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Anti-Bike Lane Councilman Tells Cycling Constituent To "Get A Life"
By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 6, 2011
Modified Jun 6, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Jun 6, 2011
Modified Jun 6, 2011
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Young City Council member Eric Ulrich, who made headlines when he proposed a bill requiring all adult cyclists in NYC to affix an ID tag to their bikes, has once again incurred the wrath of the so-called radical bike lobby. On Thursday, the 25-year-old Queens Republican made a little Tweet that read: "Had a nightmare last night that NYCDOT installed a bike lane on my block. #ohthehorror." But at some point Ulrich deleted the tweet, and Brooklyn Spoke speculates that he may have done so in the wake of a tragic Friday accident that left a 53-year-old grandmother clinging to life.
The accident, which took place at 103rd Avenue and 93rd Street in Ozone Park, left the woman, who was standing on the corner, "sprawled across the pavement, gasping for breath and covered in blood" after a collision sent a van hurtling up onto the sidewalk.
But what does Friday's accident have to do with cyclists? Well, as Brooklyn Spoke points out, a Queens resident and former Community Board member tweeted at Ulrich in the wake of the accident, writing, "After last night's tragic van accident in ur district, bike lanes & traffic calming should be a dream not a nightmare #bikenyc."
To which Ulrich replied, "Apples & Oranges don't mix well. Traffic in Queens is bad enough. Thanks 4 the tip but I'll pass on the kool aid #getalife." (By the way, clicking on that hashtag "getalife" reveals that Ulrich isn't the only one who thinks other people need to get one of those.) Asked for comment about why he deleted that first tweet about bike lane nightmares, Ulrich gave us this statement:
First of all, I can say with certitude that my Twitter account, to my knowledge, has not been hacked. With that said, I cannot believe that anyone would use a tragic incident like the one that occurred on Friday to advance their own agenda. To suggest that a bike lane would have prevented this from happening is simply absurd. While I welcome a serious discussion about traffic safety in my district, I will not allow people to use this unfortunate event to begin that conversation.
Unfortunately for bike lane advocates, Ulrich's tweet wasn't a crotch shot, but it will have to do... for now. Ironically, Streetsblog co-founder Aaron Naparstek points out that in some conservative circles, Ulrich is being talked about as a challenger to Anthony Weiner. "Apparently, they want to make sure that the seat is held by someone who publishes embarrassing shit on Twitter," says Naparstek.
Tagged
bike lanes
cycling
cycling crackdown
eric ulrich
radical bike lobby
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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