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Community Corner

Crackdown on Cycling Unfair to Cyclists

The NYPD has staged an all-out war on cycling, as if people on two wheels are the only ones who break the law.

I commute to work on my bike nearly every day, barring extreme weather.

Every week day, it's the same thing: Ride from my Classon Avenue apartment into Manhattan, where I work near Murray Hill. The ride is about seven miles each way, and I love it.

As odd as it sounds, I feel like it gives me some time to be alone in a city where I rarely get that opportunity.  I've been riding my bike regularly for about eight months now, so I feel like I've seen it all.

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But now that the NYPD has decided to crackdown on cyclists  - the New York Post says they’ve issued a staggering 1,000 tickets in the last two weeks - I'm realizing that maybe I haven't.

I'm not taking issue with the crackdown, I'm taking issue with the message it sends: That cyclists are the only ones to blame in the city's increasingly hot-button conversation on bikes, bike lanes and cyclists. The reality is that there is enough blame to go around: Cyclists, pedestrians and drivers all share a part, and it's not fair to target a single group.

For sure, there are some cyclists who blaze through lights, cut off pedestrians and cause general chaos. The sad thing is that those few have given the rest of us a bad name. As for me, yes, there are plenty of times when I've slowed at a red light, then went through when I saw that the coast was clear.

If the NYPD wants to ticket, I have plenty of suggested targets. How about the drivers who do double the speed limit, park in bike lanes, cut off cyclists, don't signal when they turn and beep at cyclists when we're allowed to be on the road? Or maybe pedestrians who step into bike lanes without looking or simply stand in the middle of bike lanes, causing cyclists to have to dangerously swerve into the road to avoid a collision?

I can't tell you how many times drivers and pedestrians break the law, but the NYPD's crackdown isn't about them - it's only about cyclists. Because it's such a hot topic right now, busting cyclists is getting them some positive press, and that's all that matters.

But here's the thing: We're not going away. Pedestrians can yell, drivers can try to run us off the road, and the NYPD can unfairly focus their attention on us. It doesn't matter.

There are more and more of us every year. According to the Department of Transportation, regular cyclists increased by 13 percent from 2009 to 2010, and more than doubled from 2006 to 2010. And the trend is sure to continue.

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So instead of attacking just us, maybe it's time the NYPD step back and look at the bigger picture. There are a lot of sides to this issue, not just the ones on two wheels.

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