It’s hard out there for a bike.
New York cyclist deaths are up 25% this year, according to the Mayor’s 2016 management report. Earlier this summer, the Times reported Brooklyn as the most dangerous borough for cycling in the city, and Vision Zero doesn’t seem to be helping people not die at the hands of reckless drivers.
And yesterday, one cyclist enthusiast in Park Slope was so exhausted with the dangers of the city that he painted his own damn bike lane in his neighborhood.
Doug Gordon posted a photo of his handiwork yesterday on Twitter:
After noticing a dangerous snow-induced curb extension last winter, Gordon decided to get a jump on the season and used white road tape to divide 2nd street effectively in half, reserving the right side of the one-way, must-turn-left strip of 2nd street for cyclists.
DIY bike lanes are a nice idea in theory, but it’s doubtful that cars will actually respect the divide. Besides, it doesn’t prevent cars from mowing you down in the bike lane.
Increased enforcement on cyclists isn’t going to solve the problem of dangerous intersections. And if the NYPD is going to drag their feet on investigating cyclists’ deaths, which might be the only way to gain any insight into what’s going wrong on the road, then maybe civilian vigilantism is the best answer, at least for now.