"Sat. morning two police--I can't be sure of their jurisdiction as their car was white without any markings and I didn't pay attention to their uniform--stopped cyclists at the end of Hudson Terrace and, in a perfectly friendly manner, handed out what I thought was a public service reminder to us.
It calls on us to, among other things, ""Stop at intersections: walk bike across busy intersections and streets."" Yeah, right. We'll stop at every cross street.
Surprise: it was sponsored by the Automobile Club of America (AAA), bore their logo, and instructed us how to avoid accidents: watch out for car doors that are opening, wear bright clothing, signal turns and slowing down, avoid ""driving"" at night, et al.
Perhaps we can get the police to hand out a card to drivers prepared by cyclists directing drivers how to avoid accidents with cyclists and others: do not push us out of lanes, pass close to us, cut in close to us, open car doors without first looking for us, double park, honk at cyclists (and others) other than for an emergency, turn from non-turning lanes, incur into a bike lane, and do ""obey traffic signs, signals and pavement markings. Stop at stop signs"" (as AAA's directive to us states), ""Use proper ...signals for turning or stopping (as AAA's directive to us states), ""Stop and be sure roadway is clear before entering from a ... driveway"" (as AAA's directive to us states), ""Give the right of way to pedestrians"" in crosswalks (as AAA's directive to us states), et al.
"
Englwd Clifs police leaflet cycists w/ Auto Club's advice to us
Hmmph - great 'media buy.'
However deplorable, you have to hand it to AAA for getting into the hands of a credible source to give it to you. In the end it did get your attention.
It's interesting, and agreed - it does come off as biased. Doubt it'll win an Effie, as I bet your reaction will be representative of most cyclists.
For children under 8. The best part of the package was the inch-long adhesive safety reflector with the AAA logo on it.
"On a lighter note, our B-SIG group was practicing pacelining yesterday and was stopped at a light when a white 2-seat convertible slowly pulled up alongside. Adult at wheel, kid in passenger seat. Kid starts handing flyers out to us for a ""crit"" in Great Neck!"
Since I recently moved to Englewood, I've been commuting regularly on Hudson Terrace (mornings and returning in darkness).
I can imagine problems in Fort Lee at the GWB entrance. During winter, there was low cycling traffic. It's only the few early morning racers or hard-core commuters who use the bridge and Hudson Terrace. Now warmer weather is here and EVERYONE with a bike has emerged.
The traffic pattern around the bridge in Ft Lee is faster - especially going north just south of the bridge. There's suppose to be a new high-rise being built as well. The city know the new re-routing of traffic isn't very good. Now with cyclists around again. It's going to be interesting. I think the police are worried that someone is going to have a very tragic accident. They know how cyclists regroup at the entrance of the path - not a good place anymore (BTW, I dropped a couple of cyclists off here one night and immediately a Port Authority security car showed up).
The T stop (Palisade and Hudson Terrace) is dangerous as well. There is no traffic light here. You have traffic coming off the Parkway (left and right), 9W and up from Englewood. My suggestion is cyclists turn left at the street just before the T, turn right at 9W and wait for the light at Palisade. You take a chance at the T. I commute at least four days a week by bike. Even in the evening hours, this intersection is too busy.
Fort Lee Police have had a lighted sign for motorist up for months - maybe a year or more. It tells motorists to watch for cyclists. There are lots of cyclists out there who just don't know how to stay safe.
BTW, be careful of the road condition over on Hudson Terrace near the Bridge - lots of potholes (so what's new, huh?). Yesterday we had a guy on our brevet go down because of a pothole ... and this is a guy who finished Furnace Creek 508!
The end of Hudson Terr. at Palisade Ave is unequivocally Englewood Cliffs. The police station is about 100 yards from the intersection. Englewood starts on the far side of the Summit St light as you descend Palisade. Just FYI, when we ascend Pershing and turn right onto Summit, we are in Englewood. Summit is the border. In my mind’s eye I’m trying to picture if there are ANY stop signs or lights from the bridge to Palisade Ave. on Hudson Terr. Are there any? The highway is on our right, so maybe one????
"As he handed brochures to four of us riding in perfect single file, I told the officer we are happy to comply with the rules of the road. But could he also ensure that drivers respect our rights--you know, share the road?
""Unfortunately, under New Jersey State law, you are also considered a vehicle,"" he said. (Uh, so does that make it okay for drivers to pass us unsafely at high speeds, turn sharply in front of us without signaling or giving right of way? I didn't understand his logic here.)
Richard is right--the officer was perfectly friendly. But the mentality of whoever planted him there is one that sees bicycles as a problem: we just don't belong. We get in the way of cars. We cause them to run over us. Drivers don't need education on how to safely wield two-ton weapons around other human beings; cyclists need to learn to better accommodate ourselves to this Darwinian jungle."
If bikes are considered vehicles, then bicycle thieves should be charged with grand theft auto. That would cut down on the awful problem that bikers have in this city.
