect the cops to leave them alone.

[C40_guy]

So what's up with bikes being confiscated for lacking a bell (or lights).

NY DOT website states:

Bicyclists who violate the law are subject to traffic tickets. Parents can be held responsible for violation by their minor children (Sec. 1230)

If the horn on your car is broken, they don' t tow it away...

Nothing there about confiscation. I'd freak out!

[johnmdesigner]

This little nugget just fell out of the sky today.

http://gothamist.com/2019/04/23/nypd...l_scofflaw.php

[sparky33]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

This little nugget just fell out of the sky today.

http://gothamist.com/2019/04/23/nypd...l_scofflaw.php

lycra jersey with baggies: unforgivable.

[azrider]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

This little nugget just fell out of the sky today.

http://gothamist.com/2019/04/23/nypd...l_scofflaw.php

Yes....because an organized Memorial Ride honoring 911 victims is totally the same as a bunch of fixie turds riding their bikes illegally, blowing stop signs, riding against traffic all while promoting and smoking weed......

Such investigative reporting in these pieces you keep promoting.

[johnmdesigner]

Originally Posted by azrider

Yes....because an organized Memorial Ride honoring 911 victims is totally the same as a bunch of fixie turds riding their bikes illegally, blowing stop signs, riding against traffic all while promoting and smoking weed......

Such investigative reporting in these pieces you keep promoting.

I called it a "nugget" not "investigative reporting".
And bicycle bells would seem very appropriate for a memorial ride.
I have come to expect very little from my Police Department.
Yesterday one relatively skinny guy overpowered 4 policemen, took their Taser and used it on them. So no, I'm not expecting much.

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by azrider

Yes....because an organized Memorial Ride honoring 911 victims is totally the same as a bunch of fixie turds riding their bikes illegally, blowing stop signs, riding against traffic all while promoting and smoking weed......

Such investigative reporting in these pieces you keep promoting.

There are a few overlapping issues here; but the one that is really annoying is that the NYPD set up checkpoints a few times a year on major bicycle routes and pull over all cyclists, regardless of whether they are turds or not. I've been pulled over. I had a bell. They waived me on. A bunch of other people got tickets. It's not really law enforcement. It's the NYPD showing how they are out of touch with cycling as a way of commuting. What they should be doing is calming traffic and moving delivery trucks out of bike lanes.

Where cyclists run red lights, go ahead and ticket them for that; but bells?

[tctyres]

Originally Posted by johnmdesigner

Yesterday one relatively skinny guy overpowered 4 policemen, took their Taser and used it on them. So no, I'm not expecting much.

I had to look this one up. I hadn't heard about it. The police officers look like clowns in the video. smh