Traffic Enforcement
Streetsblog Basics
WPIX Gets BIke Law Facts Wrong and Misses DMV Scandal Under Its Nose
New Yorkers have seen their fair share of malicious press about bikes, from willful ignorance in Daily News editorials to Marcia Kramer linking cyclists to terrorists. But sometimes, it's not maliciousness that causes trouble. A story from WPIX reporter Kaitlin Monte this morning may have been intended to educate the public, but did little more than circulate misinformation. A moment of fact-checking before going on air could have salvaged much of the piece -- and perhaps spotlighted a newsworthy scandal right under the reporter's nose.
August 21, 2014
Run 3 Reds on a Bike, Pay $1,500; Hit 10 People With a Car, It’s All Good
Today “Gridlock” Sam Schwartz and Gerard Soffian, both former officials with NYC DOT, said the city should amend laws that treat cyclists and motorists the same. One of their recommendations is to lower the fine for cyclists who run red lights.
August 20, 2014
Scenes of Mindless Bike Enforcement From “Operation Safe Cycle”
NYPD's bike ticket blitz, a.k.a. Operation Safe Cycle, is halfway through its two-week run. The department has promised to target "hazardous violations that create a danger for pedestrians and cyclists," but the accounts pouring in from readers suggest that police haven't raised their game since the last flurry of bike enforcement. While it's tough to get a comprehensive picture of NYPD bike citations, readers report a lot of fish-in-a-barrel ticketing activity and flat-out bogus summonses. No one has written in to tell us about NYPD nabbing a wrong-way cyclist who just went through a crowded crosswalk.
August 20, 2014
Local Speeding Tickets (Barely) Outnumber Sidewalk Biking Summonses
We've got a new installment in Streetsblog's hotly-anticipated Sidewalk Biking Ticket Index, which compares the number of sidewalk biking summonses issued by NYPD to the number of speeding tickets issued by local precincts. In a reversal from 2012, NYPD last year issued more tickets for speeding on local streets than criminal charges for riding a bicycle on the sidewalk -- but just barely. The ratio is still far out of proportion to the damage caused by each offense.
July 31, 2014
TA Vision Zero Report: NYPD Traffic Enforcement Up, But Wildly Uneven
NYPD increased enforcement of dangerous traffic violations during the first six months of the city's Vision Zero initiative, but enforcement varied drastically from precinct to precinct, with some issuing fewer summonses than last year.
July 31, 2014
20 Speed Cams Issued Almost as Many Tickets in June as NYPD Has All Year
Traffic enforcement cameras are far outpacing NYPD in ticketing drivers who speed, run red lights, and encroach on bus lanes -- pointing to the need for more automated enforcement to make streets safer.
July 16, 2014
Here They Are: Meet Some of NYC’s Worst Sidewalk Hogs
We asked for photos of NYC's worst sidewalk-hogging businesses, and readers responded.
July 14, 2014
Who Are NYC’s Worst Sidewalk Hogs? Keep Those Tweets Coming
There's still time to submit your photos of sidewalk-hogging businesses.
July 7, 2014
Eyes on the Street: Tweet Us Your Pics of Sidewalk-Hogging Businesses
Clarence shot the above photo of a common sight in NYC: car-oriented businesses that illegally commandeer sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to walk around parked cars or pushing people into the street. He writes:
July 3, 2014