"'""Unfortunately, under New Jersey State law, you are also considered a vehicle,"" he said. (Uh, so does that make it okay for drivers to pass us unsafely at high speeds, turn sharply in front of us without signaling or giving right of way? I didn't understand his logic here.)'
Officer, what do you mean by unfortunately? Then agan, question him any further and he'll probably change the subject or just declare ""look, bicycles are dangerous!"" (cars are as safe as baby shampoo, of course.)
""Richard is right--the officer was perfectly friendly.""
Too bad, it would have meant an additional $5 donation to an activist group from the ""Isaac Brumer Cyclists' Justice Foundation""
""But the mentality of whoever planted him there is one that sees bicycles as a problem: we just don't belong. We get in the way of cars. We cause them to run over us. Drivers don't need education on how to safely wield two-ton weapons around other human beings; cyclists need to learn to better accommodate ourselves to this Darwinian jungle.""
...sigh (but, don't mourn, organize and yeah, you get to pick the exact form of your activism!)
Carol, Like you, I've unfortunately witnessed lots of anti-cyclist bias on the part of police and the AAA. (I recall a AAA video that suggested that bicycles slow down when approaching intersections so that cars can ""safely"" cut across their paths. I suspect, however, that this ""action"" was ""police makework"" timed to the warming weather and primarily directed toward (or against) the kids, less-experienced and family cyclists who tend to come out at this time.
BTW, that yellow vest was perfect for yesterday's B-SIG ride (where we ""learn to better accommodate ourselves to this Darwinian jungle,"") and the saddlebag is serving the SIG, too, carrying tools, extra tubes and band-aids."
Blood... boiling!
Somewhat off topic – but only somewhat. I remember watching a TV program called “Motor Week.” The opening credits showed an expensive sports car (Ferrari) fishtailing around hairpin turn as cyclists were descending. I guess they never thought that that might be perceived as irresponsible, stupid and dangerous to cyclists. Just exciting to motor-heads.
"...and how many times have car related ads protrayed cyclists ""coming out of nowhere,"" in the same league as deer, logs falling off trucks and kids running out of driveways?
...and how often are cyclists portrayed as being silly & cartoonish, think of the scenes where they wobble to and fro, handlebars rotating this way & that (think Kermit & Miss Piggy?)
...and Michael, the protagonist on ""Arrested Development"" commutes by 10-speed (when he's not driving ""the stairs"") because he can't afford a car?
It's why every cyclist needs to be an activist.
"
In the 1980s Ford had a commercial in which a young woman bikes up to a Ford, gets off it, and pushes it over.
The voice over: When you grow up its time to put away childish things. (...or words very close to that.)
But isn't it interesting how many commercials trade on and borrow the imagery of cycling to imbue their commercial and their car with freedom and fun. See, for example, the SUV commercials showing riders loading their bikes into the vehicle.
Better yet - 90% of all pharma ads have someone on a bike - showing that their pill can make your life normal.
Here's an outlier advertiser (i.e., not automotive, not pharma): I recently recall seeing a T-Mobile print ad with a paceline.
From a communications perspective it's funny how cycling plays a symbolic role: wellness/normalcy, destination sport/adventure.
"Here's an outlier advertiser (i.e., not automotive, not pharma): I recently recall seeing a T-Mobile print ad with a paceline.
That would make perfect sense. T-Mobile sponsors a well-known team - http://www.t-mobile-team.com/
""T"" is Deutsche Telekom."
That would make perfect sense. T-Mobile sponsors a well-known team - http://www.t-mobile-team.com/
They sponsor the famous men's team in Germany, and a women's team here in the States.
"I belong to automobile AND cycling organizations. I own three bikes and two cars, and I try to use all of them responsibly.
As the AAA's literature that was described above may be targeted to younger cyclists than us, one can only expect that it would be targeted to a motorist who is dealing with that type of cyclist. However, in a recent issue of Car and Driver, their monthly publication, the AAA included a test of cycling skills that could be useful to all cyclists on and off the road. The AAA probably doesn't target non-drivers for membership; they likely published this article under the assumption that many drivers either ride bikes or know someone who does.
We want (and, for safety's sake, need) to have our share of the road, but it is also true that riding at 15 miles per hour well out in the traffic lane of a 40 mph roadway is a hazard to everybody. Neither is it right for groups of riders to stream through lights or swarm around a car that is stopped at a light in exactly the place the law requires it to be.
I don't claim perfection in my own riding, but I use common sense, through basics like avoiding what I call the ""pinch zone;"" that is the space between the right curb (or parked cars) and the first two cars stopped at an intersection. This reduces the hazard of being struck by a turning car.
The NY in our club's name does not mean that our activities stop at the state line. NYCC should confer with clubs in NJ and Connecticut to identify the official literature produced by governments there. We already have state-specific information on our website, although it was last updated in 2003. It may be possible that materials relevant to ""mature"" or ""enthusiast"" riders were not recently produced in NJ, or that the local police may not be aware of them.
NYCC has shown its public-spiritedness through the highway cleanup drive. We could do the same by working with other clubs, local governments and automotive organizations to get the word out about this important matter.
