You Tube video may clear cyclists in New York City

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 8:25 AM by Randall Wolf.  Print This Post |  Email This Post

One Response to “You Tube video may clear cyclists in New York City”

1. mike pidel August 2nd, 2008 at 12:05 PM

   i am glad i found this blog about cycling in Westchester.
   i am a bicycle advocate who has spent most of my advocate work in NYC due to lack of any advocacy group in Westchester.
   I recently started riding more in Westchester, due to the new gym (NYSC) opened on the south county trailway in dobbs ferry, I was ecstatic that i finally had a gym I could ride my bike too, coincidental it coincide with the double of gas prices.

   I realized that i need to start working on correcting a lot of the problems with cycling in this area. I usually ride in north west Yonkers along the river to Tarrytown or to NYC. Due to the hostility , road rage and dangerous drivers on the road, i fear riding north of Tarrytown on rt 9. RT 9/ Broadway has plenty of room for a separated bike/ped way
   i now no longer feel safe riding on Broadway between Tarrytown and Irvington due to the road restriping that is deadly to bicyclist.
   i usually ride into nyc via Riverdale ave , however I find that this road is also aspeedway and a danger zone for cyclist. I have been buzzed there too many times, and I notice a common denominator of the Westchester livery car license plates that are based out of south Yonkers as some of the worse offenders.
   These roads broadaway/riverdale/warburton should both be official NYS north south bicycle routes, and either separated bike lanes constructed or some kind of traffic calming employed to protect bicyclist.
   It is a shame that the official nys bicycle route has to go through new jersey into nyc
   i don’t ride nor am I any longer a member of local Westchester clubs as i do not find their advocacy work to be a primary function. I also tend to be more a slower utilitarian rider that likes to ride to a destination such as a beach for a swim or a coffee shop,waterfront to relax. I am also a multimode rider, meaning I like to take the train as part of the way of reaching my destination or use the train to return home. i tend to do most of my rides in the city with times up and TA.
   i know the people involved in their recent CM video and have been involved in CM rides since the RNC. The heavy handed nypd evidenced by this video is the norm rather than the oddball attack. I have seen it too often.
   Bicyclist tend to be very environmental, peaceful, anti violence group. Of course we will always have a couple hotheads, but they too will be exposed in video’s it works both ways.
   i am also a video person that has been involved in the mnahttan CM rides, may of my cm video are also on you tube. It should be noted that the Brooklyn critical masss rides doen not have the negative police presence, it in fact has support of the police and the police actually facilitate the ride. There is also video I shot on the Brooklyn cm ride that is on you tube.
   i am a strong supporter of videotaping while in a car to out the aggressive dangers drivers that kill too many people daily on our roadways. i believe that 80 percent of auto crashes can be avoided by safer driving and slower speeds and non aggressive driving. i rarely drive anymore , so i have not had much luck promoting the stopdangerousdriving site.
   the new cheap video cameras like flip video are great for car and bike use to document infractions, i strongly encourage all riders to and drivers to use one.
   We need to stop this until now, anonymous violence by drivers. The life you save may be a family member.
   i am glad to see bikes allowed on buses across the Tappan zee, i want to be involved in a movement to place bike racks on the bee-line buses. i read recently that the bee-line buses did a survey and bike racks weren’t wanted.
   i don’t know how they surveyed, but every bicyclist i spoke to would like bike racks on bee line buses. i don’t believe in using a automobile to go to the start of a bicycle ride, the bike on buses and trains is the way to get to these starts.
   the south county trailway need to be finished in Yonkers, until it is finished it should be clearly marked on the detour how to get to the Redmond fields link. i haven’t tried the missing link myself, but will do so next week. The Elmsford link also needs to fixed, that route should also be clearly marked. The business that are illegally on the right of way need to be removed and a temp pathway for bicycles through these areas need to be established. The pathway via the industrial section and along saw mill river road is much too dangerous. The speeding trucks pass within inches of a pedestrian, there have been at least 5 fatalities in the last couple years due to motor vehicle crashes in that area of rt 9A.
   The roads leading up to the south county trailway, the main feeder road which is saw mill river road /9A in Hastings that approaches the entrance on Farragut avenue needs the shoulders repaired. Families should be able to ride from Hasting on Hudson to the entrance near Farragut Avenue near Martin Walshin building safely, the 9A section from Ravesdale to the trailway entrance shoulder could easily be repaired to make a safe off road feeder to the trailway. The condition of the shoulder now is dangerous to bicyclist, it is full of gravel, potholes, sunken storm drains, overhanging trees, and this should be immediately fixed. Tractor trailers and high speed vehicles pass way to close to bicyclist. Families need a safe route to the trailway and should not feel the need to drive their bikes two miles to the start. A repaired shoulder on both sides with a couple concrete dividers placed to keep texting /cell phone drivers away from bicyclist is all that is need to make this a safe route.

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