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NYPD's Bike Crackdown Claims First Victims
By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 13, 2011
Modified Jan 13, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jan 13, 2011
Modified Jan 13, 2011
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Both Streetsblog and L Magazine have galling first-hand accounts from the receiving end of the NYPD's mission to ticket bicyclists who don't meticulously obey all traffic laws, including making hand signals for turns. The new crackdown—which police sources say will last "forever"—has already resulted in at least two utterly ridiculous examples of overzealous enforcement. In once instance, a cyclist was given a summons for making a right turn on red into Central Park.
In the other incident, a cyclist was pulled over by a squad car on Grand and Roebling in Williamsburg for riding without a back reflector and headlight. Unfortunately for her, she made the mistake of trying to pedal away. For that, the cops ran her off the road into a snow bank, and took her to jail. Keeping Williamsburg safe from insufficiently illuminated scofflaws, one punk at a time.
Tagged
bicycles
bicyclist
biking
cycling crackdown
cyclist
nypd
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.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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