"
"Gary, the police distributing the hand-outs were giving them to mature, adult riders. Although I'm certain there must be some, in the 25 years I've been riding where the hand-outs were distributed, I've yet to see one child cycling.
The Englewood Cliffs police, specifically likely Lt. McMorrow, sought the literature from the North(ern) New Jersey AAA, the AAA didn't go to the police with it. The hand-outs appear to be produced by the national organization as there is no reference on them to a local group: the sole identifying logo is AAA.
Do you agree with the hand-out that cyclists should stop at every intersection? If not, as an AAA member, you have more clout with them than I do so why don't you contact them (I am) to at least bring some common sense to the piece lest some idiot driver expects cyclists to ride as AAA urges them to and bombs through an intersection going the other direction, then, after hitting a cyclist, caterwauls, ""the cyclist didn't stop.""
Also inform them we ""ride,"" we do not ""drive"" bikes as one bullet point says.
Car and Driver is an AAA publication?! I doubt it. But, boy, if so, is that ever a sea change from where that magazine was forty years ago when I last paid attention to it.
"
"Richard,
I will reproduce excerpts of your reflections and clarify my positions. My responses are in brackets.
Gary, the police distributing the hand-outs were giving them to mature, adult riders. [Mature riders and drivers need education about road safety. Cyclists and drivers alike can forget basics or become complacent about safe operation of their respective machines.]
The Englewood Cliffs police, specifically likely Lt. McMorrow, sought the literature from the North(ern) New Jersey AAA, the AAA didn't go to the police with it.[The issue is not whether the Police Department sought out or received the materials. The issue is that they gave out what they thought was the appropriate material for the task at hand. If we think something better can be produced by the AAA or other groups, or can inform the police of some existing document that is more suitable, we should do so.]
Do you agree with the hand-out that cyclists should stop at every intersection? [I haven't seen the particular handout, but the law does require us to obey all traffic control devices. I know that this does not include stopping at unregulated intersections at all times. I assume that the AAA was writing with the law in mind. If my assumption is correct, one cannot logically refute a written statement urging compliance with the law. Additionally, if the publication is directed towards younger cyclists, that may be appropriate advice for the targeted group.]
If not, as an AAA member, you have more clout with them than I do so why don't you contact them (I am) to at least bring some common sense to the piece lest some idiot driver expects cyclists to ride as AAA urges them to and bombs through an intersection going the other direction, then, after hitting a cyclist, caterwauls, ""the cyclist didn't stop."" [If I can see a copy of this brochure, I would be glad to review it and send my comments to them, either directly or through the NYCC. I would like to see this specific edition. In spite of the absence of a NJ logo, it may differ from the brochure available in Brooklyn.]
Car and Driver is an AAA publication?! [Richard, I made a mistake here. The correct name of the publication is CAR AND TRAVEL, which is the monthly publication of the Automobile Club of New York. Here is a link from the AAA website about cycling skills, which appears to be a reproduction of the Car and Travel article. This link was viewed on April 13, 2005. Click on: http://www.aaany.com/safety/traffic/bicycles_and_pedestrians/story.asp?xml=seven_essential_skills_for_cyclists.xml]
Gary Katz
"
"Gary, most assuredly, it is NOT the law that cyclists stop at every intersection.
Here's the phone number of the Englewood Cliffs police so you can request a copy of the handout be sent to you: (201) 569-8300. As noted, perhaps you would do best to ask Lt. McMorrow for this. Otherwise, contact the N. Jersey AAA, whose number I don't have.
As for your idea that we offer a re-write, I think that's a fine idea and I would join you in it. Of course, it should NOT come from the NYCC as an official work of the club. At the same time, I would try to insist to the AAA and to the very limited extent I can and could that a similar handout be made and distributed to drivers vis a vis cyclists:
• Signal turns.
• Don't turn from non-turning lanes.
• Don't double park.
• Don't turn in front of an oncoming cyclist.
• Don't squeeze cyclists out of the lane they're in.
• Don't honk at a cyclist other than for a legitimate emergency.
• Don't go through red lights.
• Don't sharply cut in front of a cyclist; wait until you have cleared him/her by 00 feet.
In a half-word, this continuing to blame cyclists for their own deaths and injuries at the hands of drivers is bull. Deputy NYPD Commissioner (for public information) Paul Browne is on record as having stated cyclists ""endanger"" motorists. They do?! On average, more than a dozen cyclists are killed every year in NYC by drivers and god knows how many are struck by them. I grant in some cases the cyclist is at fault. In some cases. But I've yet to hear of a single driver ever being killed by a cyclist or, for that matter, even injured by one.
"
"I believe that he meant ""Car and Travel."" I recall seeing the article, too. I would prefer the term ""drive"" over ride for two key reasons:
1. ""Separate is not equal."" Having different terms, implies having different rights (one set of which generally ends up being lesser.)
2. Cyclists actually do more personally to ""drive"" (or propel) their vehicles then motorists do."
Isaac,
You are correct about the name of the magazine; I noted that in a follow-up posting of my own.
Your points about the term drive are well-taken.
Gary
