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Photo by Dmitry Gudkov
June 24, 2013- The Gothamist is reporting, “Photographer Dmitry Gudkov says he was cycling up First Avenue when he noticed a police officer standing near his squad car at the intersection of 6th Street. “I kind of asked him jokingly, ‘Are you hunting cyclists?’ ” Gudkov says. “And without even blinking he says, ‘Absolutely.’ ”
Gudkov says he laughed and shrugged off the comment. “I thought, that’s pretty candid, but whatever.” He biked for a few minutes, stopped to check his phone, then turned left on 9th Street. “That’s when I see a cop pulled over standing next to a guy with a Citi Bike.” It was the same police officer Gudkov had seen a few minutes earlier.
“I asked the guy on a bike what he did wrong, and he said the cop stopped him for running a red light.””
Another Citi Biker did run a red light today a few blocks down and wasn’t so lucky. Around 5:30 pm the bike ran the light and collided into a car which had a steady green light crossing the intersection.
Luckily the car hit the front of the bike, not the rider. The force was enough to take off a small piece of the car’s bumper and the bike wheel was pretty mangled.
Very fortunately the rider was not seriously hurt, a few scrapes. Passerbys breathed a sigh of relief. The driver and rider much more so, no doubt. Neither was angry at the other. They both seemed grateful each other was okay and only fenders and wheels needing fixing.
I was riding the Citibike to work this morning, when my commute was ruined by a NYPD officer (driving an unmarked car) who issued me a citation for not stopping at a red light. This was in a quiet neighborhood in Tribeca (Hudson and Franklin) where the traffic could hardly have been lighter.
And I actually did stop at the red light, just like I’ve always done. I let the three cars crossing over Hudson Street pass by, and as there were no more cars coming down Franklin, I crossed Hudson to continue on my way. This is when the unmarked NYPD car (who was the last car of the three crossing on Franklin) swerved left onto Hudson and pulled me over. I just couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t issue a warning, either — just a straight traffic ticket.
I’ve been riding bikes here in New York for years — never have I seen anything like this. I’ve done this exact maneuver hundreds of times; probably dozens of times in front of NYPD without ever thinking twice that I might be doing something wrong. I always stop at a red light — and when the cars are passed by, I’ve always believed I was free to go, just like everyone else on a bike.
I think it was clear I was targeted for riding the Citibike. The NYPD must hate the program and Mayor Mike better reign in this sting operation before it ruins everything. The only thing I’ll say in the cop’s defense – I thought he looked just a little bit ashamed when he quickly handed me the ticket (which I think will set me back $270!) and jumped back in his car. As for me, I could only stand there dumbfounded, trying to figure out what just happened.
GOOD WORK NYPD!
it is a good start but continue on!
START GIVING TICKETS to the rest of the bicyclists who refuse to follow the law
who ride on sidewalks, run red lights and run roughshod over pedestrians throughout the city!
Properly enforced, and without being a secret revenue source, out of control electric mopeds and bad Citi Bikers need to be controlled
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