Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Bike Riders Crowding Bedford Avenue! (In 1896)
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 23, 2010
Modified Feb 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Feb 23, 2010
Modified Feb 23, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Egads, behold these infernal hip-sters clogging Bedford Avenue with their fixed-gear "safety bicycles." And good heavens, there is a slatternly dressed female cyclist pedaling among them, a sight that's certain to scandalize the local Hasidim (someday)! This photograph—probably taken during one of their incessant political demonstrations demanding fanciful traffic regulations—clearly shows these ped-HELL-ers' wanton disregard for pedestrians and locomotives alike. Reached for comment, one Wiley Ignatius Norvel, who represents a criminal anarchist group in favor of bicycle proliferation, stridently asked, "How many bicyclists must be injured after slipping in manure before the Brooklyn carriage industry equips their horses with absorbent diapers?"
These rabble-rousing bicyclists also have the temerity to demand a separate lane of traffic that would only be used by themselves! Obviously, this ridiculous idea of dividing street traffic into such "lanes" is the stuff of Jules Verne fantasy, and as one commenter on a popular Gotham pamphlet sagaciously opined, "Clearly, the independent city of Brooklyn is no place for two wheeled commuters! These transplants should return to their home state of Ohio at once!"
Tagged
bedford avenue
bike
brooklyn
photo
vintage
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Fake AI ads in the West 4th Street subway station unite commuters in hatred of AI ads
An installation by comedians Harris Alterman and Dave Ross accurately parodied the cheeky dystopia on display underground.
By
Emma Li
Published Aug 10, 2026
'It is a bit utopian': Why Public Service is Brooklyn's favorite dance party
DJs Mickey Perez and Cesar Toribio's free series is the sound of the city and New Yorkers love it.
By
Maia Appleby Melamed
Arts & Entertainment
'It is a bit utopian': Why Public Service is Brooklyn's favorite dance party
DJs Mickey Perez and Cesar Toribio's free series is the sound of the city and New Yorkers love it.
By
Maia Appleby Melamed
Challenge accepted: We went hunting for the secret bolt in Central Park
By
James Ramsay
Monica Barbaro's guide to running around New York City in heels
By
Sonia Rao
Do NYC restaurant workers have their knives out for the Anthony Bourdain movie?
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .