Sure, I’m unlikely to get killed by a bike, whereas the danger is greater with a car. But overall, there are many more accidents (and just the feeling of insecurity) than there are deaths. Again, I’m all for bikes on the street; I hope to own one myself very soon. I’m just saying that on a day-to-day basis, bikes are a greater danger/nuisance to me as a pedestrian than automobiles.**
That said, this all comes from someone who’d love for personal cars to be banned from Manhattan. But even if that were the case, I still think a majority of cyclists would be assholes.
(Source: ohhleary)
In New York City, everyone is at fault.
Yes, everyone is at fault. However, the rules of the road (and common sense) state that the bigger and more dangerous you are, the more you have to yield. And while cars are annoying and dangerous, this video demonstrates why I think bicyclists are more aggressive overall.* Just about every single person on a bike in this video displayed a complete disregard for anyone else on the road.
Don’t get me wrong, I love bikes. And am planning on getting one myself soon. But bicyclists need to be considerate and conscientious as well. And that’s something I just don’t see a lot of in NYC.
* Yes, maybe cars are more “dangerous” because of the greater potential for death or dismemberment if you are involved in an accident with one. However, I bet there’s a greater number of incidents involving bicycles (per capita) than cars, and probably by a lot.
According to Bicycle Almanac:
45,000 cyclists vs. 2.4 M motorists were injured in 2005, from traveling 6.2 billion milies and 1.6 M-M miles respectively, yielding 7.3 injuries per million miles for cyclists and 1.5 injuries per million miles traveled for motorists, making cyclists 4.9 times more likely to be injured per mile of travel. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts 2005
So, yeah, there are more cyclist injuries per capita. That said, cars are the big killer.
Motorists usually at fault. The NYC group Right of Way says: “After NYC cycling fatalities increased twofold in 1999, police rushed to cover their, er, reputation by claiming (without analysis or supporting data) that cyclists are to blame in 75% of cycling deaths. Right of Way took a closer look. Surprise! The truth is just the reverse, as listed in our report, The Only Good Cyclist (PDF).” According to Right of Way, over 90% of pedestrian deaths in NYC are the fault of drivers. And research from Toronto shows the same thing for car-bike crashes.
Most at-fault motorists who kill cyclists and pedestrians get off the hook. A study by the Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition shows that three out of four at fault drivers were never even cited for hitting and killing pedestrians. 22% of fatal pedestrian crashes involved hit and run drivers, yet, none of the runaway motorists were found or charged. In New York, 70-92% of drivers were at-fault in killing pedestrians and cyclists, but 74% didn’t even get a ticket. (RightOfWay.org, 1999) The story in Austin is similar.
First Car Crash killed a cyclist. The first automobile crash in the United States occurred in New York City in 1896, when a motor vehicle collided with a bicyclist. [Traffic Safety Facts 1996: Pedalcyclists (PDF)]
Stop driving. Ride a bike. Behave.
I wasn’t referring to cyclist injuries, rather cyclist offenders. And the people that I believe should get the most respect are the pedestrians. Watch the video again, the bicyclists are the ones aggressively weaving between pedestrians (and cars for that matter*). In my experience, cars are more deferential to pedestrians than cyclists, by a long shot.
Sure, I’m unlikely to get killed by a bike, whereas the danger is greater with a car. But overall, there are many more accidents (and just the feeling of insecurity) than there are deaths. Again, I’m all for bikes on the street; I hope to own one myself very soon. I’m just saying that on a day-to-day basis, bikes are a greater danger/nuisance to me as a pedestrian than automobiles.**
* I would say there are more examples of cyclists not respecting cars in this video than vice versa. Weaving through automobile traffic the wrong way is not cool. It’s then your fault if you get into an accident idiots.
** Also, I’m not sure injuries per million miles is a good statistic, but I really don’t know. I would think injuries per capita is better, but again, I don’t know.
I know what I’ll be doing for the next few months…
(Photo by NYC Scout)
Washington Square Park
New York City
May 17, 2010
motion
Take that PDX!
Though there’s definitely better availability of good beer in NYC… Portland does have more microbrews, but just because it’s a microbrew doesn’t mean it’s any good. In NYC, even the corner bodega carries a 400+ beer selection.
A quick little NYC vs Portland
Art: yes, yes
Good music: yes, yes
Public transit: yes, yes
Beards: yes, yes
Good beer: sure, yes
Weird stuff: yes, yes
Good improv: yes, noThat’s why I’m in New York right now, bitches.
Today was the 9th annual NYC No Pants Subway Ride, and it was a blast. Weather was beautiful, though a bit balmy at 28℉.
I was assigned to the 1 train, and due to the large number of people (at least 200 on the 1 alone), and a bit of misunderstanding, the group accidentally split up between two different trains. In the end it probably worked out okay, as that ensured there wasn’t an excessive number of pantless folks in each car.
On the journey to Times Square, the cars were still more than half full of agents, but it was absolutely hilarious to see everyone else’s reactions to what was going on. I was standing at the far end of my car, near a woman who was reading and didn’t notice the first three groups of agents de-pantsing. When I started to take mine off, she stared in horror, then proceeded to do a double-take down the car as she noticed a half dozen other pantless people. By the time I disembarked the train she had cracked a smile, but I can only imagine what was going through her head.
Upon arriving at Times Square, I followed a huge group of agents to the NQRW trains, passing through hundreds of people photographing us and a bunch police officers all standing in a group awestruck. I walked to the far end of the platform, where only a few agents were waiting for a southbound train, and took a spot near the MTA office, which was packed with employees snapping pictures and noticeably arguing about what was happening. Finally one guy approached me laughing, and queried about what we were all doing. I responded with “I forgot my pants today… ran out of the house in such a hurry. I’m such an idiot.” He started laughing and I asked him if he had an extra pair I could borrow. When he asked why there were so many others in their underwear, I said I had no idea, but it seemed like a forgetful kind of day.
The strangest part of my experience came on the ride to Union Square. We were supposed to take a southbound N train together, but I accidentally boarded the R instead. Apparently the other agents who started to get on with me noticed their mistake and hopped off. So I was the only pantless person on the train the entire time, and none of the passengers had any idea what was going on. Everyone stared, many giggled, but no one asked me what was up. At least four different people took video of me using their phones (oh, the age of always available video), and I’m sure many more took pictures. I winked at two when I got off at Union Square, but I guess I’m looking forward to seeing myself solo-pantless on Youtube in the near future…
All in all, a perfect day… everyone seemed to have a great time, and the mission was a resounding success!
