Ambulance Jam

This is a perfect (and scary) example of why all Manhattan Avenues should have dedicated emergency vehicle lanes (that double as bicycle lanes).  Who cares if the rest of the traffic is jammed? Let traffic volume economics figure itself out, but don't prevent helpless people from getting the help they need.

Ambulance Stuck in Traffic

If I had a dollar for every time I sped past an Ambulance suck in traffic going down 2nd Ave...I could actually buy a better bike.

Seat Deficiency

C'mon, man, get a new seat. This hurts just looking at it.

I saw this outside of Blondie's on 79th St. I don't even have to mention the fact that it's not even attached to anything, it's just resting on top of the seat post (I accidentally knocked it off when parking my park on the same pole). Why would anybody put their offspring at such risk like this?

Central Park Lanes

With the vast road width in Central park, there isn't any reason why all the bike lanes can't be enhanced with a multidirectional bisection. For example, look at the 72nd St Transverse:

I try to only use the proper direction of these roads, but when shooting across the park at 72nd St from west to east, it would be nice if I had a clearly marked space as to not interfere with west bound traffic. This change should be an easy one, except for the fact that I'm sure it's multi-departmental with both  Parks Dept and DOT involved...

Parking Prick

It's taking all of my self-control to not flip out these days. It's great that more and more people are biking but some of these people just don't have a clue. Nobody wears helmets or has lights, people ride on the sidewalks, nobody has a clue what signals are. The worst is the amount of a**hole delivery bikers who ride the wrong way on the street. It's appalling. It's going to be these idiots who ruin it for the rest of us.

Today I was riding up Broadway, dodging these same clueless jerks and fuming over their ignorance. To make matters worse, I stop to park and then I stumble across this...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?! That just set me off. Look at it, one bike lock on the one outer post, another lock on the far opposite. Deliberately turning 4 parking spots into 2? This person should have their bike violently disassembled and destroyed. As if it wasn't already an ugly and stupid looking bike.

Just like the repainting of the Bedford Ave bike lane, I would not be surprised if more vigilante justice starts occurring to combat these travesties that are threatening our bicycling freedoms.

I need a beer.

Google Bike Maps

We asked for a bike lane layer on Google Maps, and they gave it to us. If only my subcontractors were that obedient...

maps.google.com/biking

Here is a little tutorial

The Dedicated Lane

With Manhattan's long and wide one-way avenues, why do we still have such congestion? The question should really be, who is actually worthy of being relieved of such congestion, and how can we alleviate just them. Let's face it, certain user of the road should be protected over others. Here are the main avenue user categories in my perspective (in no order):

Cabs (and other T&LC vehicles)

Personal Cars, Trucks & Motos

Delivery & Service Vehicles (public & private)

Busses

Emergency Vehicles

Commuter & Delivery Bicycles

Parking (and double parking!)
Construction & Maintenance Operations

How would you order them in terms of priority?

I have expressed my concerns over the lack of prioritization in the past. The following is an excerpt from a journal entry for a planning class at Pratt back in June, 2009:

"Let me elaborate on the dedicated lane, because this addresses what I believe to be the biggest problem due to congestion, and that is emergency vehicle efficiency. About two or three times a week, as I am biking to or from work right through standstill traffic (the greatest benefit for cyclists), I pass an emergency vehicle, sirens on, that cannot move because traffic is stopped and cars can’t physically pull out of the way. The effect congestion has on individual commuters, taxi cabs, busses, etc is IRRELEVANT when compared to the effect it has on emergency vehicle efficiency. If somebody has 30 minutes to get to a business meeting in Midtown West from the Upper East Side and they choose to take a cab, they will obviously be late, and that is their problem, not the public’s. They could be on time if they took the subway. Now if somebody is having a heart attack or an apartment building is on fire and the medics or firefighters cannot respond quickly, people might die. It is for this reason and this reason alone, that there should be a dedicated lane on EVERY AVENUE for emergency vehicles that can also be used for non motor vehicles (cyclists, roller bladders, skateboarders, etc) that can easily move out of the way. The lane should be between the sidewalk and the parking lane as to not causes problems when cars are trying to park. This solves the biggest problem due to congestion, that HAS YET TO BE ADEQUATELY ADDRESSED and also provides much needed resources for non-motor forms of transportation. It may not fix congestion as a whole, but it will fix the most important aspect of congestion."

The dedicated lane capable of handling an emergency vehicle has proved its worth on 9th Ave, and now the east side is embracing this idea. The MTA and DOT are trying to finalize a plan for a 1st and 2nd Ave continuos system (thanks to Caroline Samponaro of TA for passing this along):

Here's the plan

Here is one of the designs for a big portion of the UES (where they AREN'T building a subway simultaneously and for the next 10 years)

Sidewalk Inlay

No bikes allowed on the sidewalk...except for here. This is a neat hardscape feature in front of Metro Bicycles on 14th between 1st and 2nd.